urchin

[mark peacock]

Hi guys i am thinking of getting a Orange Multi Colour Pincushion Urchin are they reef safe any one with experience with these before i get one

 

[balogh03]

I have never had a problem with my tuxedo urchin and he has been in my care for about 5years. I know yours is a little different but there basic body form is pretty much the same unlike a long spine or a pencil.

Hope it works out for you

-augustus

 

[mark peacock]

thanks i am going to try cheers.

mark

 

[Maxx]

Need more info on the urchin...picture or species name. Alot of urchins are omnivores and will eat corals and other items. The two main reef safe ones are even known to munch corals from time to time, (Diadema/long spined urchins and Tuxedo urchins).

Nick

 

[returnofsid]

Also, some species can be quite damaging if you have an acrylic tank.

 

[yellowwatchmen]

The one you are describing sounds like a globe urcin. It is a sea egg. That means they live in the seaweed beds in shallow water. They are none to eat bryopsis. So they will do alot better with macro algae. They are not considered reef safe because they will get little things stuck to them for example frags and knock stuff over. But I had one in my reef for over a year and I had no probles except for it moving zoa frags all over the place.

 

[mark peacock]

Well i am a bit put off now lot of thinking before i do thanks:/

 

[Maxx]

No need to be put off anything....just do diligent research before putting anything in your tank.

Part of what you're doing now.

The reason I chimed in is because I had an Astropyga radiata urchin for a week. Several sources I checked said it was reef safe. Several said it was hit or miss. 5 minutes in the tank, it munched down 90% of a yellow Montipora digitata frag that was doing pretty nicely, (about 3 inches).

Nick