Sea Urchin, I discovered the hard way. Can Be Bad for reef tank.

[RonBBB]

Sea Urchin  I was told they are safe for most reef tanks.

 

Now I Discovered they can be deadly to many kept corals, Feasting on them at Night. 

[WV Reefer]

2 hours ago, RonBBB said:

Sea Urchin  I was told they are safe for most reef tanks.

 

Now I Discovered they can be deadly to many kept corals, Feasting on them at Night. 

 

I had a pencil urchin that ate a whole frag of clove Polyps one evening. 

 

Ive never heard anyone say they are Reef safe. Some of us just like to gamble. 😀

[RonBBB]

Yep, I could see that as being Very likely ow. I caught this urchin piercing a new coral as if sucking the guts out for dinner. It is in QT  Now until a new home is found

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[Sancho]

The only urchin I have found to be reef tank safe is the tuxedo urchin. As for safe for other critters or random stuff in you tank? this guy wore a plastic nut as a crown and would pick up the cleaner crew. 

 

[Snow_Phoenix]

Tuxedo and pincushion urchins seem to be reef-safe. I have both - they don't touch my corals. 

[LeoB]

My long spine sea urchin has not bothered any of my corals or other creatures in ~ 4 months I had it. I thought it was going to impale everything, but it is so delicate with its "needles." 

[VictoryBell]

My tuxedo urchin at my clove polyp frag ><  He doesn't bother any of the other corals though, so I'm keeping him. 

[RonBBB]

On 6/16/2018 at 1:24 PM, WV Reefer said:

This is the Type that was piercing and killing certain soft corals, 3 headed hammer now has only 1 head. I caught him red handed at night killing a soft coral zoe.  rehomed him problem solved
I😀

1

 

[RustyRocket]

I've made a post here several years ago, my tuxedo urchin took out the entire skeleton of my trumpet coral overnight. It was a shocker in the morning to find all these floresent polyps all over the sand bed. 

[Aurortpa]

I love my tuxedo urchin, it gets on corals, even my sps but has never purposely harmed them...typically just looking for algae which it consistently is looking for.

 

I’d say completely reef safe, only potentially annoying thing it does is pick up unsecured frags, molts, old snail doors, other little critters, and carries them around the top of it’s head and also fertilizing the water when he’s super happy 🤭  Note anytime he carries something it is not harmed.

 

[BlennyBoi]

On 6/17/2018 at 5:12 PM, Snow_Phoenix said:

Tuxedo and pincushion urchins seem to be reef-safe. I have both - they don't touch my corals. 

would agree. a red tux urchin hitchhiked his way into my tank. wanted to buy one actually, then found him. he had never once touched my corals (did crawl over my sarcophyton once, but didnt do any damage). he is now known affectionately as Mr. Prickles. love him so much.

[vegasgundog]

On 6/16/2018 at 11:09 PM, Sancho said:

The only urchin I have found to be reef tank safe is the tuxedo urchin. As for safe for other critters or random stuff in you tank? this guy wore a plastic nut as a crown and would pick up the cleaner crew. 

 

Ya, my tuxedos are jerks. I'm always rescuing snails and hermit crabs. 

[BlennyBoi]

On 6/17/2018 at 4:09 PM, Sancho said:

The only urchin I have found to be reef tank safe is the tuxedo urchin. As for safe for other critters or random stuff in you tank? this guy wore a plastic nut as a crown and would pick up the cleaner crew. 

 

haha i love my red tux urchin. got him for free on live rock. mine never picks up the CUC. mine seems to think various algae is the latest thing lol. seems to change the bits sometimes, but never gets rid of a rather artful tuft if red algae. love him

[BlennyBoi]

On 6/22/2018 at 3:23 AM, Aurortpa said:

I love my tuxedo urchin, it gets on corals, even my sps but has never purposely harmed them...typically just looking for algae which it consistently is looking for.

 

I’d say completely reef safe, only potentially annoying thing it does is pick up unsecured frags, molts, old snail doors, other little critters, and carries them around the top of it’s head and also fertilizing the water when he’s super happy 🤭  Note anytime he carries something it is not harmed.

 

yeah, i started noticing little piles of yellow balls all around my tank. eventually figured out it was urchin turds

[Zorya]

I had a tuxedo and he picked up this super tiny hermit crab that I got for free because he was the size of a pin head.  Well he picked up the shell and then took the hermit out and set him back down on the ground and the hermit went into a zig zag periwinkle shell to hide.... now that hermit it pretty big cause it turns out he was a zebra xD