Urchin kills Clownfish

[huma huma6]

I have a spiny urchin or a pencil urchin(Brown and Long Spines). Well today I found my clownfish dead right by it and it look like it got spiked. The urchin wasn't eating it though. Could the urchin have killed it?

 

[ophiura]

I personally would think this is unlikely.

 

[time4fun]

I concur, i doubt it very much!

 

[hot883]

I agree, it's not like the urchin can instantly swing his "needles/spines" (sorry don't know the correct name) around to

[hr]
a fish.

 

[chellie4u2]

I have one of each of those urchins and 2 clown fish and no problems. :joy:

 

[huma huma6]

Well it did have a wound. Everything else in the tank looks fine. I have a BTA, this urchin and a pincusion, a brittle star, snails, 1 cowrie, a yellow-blue damsel and a coral beuty angel.

 

[renogaw]

how old is the tank, how old is the live rock, any recent additions to your aquascape? any clicking noises?

 

[huma huma6]

Tank is 8 months old. No there no mantis shrimp unless it came out of sand. I got live rock for free from ex-reefer and they had it for around 5 years

 

[deadmanschest]

im no expert on mantis shrimp but i've always heard the spearer mantids always burrow in the sand.

 

[sepulatian]

Did the clown perhaps swim into the urchin? If it is a long spiked urchin, they are venemous.