LOng spined Urchin??

coralreefnfish · #1 03-26-2010, 06:34 PM

HI I have recently started a new tank we have had it for about three months. we have several corals including a leather, Zoos, candycanes, birds nest, mushrooms and montipora. just wondering if the spines on the urchin are going to harm or kill are corals as he stomps all over them lol. are fish also tend to swim into him while there sleeping. is this a problem or am I just worrying to much.

365seasons · #2 03-26-2010, 07:15 PM

We had a long spined urchin in our tank for over a year with no problems.

Like all urchins, they have a tendency to knock things over, but he never hurt any of our corals, and certainly not our fish.

The only reason we got rid of him was that he outgrew our tank big time.

Kevotron · #3 03-26-2010, 07:22 PM

I have one as well.. other than knocking things over and sometimes obstructing me it has been great to have him in my tank..

naesco · #4 03-26-2010, 09:17 PM

If your tank is only three months old I doubt it would be covered in algaes.
With nothing to eat he will starve to death.

blueyota · #5 03-26-2010, 09:51 PM

I have one ...lives in my fuge now cause he grew extremely fast and was a massive bulldozer at 14 " from tip to tip and preferred to eat my sps rather then all the algae taking over....

....I hate him

Ohh just noticed ...1 post ... Welcome to canreef

untamed · #6 03-27-2010, 12:07 AM

I finally got rid of my hatpin urchin (maybe 12" diametre). Not only was he carving up my acrylic tank, but he would occassionally mow a channel through an SPS. I'm not sure it was purposeful, the SPS just gets in the way as he moves across a rock.

It was coraline algae that my hatpin ate. One day a rock would be pink, then next day... barren rock.