Can a Spiny Urchin Chew Electric Cords?

[ranvan]

I have had two heaters malfunction. The first one I noticed when I stuck my fingers in the aquarium and I felt a tingle/shock. The second one was noticed when I saw tiny bubbles like boiling water streaming from the top. The temperature as read on the thermometer was also rising. The heater was very hot to the touch when I pulled it out.

As I examined the heaters, I noticed that the power cords appeared to be either corroded or worn. Since the first had been in the aquarium for less than four months and had not been moved much, I was puzzled. The live rock is raraely moved...if ever. But more puzzling was the second one which had been in the aquarium for about two weeks. When I looked closely, it almost seemed that there were regular etched marks like teeth.

The occupants of this 120 gallon tank are a yellow tang, a blue tang, two clowns, a cardinalfish, a neon goby, a royal gramma, eight chromis, and (there was) a spiny sea urchin. (The day that I noticed the second heater malfunction, I had taken the urchin back to the LFS because I think he was eating my coralline algae).

Comments? Is my assumption possibly correct? Is there another explanation?
Thanks.

 

[mmkeeper]

I don't have the answer for you but I have a question, do you have a sump?

 

[burning2nd]

i also cant anwser but rasie the heater so the cord isnt in the water.....

but ive had wires go like you said corroded some times right at the pump.....

did you buy thos 2 heaters together at the same time?

bad batch?

 

[Snowboarda42]

it is possible that they could have eaten the cord. After all they do have the teeth to much on corraline so...


Speaking of which, you might want to research the things you want to buy BEFORE you buy them, that way you don't find out the hard way that urchins eat corraline and whatnot.

 

[acrodesiac]

I could see them chewing into a cord if there was coraline gowing on it.

 

[ranvan]

it is possible that they could have eaten the cord. After all they do have the teeth to much on corraline so...


Speaking of which, you might want to research the things you want to buy BEFORE you buy them, that way you don't find out the hard way that urchins eat corraline and whatnot.

I have determined that he/she did chew the cord. I showed the cord to my local LFS owner, and he felt that the urchinw as th eonly one who could have. He has never run across such a thing. After the fact, I have gone on line, but I have only found one example of a possible chewing by an urchin. So, although I research everything I add to any of my aquariums before I do so, this I think is one of those cases where research was not really available.

As for them eating coralline, I agree. I should have checked that, but at the time I bought the urchin, I was overrun with hair algae. Of course, if I had known that my skimmer would have taken much of it out with time, then I guess I would not have gotten the urchin.