bigJPDC December 27, 2007 Share December 27, 2007 (edited) Hola - when I rescued the ocelleris and mandarin, I also felt sorry for a tuxedo urchin which would have not had a merry Christmas without me. Now I see this thing is blazing a trail through my rock, and turning it back to white like when I bought it. Could this actually be good for the tank, as it is placing those elements back into the environment somehow? Anyways, wanted to see what the consensus is on the urchins. Here is a cool picture of what looks like an RBTA tidal wave. jp Edited December 27, 2007 by bigJPDC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dhoch December 27, 2007 Share December 27, 2007 I've had one in my tank for well over a year (not a tuxedo, but a pin cushon)... Even at 8 or 9 inches now it can't keep up with all the coraline... they are also non-discrement algae eaters and will eat hair algae, etc, whatever is in their way. That being said I see no problems with the eating of stuff. buldozing frags... that's another matter all together. Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigJPDC December 27, 2007 Author Share December 27, 2007 thanks Dave, I would think that non-reefers might like the purple and white contrast he's creating on the rockwork. I pulled that cerith shell off it to see if it was alive - that thing has major sticky power and it's wild to see those feelers all pop out and move it around. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbartco December 27, 2007 Share December 27, 2007 if you need help.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davelin315 December 27, 2007 Share December 27, 2007 As someone who has always liked urchins (I've been looking for a specific type of pencil urchin that I once caught in Hawaii but have never seen online or in a store) in my tanks, there's a couple of drawbacks to having one. First, when they eat the coralline, even though it will grow back, this gives some of the nuisance algaes a better foothold to grow. Of course the urchin and other inhabitants will go and eat it, but if your water quality falters, it gives a chance to nuisance algaes to take over. The other problem is what Dave mentioned. This type of urchin in particular is destructive because it likes to pick things up and carry them around. They are powerful enough to pull frags out of their glue, although they will more likely just go around the ones that are stuck down, and then they have the annoying habit of dropping them wherever they happen to be. This could mean that they drop them behind the rocks where you can't reach them. One other thing with the coralline, by the way, in a less populated tank they can actually help the coralline spread by chipping away tiny pieces that will land and grow elsewhere. That said, I think they are worth the risk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phisigs79 December 27, 2007 Share December 27, 2007 I personally dont like them. IMO they make your rock look bad and they always knock frags over. I have also seen them move smaller rocks. They are good in the refug though Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
treesprite December 27, 2007 Share December 27, 2007 I dont know what the urchin I have is called (it's got spikes about an inch long over its whole body, not the "bare" sections like the one in the picture). It does not eat my coraline or wander around on the rock. I've seen it underneath of liverock infrequently because it makes its home behind the overflow box. At night it wanders the upper half of the walls. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigJPDC December 27, 2007 Author Share December 27, 2007 One other thing with the coralline, by the way, in a less populated tank they can actually help the coralline spread by chipping away tiny pieces that will land and grow elsewhere. That said, I think they are worth the risk. Did they figure out on RC that Purple-Up is nothing more than coraline in RO water? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
treesprite December 27, 2007 Share December 27, 2007 Did they figure out on RC that Purple-Up is nothing more than coraline in RO water? I don't know, did they? Would mean an aweful lot of people are wasting their money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigJPDC December 27, 2007 Author Share December 27, 2007 oops - no, I meant 'didn't they?, being sarcastic - yes they did figure that out and yes it is a waste of money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest webshout December 27, 2007 Share December 27, 2007 oops - no, I meant 'didn't they?, being sarcastic - yes they did figure that out and yes it is a waste of money. Okay, now I have another bit of knowledge to add to my collection. guess I can save my Purple Up $$ for something else! I learn something new every time I visit WAMAS. Thanks. William Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigJPDC December 27, 2007 Author Share December 27, 2007 webshoot - search the chemistry forum on RC for more details. Two sources are much better than one! jp Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigJPDC January 3, 2008 Author Share January 3, 2008 (edited) wow I was going to nuke this thing after it ate the coraline and black paint off my CL plumbing, but just now I saw that it just munched down a patch of valonia I have been battling forever. Coraline is also growing very fast over his tracks, much faster than on 2-part epoxy so it might not munch down that far. jp Edited January 3, 2008 by bigJPDC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigJPDC January 8, 2008 Author Share January 8, 2008 this thing just rolled through a patch of zoas and now looks like this: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rascal January 9, 2008 Share January 9, 2008 this thing just rolled through a patch of zoas and now looks like this: Very cool. That pic belongs here: http://www.wamas.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=18981 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigJPDC January 9, 2008 Author Share January 9, 2008 Thanks Rascal I hope to get a better shot of it in the coming days for the contest. I think VicSkimmer's starfish picture is going to be hard to beat though . . . jp Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
'Ric January 9, 2008 Share January 9, 2008 ... This type of urchin in particular is destructive because it likes to pick things up and carry them around. They are powerful enough to pull frags out of their glue, although they will more likely just go around the ones that are stuck down, and then they have the annoying habit of dropping them wherever they happen to be. ... You mean like this, for example? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigJPDC January 9, 2008 Author Share January 9, 2008 Nice! Not good for the frag tank. This thing really gets around too - I never know where it will be the next day, or what will be stuck to it. The lines in the coraline it munches aren't that bad, and must not be very dep because they purple back up in a couple of days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ctenophore January 9, 2008 Share January 9, 2008 In the wild, these guys are very beneficial because they induce coralline to grow by scraping it up. Their bite marks increase the surface area of the coralline growth edges. Bump up your alkalinity, calcium and magnesium and watch the coralline take off where they munch it. Agreed though about their nonsuitability in frag tanks. Mine currently has some anthelia, some zoas and a blue mushroom decorating it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigJPDC January 12, 2008 Author Share January 12, 2008 I wonder if I could fetch a premium for it at auction, since it has about 20+ zoa polyps stuck to it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
treesprite January 13, 2008 Share January 13, 2008 my urchin is very boring but it behaves itself Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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