Longspine Urchin

[X_not_again_x]

I bought a longspine urchin today to take care of some unwanted hair algae. I acclimated him correctly, and added him into my tank. He moved about a foot in three hours, but then I notice a hermit crab on top of him EATING him!!!!! It's your average blue leg hermit! I grabbed the hermit crab off, but the urchin shed about 6 spines.. I know thats usually a sign of death, true?

[risika67]

I've never heard of a hermit eating an urchin. I know my urchin picks up my hermits and carries them around for awhile though...

[X_not_again_x]

well ever since the hermit hopped on, the urchin has been losing spines..

[risika67]

Urchins will lose spines while stressed too. My lost a couple when I first got him and every once in awhile I'll find one but he is still full looking. Some times mine doesn't move for a day, other times he looks like he is floating over the rocks!

[Crazy4salth2o]

I would not worry too much. I have two and while moving them around they both lost several spines. No collateral damage. The hermit may have been eating algae or detritus off of the urchin.

[risika67]

Wait, you are the one that just boiled all the rock right? Have you checked your levels? You may be going through a cycle

[yellowwatchmen]

did the LFS not have a sea hare.

[X_not_again_x]

My levels were fine.. i've been checking them twice a day. My lfs didn't have a sea hare, and I was really nervous about one being sucked into a maxijet..

[ScubaDiver93]

Do sea urchins really take care of hair algae? I heard it was coralina...

[X_not_again_x]

ive heard its both.. lol

[risika67]

I heard they do Coraline too but I've seen them eat all algae. Mine eats the hair algae that grows on my skimmer pump. Who knows

[ahullsb]

My black longspined ate coralline off the glass all day. I could see his path across rocks where it was missing as well. It never seemed to go for any of my algae, like the bubble algae I was trying to get rid of.

[ScubaDiver93]

If it will eat hair algae tell me and ill throw one in my tank!

[Roy G. Biv]

My longespine trashes my tank every day.

[mapleredta]

all mine does is eat the dang coralline!!! :mad:

[ryanpal]

i was going to order a longspine black urchin. will he run over all my corals, anemone's etc?

[Lanceafer]

I have 4 and let me tell you they are like bulldozers. You would not bereave what they can nock over. They are however great at eating all manner of things. Mine will even eat bubble algae but only if its the root or really small bubbles. They seem to leave most corals alone. I have had them run over a mushroom and they never took a bite.

[ryanpal]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10942214#post10942214 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Lanceafer
I have 4 and let me tell you they are like bulldozers. You would not bereave what they can nock over. They are however great at eating all manner of things. Mine will even eat bubble algae but only if its the root or really small bubbles. They seem to leave most corals alone. I have had them run over a mushroom and they never took a bite.

so basically they roam around alot but it's safe to say they won't harm anthing? :D

[aquabod]

i have 4 long spine urchins... they eat algae like crazy!! the one downside is they will eat coraline aswell. they are great indicators of water quality,when you first introduce them they will lose spines and not move much for days. in time the ywill move around leaving tracks on the rocks where they have cleaned whatever algae they can find,especially at night. if your water conditions are good they will grow quite quickly and grow long spines and a lot of them.if your water isnt that great the spines stay short and the urchins arent that active. the best algae eaters. id have one urchin to 10 snails any day

[risika67]

I have a pincushion urchin. I don't know how much different they are. Mine knocks rocks over only once in awhile. He is pretty good about getting himself around things. Never had him bother my corals. Every once in awhile he sits right on the zoas! haha

[Roy G. Biv]

I have 3 urchins. Each of them annoys me in a different way.
1) Pincushion. Steals all of my frags and wears them all over the tank like a hat.
2)Longspine. Flips over all of my corals that arent glued down. I find them face down in the sand all of the time.
3)Pencil. This guy is the hercules of urchins. He wedges himself between rocks and spreads them apart. He causes the avalanches.

Even though they **** me off every day, they are so cool to watch.