Ando Posted January 5, 2009 Share Posted January 5, 2009 I hear that a sea urchin is good if you have hair algae? But will it eat my corals? I was planning on putting one in there until the algae goes away then trade him. I think it's black with orange on it...?? Anyone know the name? and will it eat my coral? Quote Link to comment
Payara Posted January 5, 2009 Share Posted January 5, 2009 Why dont you just a get a decent CUC? But if you are intent to get one, most are reef same. I wounldnt recommend getting one unless you can properly ID it. Quote Link to comment
Ryan_H Posted January 5, 2009 Share Posted January 5, 2009 urchins are a pain in the butt. they knock stuff over, carry stuff around, and eat coralline algae. for hair algae in a nano i would recommend scarlett reef hermits and a tiny turbo snail or two. Quote Link to comment
aph Posted January 5, 2009 Share Posted January 5, 2009 I have an urchin in my 20g, and it does not 'eat' any of my corals. However, he's a little bulldozer and will knock down absolutely any and every coral that isn't anchored/glued down. That's the main reason I wouldn't recommend an urchin in a reef tank. That and mine hides anytime the lights are on, so I rarely see it. It just comes out at night to eat and push things around. I wouldn't discourage the idea of getting one, but I don't recommend it either. Quote Link to comment
Ando Posted January 5, 2009 Author Share Posted January 5, 2009 well I only have 3 corals right now. zoo's, ricordia, and trumpet coral... they are all glued down. I was thinking of having him for a month or two until my algae has gone away. Just want to use him for alage control for now. still a bad idea? Quote Link to comment
jamesnmandy Posted January 5, 2009 Share Posted January 5, 2009 as long as you dont mind him eating all the corraline algea while he's grazing, mine completely stripped the outer layer of all my rock pretty quickly Quote Link to comment
Urchinhead Posted January 6, 2009 Share Posted January 6, 2009 (edited) Bah. Please read here all of you: http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/index.php?...t&p=1663374 For those of you who are reading challenged... They are reef safe. They don't exclusively eat coraline algae. They are no more destructive than a Turbo snail at worst and other snails/hermits at best. You will have to feed it once it eliminates the algae in your tank. They do eat hair algae. They do eat other types of algae. They do the job of several hermits and snails. For your size tank go with a tuxedo and have nori on hand to feed it once it eats the algae in your tank. You may have to trim the hair algae to get it to eat it and you *MUST* drip acclimate them Edited January 6, 2009 by Urchinhead Quote Link to comment
jamesnmandy Posted January 6, 2009 Share Posted January 6, 2009 im not repeating something i heard man....i had one and he literally ate every square inch of corraline he could get to, along with anything else growing on the rocks, then one night, because he ran out of corraline or other algae to eat, he ate about 4 square inches of zoos, caught him in the act, i think he may have been only after the corraline between the ployps, but he went ahead and munched on the zoos in the process Quote Link to comment
Kirru Posted January 6, 2009 Share Posted January 6, 2009 I agree with urchin head I have a tuxedo in a 10 gallon nano and is doing great work. doesn't eat the little coraline i have, actually i didn't have any when I added him, now i am getting some all over the place almost all the algae is gone but he'll be going in to a 40 breeder tank as soon as I get it going. Quote Link to comment
Sac_State Posted January 6, 2009 Share Posted January 6, 2009 i actually enjoyed having coralline on my rocks, and didn't like having my rock work periodically tumble down, or having a rolling pin cushion covered in the zoas and palys it dislodged , so after 3 or 4 months i finally gave up on my little tuxedo urchin friend, even though he was really interesting to watch. Quote Link to comment
khinsanmu1 Posted January 6, 2009 Share Posted January 6, 2009 Can anybody tell to post please?I am new. Quote Link to comment
SulfurAcid Posted January 6, 2009 Share Posted January 6, 2009 i actually enjoyed having coralline on my rocks, and didn't like having my rock work periodically tumble down, or having a rolling pin cushion covered in the zoas and palys it dislodged , so after 3 or 4 months i finally gave up on my little tuxedo urchin friend, even though he was really interesting to watch. lol Quote Link to comment
davidr2340 Posted January 6, 2009 Share Posted January 6, 2009 Can anybody tell to post please?I am new. WHA? Quote Link to comment
Ando Posted January 6, 2009 Author Share Posted January 6, 2009 I just want him to eat all of my algae. Then im going to trade him in at the fish store I bought him from. Im not to worried about him knocking my corals over. They are glued. 1 Quote Link to comment
anaMorphine Posted January 6, 2009 Share Posted January 6, 2009 mah urchin ate all mah fysh :< R.I.P serena Quote Link to comment
Ando Posted January 6, 2009 Author Share Posted January 6, 2009 I have a little hair algae but mostly this algae that looks like little bushes. I will post a pic in a little bit I hear that diadema setosum urchin's don't bulldoze things over. ? ? ? Quote Link to comment
