sea urchin reef safe?

[msscha]

Hmm -- finding this thread very interesting as the lfs gave me a black spiny urchin that had hitchhiked in on a piece of FL Gulf LR -- my kids liked it a lot, so the kind gentleman just gave it to me. I swear the thing has double in size in just two weeks. I LOVE my coralline and while I've seen no other signs of distressing behavior (I have a turbo for that ), I don't think I need another algae eater since I don't have that much algae in my tank other than coralline. I'll check out the possibility or nori, though -- the other half of the lfs said to feel free to turn the urchin back in when it was too big for the tank. Personally, for aesthetic reasons as much as anything else, I don't really like it in the tank, though right now, it spends most of the day huddled into holes in the LR.

[hedonist222]

I have a lot of algae growth in my 5.5 gallon tank. Both red and green.

 

Picked up 2 Mexican turbo snails, a nessarius, and a blue tuxedo urchin 4 hours ago.

 

Urchin guy has already chomped on a significant amount. I can see a 4 inch-long line already gone.

 

Little dude has already, also, knocked over a mushroom and camouflaged himself with a small fragment of zoanthids.

 

Once I'm rid of the algae, the little gal may be finding a new home. I'm mainly concerned with the excess bio load the urchin adds to the  tank?

[specore]

1 hour ago, hedonist222 said:

I have a lot of algae growth in my 5.5 gallon tank. Both red and green.

 

Picked up 2 Mexican turbo snails, a nessarius, and a blue tuxedo urchin 4 hours ago.

 

Urchin guy has already chomped on a significant amount. I can see a 4 inch-long line already gone.

 

Little dude has already, also, knocked over a mushroom and camouflaged himself with a small fragment of zoanthids.

 

Once I'm rid of the algae, the little gal may be finding a new home. I'm mainly concerned with the excess bio load the urchin adds to the  tank?

I believe you're right, a 5.5g isn't big enough to support an urchin long term.  In fact it probably won't support the turbos unless you have an un underlying issue with excess nutrients and excess algae.  

[hedonist222]

Thanks for the tip.

 

I have no qualms finding them a new home. In fact, I'm certain one of my lfs would happily take them back. 

 

But look at how cute it is with its zoanthid armour