My Pencil Urchin pencils are falling off

[dorseygregory]

My Pencil Urchin Pencils are falling off more than usual and I notice this small critter on one of its pencils. With further inspection I noticed hundreds of clear small microscopic things along the bottom of my corals and live rock. Can anybody tell me what these things are and if they are safe and if not how to remove. The clear things are smaller than the red thing on my pencil urchin. Could they be the same but babies? Are they shrimp? Currently in my tank I have
45Gal tank
2 skunk shrimp
1 yellow Tang
1 pencil urchin
1 spiky urchin
1 small fish forgot the name
3 feather dusters
1 star fish
my tank readings
nitrates-0
nitrites-0
ammonium-0
gravity-1.023
My tank has been up for about 5 months

 

[flower]

Urchins are very sensitive to nitrates, since your tests say 0...that leaves starvation. When an urchin doesn't have enough to feed on, it begins to loose spines (spikes, pencils) before it dies.

 

[dorseygregory]

so what about the red thing on it and the clear white little things cant he eat them? I thought 0 nitrates were good

 

[flower]

Quote:
Originally Posted by dorseygregory http:///t/391130/my-pencil-urchin-pencils-are-falling-off#post_3467205
so what about the red thing on it and the clear white little things cant he eat them? I thought 0 nitrates were good
I said SINCE the nitrates are 0, the other cause of death is likely starvation. Urchins ONLY eat algae and pencil urchins eat corals too. Not copepods....I don't know about the red thing, but if it is loosing its "quills, spikes, pencils, pokey things" it is dying.

 

[meowzer]

Did you try to remove the "red" thing?
AND YES....as Flower is saying.....loosing spines = starvation.....You can try to get it to eat algae sheets, BUT IMO since you have 2 urchins in a 45G....unless you have an algae epidemic, you do not have enough to feed them

 

[saxman]

As mentioned, pencil urchins aren't the vegetarians most peeps think they are. The will eat coral, but you can try giving it meaty foods such as shrimp or SW fish flesh. It won't eat pods (the "clear things").

 

[bang guy]

A Pencil Urchin will gladly eat a piece of fish or scallop. I can't see the red thing clearly. From it's position I can't tell if it's a parasite or just hiding. Does it look like some type of flatworm?

 

[dorseygregory]

I havnt had a problem with them eating my corals. so the little white things are copepods ok got it. I will see if he will eat some algae sheets I have some red algae sheets. still not sure what the red thing is thats on one of his spikes tho.

 

[dorseygregory]

it looks like those clear things (copepods) but darker and larger. I put some red seaweed and looks like its moving toward it.