crollison Posted July 31, 2002 Share Posted July 31, 2002 I was sitting waching my tank when I noticed some bown spikes sticking out of my LR. On further investigation it appeared to be a 1/2in urchin in a hollow on the rock. I have not been able to find any info on the critter related to reef keeping, so if you got some, lets have it. This picture is the best representation I could find. Link to comment
crollison Posted July 31, 2002 Author Share Posted July 31, 2002 is it just me or is there no pic? Can never get this thing to work : Link to comment
crollison Posted July 31, 2002 Author Share Posted July 31, 2002 http://www.nhm.ac.uk/palaeontology/echinoi...NOID/EMETRA.HTM this is where I got the pic. Its the shot on the right. Link to comment
tinyreef Posted July 31, 2002 Share Posted July 31, 2002 should be nocturnal and a coralline eater. i've got one to keep my coralline growth down. Link to comment
Sahin Posted July 31, 2002 Share Posted July 31, 2002 Interesting hitchiker you got there. Any chance of posting your own pic so we can see what it exactly looks like? I have 1 very unusual creature in my tank that I am trying to ID. But its nocturnal and thus I so far couldnt get a decent pic of. Link to comment
mxpro32 Posted July 31, 2002 Share Posted July 31, 2002 why would you want to keep coralline growth down? most of us are striving for good coralline growth? just curius Link to comment
tinyreef Posted July 31, 2002 Share Posted July 31, 2002 mxpro32, oh, don't get me wrong i want to promote the conditions for good coralline growth too! it's just that it gets crazy and starts blocking off the view in the front of the tanks. my refugium is half blocked off and my main is entirely outlined with it. i spend significant time scraping it off the glass whereas the urchin (the same type according to crollison's photo link) helps mows it off. i just bought a kent scraper to help but it only marginally more effective than a credit card or plastic cover edge. i'm too lazy to address the new growths when they're just small specks (the optimal time). Link to comment
jjharrisx4 Posted July 31, 2002 Share Posted July 31, 2002 The funny thing about urchins is that they often help to promote coralline algae growth. When they scrape it from the rock/glass they suspend particles which then grow wherever they land. sort of a catch 22. Link to comment
tinyreef Posted July 31, 2002 Share Posted July 31, 2002 true to a point. my little (big now) urchin seems to prefer his coralline off the rock versus served under glass. little slacker, @#$%! Link to comment
Integracer Posted February 25, 2003 Share Posted February 25, 2003 I have an urchin which I belive is the same one you have. I think it might be a Rock-boring Urchin (Echinometra mathaei). Mine is mowing the hell out of my hair algea. Leaving white scrapes through some of my coraline algea though. But I just started calcium dosing so maybe he will actually help the coraline spread. Still to early to tell. Does anyone have more experience with one of these? Will it eventually clean the coraline off my rock????? Link to comment
crollison Posted February 25, 2003 Author Share Posted February 25, 2003 wow what an old post. I got rid of mine because in a nano the urchin will each the algae faster than it can replenish, thus cusing him to consume your coraline. I have two in my 125g they really keep the tank neet. Also they are nocternal so keep them out of 24-7 lit refugiums and things like that. I find that these urchins are too big for a nano one, because of their feeding habits and two, because they are not dainty movers (Glue them corals tight!X) ). Link to comment
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