pencil urchin

[newtankman]

I have had a pencil urchin now for about three weeks and it is doing well. But it has completely cleaned off one of my lr and is starting on another one. By clean off, I mean the lr is now completely white. Is this a good thing, or is it depleting valuable bacteria or organisms for my tank?

 

[gregghia]

bump...
I would like to know more about these as well. i have an Urchin which is fun to watch but wondering if its silently doing something bad. Seems to destroy the dead brain coral I have and chews up LV and spits out little pieces. Should I get rid of it?

 

[reefforbrains]

They are NOT reefsafe. Urchins do tend to eat coraline, but it gorws faster than a little urchin can eat it.
Spiny and Pencil will eat your softies if they find them. Only real safe one is the short spined urchin often called- tudedo,-royal,-pinscushion urchin.

 

[trippkid]

Agree with reefforbrains, pencils are not reef safe, it will eat all of the coralline algae. I have a tuxcedo in my reef, he does a good job, but can be a little destructive some times knocking stuff over. They tend to carry stuff around, mine has carried mushrooms,zoos, if it is small and not attached to a large rock, he can pick it up and carry all over the place. Kind of cool sometimes, sometimes not though.

 

[bang guy]

Originally Posted by newtankman
I mean the lr is now completely white. Is this a good thing, or is it depleting valuable bacteria or organisms for my tank?

The Urchin didn't hurt the rock at all. Coralline can now colonize the new space. The Bacteria and organisms are fine.
Pencil Urchins will eat many types of Coral though.

 

[captainemo]

Mine ate my coral and coraline algea.

 

[bustedadam]

I've got a short spined urchin and he hasn't hurt anything, leaves my zoos and polyps alone. Just goes after algae.

 

[larryndana]

will they mesh well with cc stars?