long spined urchin reefsafe?

Pallen81

Pallen81

TheSunCoralTamer
Jun 20, 2006
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Lawrenceville, NJ
www.mygodmusic.com
Hey everyone.

How Reef safe are Long Spined Urchins? I hear they mostly eat algae. Does this include coraline algae? i have plenty of green algae in my tank but I dont want him to eat my nice purple coraline algae. Any experience or advise is appreciated.

Thanks
 
I think it depends on how much you have. I have heard that the urchins eating the coralline actually helps spread it because they then poop it out and it settles elsewhere in the tank. If there is not much for them to eat I think they could wipe out all algae in the tank. They can also knock things over.
 
Reef safe.. ya, to a degree. They won't eat corals, but will knock them over... now.. finger safe.. that is another story.. I got stuck by one yesterday cleaning a tank at the LFS and my finger is still hurting a little today. Those spines are very sharp little suckers.
 
Yeah, I work at a fish store also and I got nailed by a small one and it didn't hurt much. Guess I was lucky.

The only reason I ask about them (I am supposed to know this stuff working in a store right? haha) is because I have seen them in our reef tanks before and never noticed them eating coraline algae or corals before... I was trying to see if others had bad experiences with them before I put it in my tank. Better to be careful then sorry.
 
I have to vote not reef safe. Mine was satisfied eating dried seaweed that I put up to top right edge of tank, which he would come and feed on every night. However when I added corals, he went immediately to graze on them, at night when he thot I wasn't looking. I loved him in a FOWLR tank.
 
oh man!

i got a tiny baby urchin. maybe about 2-3 inches in total diameter. I'll keep my eye on him. If he starts to go wrong I will bring him back to the store. Thanks!
 
I would have to say that a long spined sea urchin wouldn't be my first choice for a reef tank. If you have softies and clams the long spined seems to agitate them when "walking over them" with it's spines. A better alternative would be the tuxedo urchin which is a very short spined. I have one in my reef tank and the distrubance it makes is more like that of a turbo snail-it can knock things about that aren't secured. It will eat coraline algae, but so far it can't keep up with it in my 125 to really be problematic. I really like my tuxedo...but would pass on a long spined unless it was a fish only and you have to consider that some get very large from spine tip to spine tip. HTH
 
Would a pincusion urchin get beat up on by an arrow crab
 
i had sea urchin and it was pain in butt!!!
knocked down lots every night!!! never nibbled corals though!
 
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