spiny sea urchin- spines turning white
 

i have a spiny sea urchin that i'm a little worried about. his spines are starting to turn white...what does this mean? i've tried to catch him a few times because he's quickly outgrowing my small tank, but he's very hard to capture and then his spines start breaking.... :(
thank you!!!

To Reef Central

are the spines falling out too, or just breaking? that would be a sign of major stress. when you say "spiny" are you talking about a diadema? all black with long, thin spines?

never heard of the spines turning white. hopefully someone else can chime in. you're right though - this tank is going to be too small and either way it probably won't get enough to eat. i'd take it back to the LFS for trade if possible...

ive seen them with white spines... dead on shore

thanks! i googled diadema and that's him! no, the spines aren't falling out. i've tried to catch him a few times to take him back to the lfs but that's when the spines start breaking and i kinda freak out. i'll keep trying, though. thanks so much!

wait until he's on the glass and slide something thin under it - they'll pop right off. you risk injury to the critter if you try to get it off a rock...

Check your water parameters! My urchin has white tips. I think its a sign of growth. Best time to get it is at night, when the lights are off.

Mine is doing this too. His spines are all turning white at the base. I have a dinoflagellate outbreak right now, and has me worried, because it kills all the sanils I put in, so I'm hoping it's not doing the same to him.

you might have bad water quality thats why he's shedding his spines