urchins!

[blindskater02]

Are black long spine urchins safe for sps tanks??

[BLKTANG]

IME,long spine Urchins are reef safe,they just knock stuff over.Good coraline munchers.

[pk1]

I had 2 of them in my tank for 6 months, and they will eat SPS corals. Not that they feed on them purposely, but if they graze over one they will chomp on it, especially the new growth tips. I watched it with my own eyes-right over a Oregon tort.

[twon8]

depends on the kind of urchin, i have probably a dozen of them in my 90, they just keep showing up. i'm assuming they are spawning, which i feel is likely good food for sps. they do knock some stuff over, but once things are encrusted that should not matter. they do munch corraline down, which i love them for, only wish they would get on the glass once in a while.

[toothman]

Another similar opinion, My 2 long spinney urchins grew from 3" to 7" in 4 months. If you really like your coraline algae I would not get one. They will constantly eat on it to the point that any place they can reach will be bare. When they move over corals they will eat the tips off not to the point that I would remove them for that reason. I do have some regular algae growing on the bare rock now.

Finally they are really cool!!.

[Sk8r]

tripneustes gracilis [redstripe short spine] is safe with corals, and quite careful of them, but putty any rocks that are really tippy. It also eats caulerpa.

[Covey]

I've got 4 of these.
http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_Display.cfm?pCatId=593
Never munched any coral. They do knotch down and drag off anything is firmly glued down. Then they wear to for camo. That being said their the best algae eaters I've ever had. There alot longer lived than snail and they ate many many kinds of algea.

[jenate20]

they eat your corraline algae quick

[Kinetic]

i want one, but i have an acrylic tank? is it true that they'll scratch the acrylic with their mouths?

[Brewen]

I have one in my tank it has been a model citizen for the most part. I did receive a frag from Steve Tyree the frag had been in the tank for 60 mins or so then attack. I chased the urchin away and it has not bothered it since. I do keep a watchful eye on it.

[panic]

algae eating machines. They come out of nowhere in my reef. They are great for trading if you get some that spawn

[blstravler]

I've had 3 blue globe urchins (I think that is what "they" call them) for a few years in my 180 reef they do a very nice job of keeping my rock clean.

[Sullyman]

I spotted one in my 20 gal, a few weeks ago. My son found another larger one a week later. No idea how they got there, have only added a couple of small zoo rocks in the last year. The live rock in that tank has been there for 7 or 8 years.
I don't think this one would be good in reef tanks.
http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c121/sullyman5004/P1010019.jpg

[jay24k]

I've never had any issues but I think once they get big, it can be bad for fish. I believe I had a fish get punctured by one of the spines. I have the really thin spine pencil urchin. I'm tempted to get it out.

[bpd964]

They get all kinds of stuff stuck to them and they knock over rock. They are cool to watch though..