Blue Tuxedo Urchin

[mmkeeper]

Last week I added a blue tuxedo urchin to my reef. What a cleaning machine he is. He loves to clean algae off of anything. Any drawbacks to this guy in my reef?

 

[chris&barb]

i have a few different types of urchins. the only problems i have with them is bulldozing frags that aren't very securely attached, and every once and a while grazing over the base of some corals

 

[mmkeeper]

I have a 46 gallon reef tank, how many urchins can I safely use?

 

[twilliard]

I had 1 tux urchin in a 55 and it stripped all my corline algea off the rocks that it could get to.
Would never get the glass

 

[mmkeeper]

Mine started on the glass, then the overflow, bacpak skimmer overflow.

 

[DonW]

I have a long spine. Was cool for about a year. Once he wiped out the coraline he started on the sps. Just this week he's destroyed 3 soft ball sized colonies. Off to the LFS this week-end. This is #5 that has tuned evil, no more urchins for me.

Don

 

[marinegeek101]

Nice can u send a pic? And are they hard to take care of?

 

[mmkeeper]

This is what mine looks like.http://www.marinedepotlive.com/pincushion-tuxedo-urchin---mespilia-globulus-inverts--urchins.html

 

[steve-s]

Very rarely a problem for me except with fragile softies. This particular urchin likes to cover itself with it's surroundings. Sometimes it helps "seed" corals around the tank, others get destroyed. Xeniid species (and similar) are your most likely candidates to be damaged. It won't eat them as a rule (but could), it will however tear them as it clings to them and travels the tank.

 

[Jan]

What about keeping these urchins well fed with greens (like nori) added to the tank? Would they be less destructive to the beneficial algaes and corals in the tank?

 

[Pikachu]

Would anemones and urchins together be like urchins and softies? where the urchin would likely harm/destroy the softies. Is it the same for anemones(rbtas/lta/carpets)?

 

[steve-s]

What about keeping these urchins well fed with greens (like nori) added to the tank? Would they be less destructive to the beneficial algaes and corals in the tank?

Depends on the urchin your keeping, some are destructive no matter the circumstance. If it is possible to keep their dietary needs met then they will not "mow down" precious corals. Those situations are few though.

Would anemones and urchins together be like urchins and softies? where the urchin would likely harm/destroy the softies. Is it the same for anemones(rbtas/lta/carpets)?

Again, depends on the urchin and in this case as well, the anemone. I have many times seen an anemone get the better of an urchin. The Tuxedo in both cases here is not likely to be a concern as long as herbivore requirements are met.

 

[Jan]

What would you recommend as a minimum tank size for a long-spined urchin? (although his spines are not all that long...he may be a baby. He has the "orange eye" though) From the perspective of how much LR does it take to support one without it eating you out of house and home? My tank is fairly small at 40 gallons and 60 lbs of LR. Also it's new so there's not much algae growth yet.

 

[davidabrown66]

I have a purple pincushion urchin (Lytechinus vaniegatus), it's been one of the greatest things I've put into the tank. It mows over everything on the sand, and constantly has other shells, and pieces of stuff attached to it that I couldn't get to like rubber bands that have fallen off my feeding cube. It's hilarious! Right now it has a small thermometer that I had floating in the tank, and it looks like its using it for a backpack. This one doesn't eat coraline algae thank god! It was my fear when I first got it. Then I read more about it once I put it in the tank...not very smart I know.

 

[steve-s]

What would you recommend as a minimum tank size for a long-spined urchin? (although his spines are not all that long...he may be a baby. He has the "orange eye" though) From the perspective of how much LR does it take to support one without it eating you out of house and home? My tank is fairly small at 40 gallons and 60 lbs of LR. Also it's new so there's not much algae growth yet.

Diadema urchins will fair relatively well in a variety of tanks given the right food supply. They need endless amounts of algae based foods. I personally would not place one in this tank simply from the expected size the urchin will attain. The body alone will gain a girth of 3" with the appropriate spine length. That's going to take up a fair amount of room. It's really going to depend on what you plan on keeping with it. You should also avoid it (at least for now) due to the age of the system. Urchins are extremely sensitive to water quality issues. Unlike the urchin(s) mentioned above, it's also not self decorating.

 

[Jan]

Thankyou! You have helped confirm my resolve to find a new home for Spike.