Blue Tuxedo Urchin/ Getting rid of macros

[Tballa]

I have a 12 nanocube that's been up for about 6 months. It looks great (watch for pics in the next week) but stupidly I added some macro that now is getting a little out of control. I rip it off all the time, but it is starting to get into the crevices and is spreading. I really want a blue tuxedo urchin, first because they look cool, second they don't dislodge rockwork, and most importantly they eat macro. The only reason I don't have one in there right now is because I have heard from many people that they wipe the rockwork clean of coraline and I don't want that because I have perfect green, purple, pink, and even deep red coraline. I just want to know your experiences with them good and bad, and other ways you have gotten rid of bad macros.

[Howf777]

if you plan to get corals, i heard they can harm them too, inadvertantly when they move they spike/pick the corals

[reefsrule]

I have one in a 10 gallon. There aren't much corals yet, but I could imagine him doing damage to a reef completely filled with corals. As for algae, they eat in like there's no tommorow. I have 2 tanks, and 1 has a HORRIBLE algae problem. I'm always taking rocks out and putting it into the sea urchin aquarium, and in about a week I have a clean rock. That also means they eat A Lot and you would need to feed supplemental algae when the macro runs out. They definitely eat coralline, but mine seems to go for the green hairy stuff first, which is good. I do see some white spots where the coralline has been.

[Angel Higuera]

I woudlint get one if you like your coraline.

[Tballa]

I'm not worried about corals, because I don't have a lot of large corals, just smaller ones and frags. I have a lot of macro so I'm thinking it would take him a while to clear through it. Also, if they just eat the coraline slowly then it will either have lots of time to grow back (which it does quickly) or I can take it out before it becomes a problem. Do you think that if I feed it a lot of supplemental algae it won't eat the coraline?

[Tballa]

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[JustPhish]

If your tank is only 12 gallons couldn't you keep up on the macro algae by simply harvesting it? That size tank is kind of small for a tuxeco urchin and while they do eat coraline algae, in appropriately sized tanks doing so helps it spread. In such a small tank I don't think there would be any way the coraline could possibly grow fast enough to keep up.

[Tballa]

I've tried just ripping it off the rock, but it is getting into crevices all over the rock and spreading throughout the tank. Since it sounds like a urchin won't work, does anyone know of any other animals that eat macro rapidly? Do Sally Light Foot crabs?