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Brent F
03-29-2008, 08:06 PM
Does the urchin on the right look like a Priest-hat urchin? If so, should I remove it from the tank?
http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/jj252/Brent_F/urchinpair.jpg

Info on Priest-hat urchin:

http://www.saltcorner.com/sections/zoo/inverts/echinoderms/urchins/Tgratilla.htm


Common Name: Priest-Hat Urchin
Species Name: Tripneustes gratilla (Linnaeus, 1758)
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Range: Indo-Pacific Ocean: Red Sea to Hawaii
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Natural Environment: Inhabit reef rock and rubble areas covered in algae
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General Husbandry: Has a temperature range of 72 to 83°F (22 - 28°C). Body size is about 4 inches (10 cm), with very short spines. Consume huge amounts of algae, however, toxic to the touch! Avoid this species!

christyf5
03-29-2008, 08:57 PM
I dunno about "Priest Hat" but it is Tripneustes sp. I had one in my tank. Didn't eat much algae, ate a lot of coralline and got fairly large in my tank. It was approaching the size of a large orange when I finally took it for a trip to the LFS, it was just knocking over too many corals.

Never had any problems with touching it. Didn't know it was toxic.