UKNanoNoob Posted March 2, 2007 Share Posted March 2, 2007 Any idea on this urchin. What are its basic requirements and what size do they grow too? Link to comment
darkfishy2690 Posted March 2, 2007 Share Posted March 2, 2007 looks like a pencil tip. Link to comment
Withers Posted March 2, 2007 Share Posted March 2, 2007 I had one in my last tank. Look up Shield Urchins. Supposedly they need very high, turbulent flow to survive well. Mine would stay at the top of the tank where the flow was the highest. One word of caution though, if you have an acrylic tank, STAY AWAY FROM THIS URCHIN. The one I had would etch a star shape into my acrylic every time he took a much of algae. It took me about 4 months to figure out what the hell was causing it, but I caught him in the act. No amount of buffing on earth could remove those etches. I've asked lots of reefers if they've experienced the same sort of thing with urchins, and nobody else has had that happen. Then again, its not a very common urchin to come across. That being said, he was by far the coolest urchin I've ever seen. Link to comment
UKNanoNoob Posted March 2, 2007 Author Share Posted March 2, 2007 Thanks guys, I done a bit of searching this morning before work and i came across the shield urchin. These really are cool looking creatures. Thanks for the advice Vicskimmr ill keep that in mind. Im not going to be keeping it in an acrylic aquarium but it will be housed in a glass tank with algea guard coating on the 4 sides of the tank. Im currently waiting too hearing from the tank builders wether this stuff can be worn off of the surfaces. If so then im pretty much certain that this urchin will rasp away at the coating. Vicskimmr, do you know what this guys diet consists of? Link to comment
Helfrichs Chick Posted March 2, 2007 Share Posted March 2, 2007 Yep defiantly a Shield Urchin. Very pretty one at that, they can be found from 8 ft deep to tidal areas. They have the flattened spines on top because of what VIC said; they forage in some massive turbulent waters, and the flat spines help them not get swept away. Pretty cool bit of evolution if you ask me! Because they live in such high tidal areas, I would think they may be really sensitive to low oxygen levels. So throw about 30 PH in there and he should be good lol. From what I remember... read it somewhere... they say its an herbivore, but I personally think urchins, most if not all are omnivores. Good luck! Link to comment
Uploadead Posted March 3, 2007 Share Posted March 3, 2007 I'M TELLING! lol Yes, they are sheild urchins, and they can eat coralline aglae aswell as green. Just to let you know. Once they have munched through it all lob in a load of macro or something for it to eat. Link to comment
UKNanoNoob Posted March 4, 2007 Author Share Posted March 4, 2007 Great thanx guys. They really are a special creature, got to admire the way evolution works. I have read that they are found on strong current areas so was going to be providing it with some heavy flow. What kind of macro do you suggest i go with? Link to comment
Withers Posted March 5, 2007 Share Posted March 5, 2007 Another thing to keep in mind is that they're very very strong. Its extremely difficult to pry them off the glass because of the way they're shaped. Good luck! Link to comment
UKNanoNoob Posted March 5, 2007 Author Share Posted March 5, 2007 Cheers vic ill bear that in mind. Just wanna say that i checked out your 60g viv link. That really is inspiring, looks beautiful, i can see a lot of hard work has gone into that. I would love something like that it really is different. Amazing mate. Keep it up. Link to comment
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.