Urchin Problems

[Many Waters]

Hi, all!

I keep having issues with tuxedo urchins, in more than one tank in my house. I find it fairly odd, as my first two tuxedos survived a serious toxic event in my first nano ( after my first time using CG coral glue, I lost an entire tank of live stock * except * for the two small urchins.... well, the brittle star survived as well, but his legs fell off.)

Anyway, since then, it seems I'll have an urchin, it'll be doing fine for months- and then one day I come home to find its spines are starting to look " droopy", and it's moving less- and within about a day, it's dead. This happened in my nano with the two small ones that survived nuclear fall out, it happened to the small one in my 180 gal reef ( there's still a large live one in there), and now it seems to be happening to the larger one that I have housed with my seahorses. There's ALWAYS algae in these tanks, there was no medication added, water parameters are all fine, no sudden changes in salinity or PH.... is it because there is a certain algae they need that isn't growing enough in my tank? Is starvation the most likely scenario here? And if so, what is the best kind of dried algae to offer?

Thanks,

Sarah

[Kremis]

I currently have 5 tuxedo urchins, 4 in my 180 gallon with 2 longspines and 1 in my 28 gallon. I only have had one die a few years ago, the rest are 3+ years old. They all eat just common brown/green algae that grows on the glass and rocks

[Many Waters]

I currently have 5 tuxedo urchins, 4 in my 180 gallon with 2 longspines and 1 in my 28 gallon. I only have had one die a few years ago, the rest are 3+ years old. They all eat just common brown/green algae that grows on the glass and rocks

I'm glad that yours are doing well- my biggest concern then, is WHY are mine dying?

[mcgyvr]

Nitrate/Phosphate/Salinity test results?

There is no need to feed an urchin in a 180G tank..

[Many Waters]

Nitrates 0, phosphates need to be checked. Salinity 1.025. And the one that just died is in my 47 gal red sea. The first two I lost were in a 30 gallon, and the other one was one of the two living in my 180. Double checking phosphates now...

[mcgyvr]

Of course.. stuff does just die too..

[Many Waters]

Of course.. stuff does just die too..

Lol, it's true. Stuff dies. However, of all sea creatures, I can't figure why URCHINS are the ones I cant keep alive. LOL. Phosphates are 0, btw.