distichus
New Member
Some of you may remember that I had a problem with some sea urchins that chewed their way through the power cord of an in-tank protein skimmer. I thought that everyone who helped me out might be interested in the outcome - plus, I would appreciate any wisdom about possible problems with my setup that I may be missing.
I read over the suggestions about ways to protect the electrical cord. A sump really isn't practical right now, although I'd like to do that in future as I expand... Right now, I have a relatively small set up with an oversized filter and protein skimmer. I have protected the pump and electrical cord from the sea urchins by using a small plastic tub (the type sold for carrying lunch to work; Gladware, Tupperware, etc.). I drilled lots of holes in the tub to allow water to freely flow into it. I fixed the tub in place using fishing line and a few sinkers (weights) on the outside of the tank (for what it's worth, I have never used fishing line to catch fish in my life - I like my fish alive). So far, this set up seems to work well. The sea urchins like to crawl over the tub and don't seem interested in trying to get inside. The tub seems stable, floating with its open top at water level for easy access to the pump. I'm hoping that there is nothing in the plastic to cause problems and that the urchins will not decide to chew right through it... If you are reading this and thinking "oh, no... [fill in the blank] will happen" - please let me know so I can fix the problem rather than having another disaster!
For those who asked about feeding, these urchins seem to especially enjoy a health food called "sea vegetable salad".
I read over the suggestions about ways to protect the electrical cord. A sump really isn't practical right now, although I'd like to do that in future as I expand... Right now, I have a relatively small set up with an oversized filter and protein skimmer. I have protected the pump and electrical cord from the sea urchins by using a small plastic tub (the type sold for carrying lunch to work; Gladware, Tupperware, etc.). I drilled lots of holes in the tub to allow water to freely flow into it. I fixed the tub in place using fishing line and a few sinkers (weights) on the outside of the tank (for what it's worth, I have never used fishing line to catch fish in my life - I like my fish alive). So far, this set up seems to work well. The sea urchins like to crawl over the tub and don't seem interested in trying to get inside. The tub seems stable, floating with its open top at water level for easy access to the pump. I'm hoping that there is nothing in the plastic to cause problems and that the urchins will not decide to chew right through it... If you are reading this and thinking "oh, no... [fill in the blank] will happen" - please let me know so I can fix the problem rather than having another disaster!
For those who asked about feeding, these urchins seem to especially enjoy a health food called "sea vegetable salad".
