urchins

[pleasants9]

what do urchins do? do they have a point in tanks or are they more ornamental

 

[vinnyraptor]

Originally Posted by pleasants9
http:///forum/post/2946895
what do urchins do? do they have a point in tanks or are they more ornamental
urchins eat algae. they are excellent cleaners i have 2 in my 95 and no more algae.

 

[vinny p]

i have a tux. very effective.

 

[pleasants9]

whats good urchin for a 55?

 

[vinny p]

^any.

 

[bang guy]

Originally Posted by vinny p
http:///forum/post/2947207
^any.
Pencil Urchins are carnivores.

 

[scottallert]

they also eat coralline

 

[r1v2c]

so do tuxedo urchins .... the guy at the lfs told me they didn't. It grows back faster then he can eat it but it's funny ... i can always tell where my urchin has been... he leaves a trail of eaten coralline

 

[bang guy]

In my experience all Urchins eat Coralline. But, I find that they are so sloppy when they eat that the amount of Coralline in the tank actually increases.

 

[meowzer]

I have 2 pencils...one for each tank...one already ate a kenya tree, and every rock it visits has white patches...I am probably going to hrow them in my refugium until I can visit my not so lfs in TX....Now I do have a pincushion, and that messes with nothing but algae...on the glass, and does not leave ugly white spots on the rocks

 

[vinny p]

Originally Posted by Bang Guy
http:///forum/post/2947213
Pencil Urchins are carnivores.
^ i just meant any urchin could go in a 55g. for the size of the tank, any is good.

 

[bang guy]

Originally Posted by vinny p
http:///forum/post/2947499
^ i just meant any urchin could go in a 55g. for the size of the tank, any is good.
OK, I agree up to a point.... There are some Caribbean Urchins that get huge. Wider than a 55 is deep.

 

[vinny p]

Originally Posted by Bang Guy
http:///forum/post/2947505
OK, I agree up to a point.... There are some Caribbean Urchins that get huge. Wider than a 55 is deep.
^ sorry you do know a lot more than me

 

[shyfish]

Hi,
I had a pincushin urchin that tore up my Pipe Organ coral and carried it all over the tank on its prickles dropping piecies. It ate my coraline algea leaving a bald spot wherever it traveled.
I took it back to the LFS and got something else. It was cool looking but I didn't like it.
That was three years ago and I still haven't gotten over what he did to my pipe organ.

 

[pleasants9]

well my tank is more puffer and dwarf fuzzy, i dont have the lights for anything but xenia basically so i dont have to be as worried about them eating any corals.

 

[vinny p]

mine just picked up my frag of zoaz, and is carrying it around

 

[pleasants9]

well id like to get some sort of urchin to add to the tank so i guess ill just keep an eye out on the forum if anyone is selling one for cheap

 

[burch2006]

LFS usually charge 5-7 bucks per Urchin how cheap do you want?