Urchinhead Posted January 6, 2009 Share Posted January 6, 2009 im not repeating something i heard man....i had one and he literally ate every square inch of corraline he could get to, along with anything else growing on the rocks, then one night, because he ran out of corraline or other algae to eat, he ate about 4 square inches of zoos, caught him in the act, i think he may have been only after the corraline between the ployps, but he went ahead and munched on the zoos in the process That would be because it was starving and had nothing else to eat. Kind of like you eating survival biscuits. It will keep you alive but it tastes awful and its hard to eat. Furthermore it wouldn't eat zoa's. Unless it was a pencil urchin. The zoa's were most likely innocent bystanders. Bottom line is it will decimate your algae in your tank then go after anything else remotely resembling what it can feed on. Thus you need to feed it nori once a week or so. Ando- It should eat both kinds of algae. If that first one (unknown) is a micro algae. It looks like cheato... The bulldozer effect comes from them being very strong relative to their size so if your rock work isn't stable (and it should be) they will knock it over. They will also pick up bits and pieces of things and carry it around. They use this as camouflage and it is a sign of a healthy urchin. Quote Link to comment
jamesnmandy Posted January 6, 2009 Share Posted January 6, 2009 (edited) That would be because it was starving and had nothing else to eat. Kind of like you eating survival biscuits. It will keep you alive but it tastes awful and its hard to eat. Furthermore it wouldn't eat zoa's. Unless it was a pencil urchin. The zoa's were most likely innocent bystanders. Bottom line is it will decimate your algae in your tank then go after anything else remotely resembling what it can feed on. Thus you need to feed it nori once a week or so. i clearly stated i believe he was only after the corraline between the polyps, but he did in fact eat the zoos, i routinely walk out and check the tank if i wake in the night and as soon as i turned on the flashlight i saw about an inch wide swath through the zoos and proceeded to watch him for a few more minutes, munching away as he crept along he was a long spined black urchin http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_di...&pcatid=591 and i can vouch for the venomous stinging ability, got a few black pierces in my fingers trying to catch him to get him out...i had him for a year or so i think, loved him other than the obvious reasons, very neat to watch, he had 10 inch long spines by the time i got rid of him...actually i still have some old pics of him in my tank for size comparisons, that is a 75 gallon hex he was in.... i say just like with emerald crabs, these are not NANO safe, only safe in larger systems where their natural source of food is able to be naturally replenished, just like a mandarin dragonet, some of these creatures are REEF safe, not NANO safe, the longer i am in this hobby, and the larger my systems grow, the more i realize these things from experience, not just repeating something i read so in my opinion, is an urchin REEF safe? yes, generally speaking, as long as you understand they will eat corraline and knock things around that are not glued down well, but are they NANO safe? i say no Edited January 6, 2009 by jamesnmandy Quote Link to comment
Urchinhead Posted January 6, 2009 Share Posted January 6, 2009 In general they do not eat zoa's. Zoa's are not good eating. Just like most urchins (except for the pencil) do not eat dead fish and other wildlife. They are herbivores except for the Pencil urchin. They will eat soft corals if nothing else is available to eat however as you found out. IIRC Long spines are not recommended for Nano (under 50 gallon) tanks per the FAQ I wrote. They get far too big and will damage other tank mates via the spines. About the only urchin I would recommend for a tank that is under 60 gallons would be a tuxedo. Regardless of the urchin you get you will eventually have to do supplemental feedings because it will end up eating all of your algae (including your coraline) then starving to death. And I feel your pain regarding the spines. Took one in the thigh on a dive. Was not happy about that. Quote Link to comment
!KELLY! Posted May 11, 2010 Share Posted May 11, 2010 I was going to start a new tank, and wanted to know if a PinCushion Sea Urchin is reaf safe. Quote Link to comment
Withers Posted May 11, 2010 Share Posted May 11, 2010 Depends on your definition of "reef safe" imo. Will it eat your inverts and corals? No. Will it potentially knock corals into the sandbed at night? You betcha. Quote Link to comment
Neto Posted May 12, 2010 Share Posted May 12, 2010 plz dont get a sea urchin from the beach.. Learned the hard way. dont. Quote Link to comment
corallineadam Posted May 12, 2010 Share Posted May 12, 2010 ive always have urchins in my tanks -- they can be a hassle whe they get larger, so id suggest getting the smallest one you can find. it depends on the species, but there are definitely completely reef safe ones out there that only eat algae. adam Quote Link to comment
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.