Sea urchin in my tank

[volitan100]

I have a sea urchin in my tank that came from a rock i got. I dont know anything about them and i dont know what speicies it is. What do they eat? Its blackish purplish and has sharp spines and is not small nor to big. I would post a pic but i have sucky camras

 

[ophiura]

Look up Echinometra or rock boring uchin. This is most likely the type you have, a common hitch hiker. Reef safe, but may bulldoze loose rocks/corals.

 

[volitan100]

it looks like that kind of but it also looks like a Echinothrix diadema

 

[volitan100]

oh, what do they eat?

 

[ophiura]

I would reckon if it is a hitch hiker, it is Echinometra. Where is your rock from (Florida, Indo)? Any chance for a picture?
These urchins are grazers on algae...sometimes also coralline but more people seem to feel it doesn't impact it. The only non reef safe one commonly seen is the slate pencil urchin Eucidaris.

 

[volitan100]

from vanatu islands.

 

[xnikki118x]

Ophiura, is this the kind of urchin you're talking about? I really like him, I just don't know what kind he is lol. He eats algae, grazes the live rock, and sometimes he'll let me spot-feed him with shrimp pellets.

 

[armlocker]

heres my tuxedo:

 

[texasex]

Armlocker, I LOVE your tuxedo! Is he considered "reef safe?" I have always wanted one, but was kinda shuned away from them. Are they difficult to take care of?

 

[armlocker]

Easy to take care of as long as theres some algae for it to graze on its happy. It ate half a head of my frogspaw once, which recovered luckily but if it eats anythin again its goin back. Its been 3 months and it hasnt bothered anything. Although i just added some zoos and this morning when the lights came on i noticed it had about 5 on his back. It covers itself in anything it can grab, substrate, small rocks, snails, feather dusters, my thermometer, whatever lol. Interesting creature everybody comments on it.

 

[jacknjill]

is the purple urchin that they sell on this site reef safe? what about a long spined urchin?

 

[ninjamini]

I have a pencil urchin in my new reef. He came on the live rock and was about 1/4" end to end. Now he is about 1" end to end. When should I be concirned about the reef? I have alot of purple coraline on my hatian rocks.
Any thoughts?

 

[ophiura]

If a true pencil urchin - and that would require some pictures or something - then it is not considered reef safe...more of a "eats stuff in its path" like algae, zoanthids and things. Maybe not for sure, but it is not considered a reef safe one.
The tuxedo is a popular uchin...so long as it is a mature reef (more than 6 months, pristine water conditions, specific gravity 1.026 or so, etc...standard echinoderm stuff) it should be OK. I'm not sure how they will do in smaller systems food wise...but if they graze any coralline or such, I would assume the would be OK. Interesting to hear about the frogspawn though...Not as good with these beasties I am afraid and I reckon not a lot of people post experiences.
Long spined urchins are reef safe but definitely possible bulldozers and the spines are long, hollow, fragile, barbed and venemous. So you must know were the animal is any time you put your hand in the tank.
nikki - I'll have to look into it more - yours also a hitch hiker or a purchase?

 

[xnikki118x]

Ophiura, it's neither a hitchhiker nor a purchase of mine, it was given to me by a friend lol. It hasn't bothered anything in the reef at all, and from pictures I've seen it appears to be a "long-spined urchin" so I'm assuming that's what it is. Let me know if you find something different though.