Urchin using molt as camouflage

[seabass]

My Tuxedo Urchin is using my Fire Shrimp’s molt as camouflage. I usually just leave him alone, but should I try to take this off of him? If so, how would you suggest I do this? ???

[jdsabin1]

I say leave the poor thing alone! He's the bomb! You guys should see this thing .. he is so cool . Now with the molt on he looks like he is packing around a dead blood shrimp.

[seabass]

He is very cool. I needed something to eat my sheeting Gracilaria macro algae, which was growing out of control. This urchin is eating it, but also likes to put it on his back. He loves to eat my coralline; I hope I can maintain some coralline on my rock.

[seabass]

I still kind of want to remove this molt. Does anybody know how I should go about this? Since the spines are slightly poisonous, can I still touch them? Does someone know how tightly it holds on to the objects on it's back?

 

Thanks ahead of time.

[Beaker]

I wouldn't touch it if you can avoid it. Try using tweezers or some kind of tongs (salad?), that might work. It's obviously bothering you so just be gentle and be careful. Let us know what happens. I guess if we don't hear back you probably touched it.

[seabass]

I took your advice and used tweezers to remove the molt. I thought it would be holding onto it harder than it was. He must have been holding it just hard enough so that the flow wouldn’t blow it away.

 

It looks much better now; thanks Beaker!

[Beaker]

No problem, I actually just pulled that suggestion out of my butt. Glad it worked, glad you survived, thanks for making me look good!