Urchins?

[soviettaco]

Originally Posted by meowzer
http:///forum/post/3183296
NOPE...All I know about urchins in the pencil ate corals...my purple does not%%
I have had the purple a long time now....I realize you take a chance with anything you put in your tank....I can only go by my experiences

The purple has gone thru zoas, mushrooms, favia, rics, leather.....and never ate any
I believe you but you never know right? Mine might turn out to have a sweet tooth for corals

. I still want one though lol my LFS has some really nice purples with really bright color.If I decide to get one for my 24 I'm just going to have to monitor him but I do that with everything in my tank so I think it should be ok. I'll just sell it back if it goes nuts. Idk we'll see.
Originally Posted by mastertech
http:///forum/post/3183300
i have a "see avatar" and its a great sand sifter so really you never see it (once a month it will come out and crawl around)
here is a pic. but i have only seen them at one of the LFS in SA. i have never seen them on the market at any other place (internet or other market)
and a vid
That's a cool little urchin, too bad it buries itself and that its hard to find. Fast little guy too. Have you ever had any other types?

 

[meowzer]

I believe you but you never know right? Mine might turn out to have a sweet tooth for corals

. I still want one though lol my LFS has some really nice purples with really bright color.If I decide to get one for my 24 I'm just going to have to monitor him but I do that with everything in my tank so I think it should be ok. I'll just sell it back if it goes nuts. Idk we'll see.
QUOTE]
That's the beauty of having a lfs.....you have options if something does not work out....also if your have a fuge you can toss it in there

 

[soviettaco]

Originally Posted by SOVIETTACO
http:///forum/post/3183320
I believe you but you never know right? Mine might turn out to have a sweet tooth for corals

. I still want one though lol my LFS has some really nice purples with really bright color.If I decide to get one for my 24 I'm just going to have to monitor him but I do that with everything in my tank so I think it should be ok. I'll just sell it back if it goes nuts. Idk we'll see.
QUOTE]
That's the beauty of having a lfs.....you have options if something does not work out....also if your have a fuge you can toss it in there

Nope no fuge I'm not that cool

 

[ophiura]

The best urchin for a reef is probably the blue tuxedo urchin. All urchins are potential bulldozers however.

 

[soviettaco]

Hmmmm, so it IS reef safe?

 

[ophiura]

In general, yes...it is the same risk as most shrimp and crabs, IMO. But put it this way, it is about risk. If you value corals above all else than you should not keep it (or crabs or shrimp or brittlestars or some others). Otherwise it is a pretty safe bet IMO...apart from bulldozing or picking up loose frags

 

[soviettaco]

Originally Posted by ophiura
http:///forum/post/3185522
In general, yes...it is the same risk as most shrimp and crabs, IMO. But put it this way, it is about risk. If you value corals above all else than you should not keep it (or crabs or shrimp or brittlestars or some others). Otherwise it is a pretty safe bet IMO...apart from bulldozing or picking up loose frags
Ok good to know yeah my tank is loaded with crabs and they have been fine so far. Ok so seems like I could do a blue tuxedo or a purple thanks to meowzer and ophiura

Thanks a lot ladies! I will let you know what I decide to do but it probably won't be for a while.

 

[mastertech]

Originally Posted by SOVIETTACO
http:///forum/post/3183320
That's a cool little urchin, too bad it buries itself and that its hard to find. Fast little guy too. Have you ever had any other types?
No i have never had any other. i didnt even know i had this one until one day i was rearangeing and found him. now he is over 3 inches long.

 

[soviettaco]

Originally Posted by mastertech
http:///forum/post/3185661
No i have never had any other. i didnt even know i had this one until one day i was rearangeing and found him. now he is over 3 inches long.
Never heard of a heart urchin whats the lowdown on those?

 

[mastertech]

he hides all day and comes out at night to scavange. thats about all i know. i guess i need to start spot feeding him. i finally found an online store that sells them but i cant tell anyone because its not saltwaterfish.com

 

[lmecher]

I have been keeping urchins in my reef tanks for years, nothing eats the dreaded hair algea they way they do. I have 2 purple pincushions, one black rock boaring and a pencil. I have yet in almost 4 years to see any damage to corals. I have a quarter sized rock boaring urchin in my 14 biocube. The last one I traded in when it got too big. I have the pencil in my 50 octopus tank because of obvious reasons. I have only softies in with it so far no problems. I have only had this guy for a month and a half so far. I highly recomend securing anything they may accidently knock over and glue frags down well also or they tend to pick them up (pincushions) it is funny to occasionally see hermits little legs going as they struggle to get free.
purple pin cushion~

 

[en_pissant]

Just came across this thread. Not sure if you are still considering getting an urchin. I have two purple urchins that I purchased off SWF a couple years ago. They seem to be the Stephen Segal of my tank, hard to kill. They don't seem to bother my corals, or any other inverts, nor do they bother the fish. The only problem I have is that they will move even a large piece of live rock. I have thrown them in the sump for weeks at a time, but then start missing them, so end up moving them back to the tank. One interesting fact about them is that they can live to over 100 years old. They might very well outlast me.

 

[browniebuck]

Originally Posted by Lmecher
http:///forum/post/3186194
purple pin cushion~

Mine prefers the suction cups that have fallen off of powerheads...still likes to carry around shells, but it is always fun to watch moving suction cups around the tank! Mine has never moved anything in my tank other than stuff that you would expect (shells, suction cups, rubble rock, etc...)

 

[soviettaco]

Well I ended up getting a Royal Urchin Which is what I had confused with a "emperor" which dosn't exist. I will have my own pics of the new critter tomorrow but here's what they look like

I'm not sure if a tuxedo and a royal are one in the same cause they look identical. But Supposedly its reefsafe.

 

[small triggers]

most urchins are good,,, excluding (the only one i can think of) the flower urchin.... and the funny thing about that is my LFS had one and I looked at it and told the guy it was poisenous, lol he had to look it up online to comfirm,,, it was so hysterical....