Lost pincushion urchin

[Roddnyc]

I had 2 urchins (tuxedo, pin cushion) in my tank. When I got up and looked in the tank the pin cushion was nowhere to be found. When I got home from work it was still missing. There is no remains in the tank it is like it just disappeared. Where could it have gone???

[donya]

They are good at squishing into strange places in the rock. If you have any blind spots in the tank where you would have to move rocks to get a clear view (caves, tunnels, etc.), it has probably squeezed into a place like that. I have a pretty big "pincushion" type urchin in my 20gal that manages to hide from me at times despite being a striking white with bright reddish-purple spines. Main thing to worry about is that urchins can get trapped if they cause the rocks to shift when trying to squish into places.

[StephLionfish]

Also, they are reaaaally good at camouflage.... I had one once in a tank with crushed coral, and I never saw it. Eventually, I began to have an eye for him...I could tell where he was under the camo...

[Roddnyc]

Thanks... I will keep a look out. Checked around the outside of the tank just to make sure it didn't crawl out. It a real puzzlement for sure.