Pencil sea urchin

amy · #1 01-22-2011, 05:40 AM

When I first acquired my salt water tank, I went to LFS and started to buy my clean up crew. One of the things suggested (and given)to me was a pencil sea urchin.
I've been doing some research and what I can find says that they are not reef safe. Does anyone have any experience/advice on this?
I have some corals now, and would hate to have them eaten.

Amy

don.ald · #2 01-22-2011, 01:30 PM

amy i had a pencil urchin for years in my sump. eats everything including other types of urchins.
my experience is they are not reefsafe at all.
go with the lonespine or the tuxedos. they are great cleaners and reefsafe

toytech · #3 01-22-2011, 07:44 PM

I had a pencil urchin , red stripped , and it was the most agressive thing i have ever seen . It at 4 corals , chased down and ate my starfish one leg at a time , and im sure it would have bitten me if it had a chance. I traded it for a longspine , and other than the ocasionaly accidental hand stabbing he was a model citizen .

shannon32 · #4 01-22-2011, 09:15 PM

i have had one for about 8 months now and it hasnot touched anything yet should i mabe get it out before problems start?

whatcaneyedo · #5 01-23-2011, 12:20 AM

Another one to avoid is the rock boring urchin. Mine loves to chow on the silicone seams of my aquarium. I've watched other for sale at the LFS doing the same... fortunately I was able to put mine in my frag trough which doesn't have any silicone.

Douglas · #6 01-23-2011, 12:59 AM

I've had one in my Tank for a couple of years now, rarely see him, and he's a bulldozer, pushing everything out of it's way. Never had a problem.