My urchin is losing a lot of its spines

[isaacfish]

I just came over to my tank. There was a whole bunch of little stick things around my tank and it looks like like a whole bunch of my urchin spikes. I don’t know if it’s OK. It looks fine. It’s still alive. It’s moving around. I don’t know if it’s normal for them to shed their spikes. I’ll send a picture.

 

[mues]

What are your water parameters?

Urchins are sensitive to parameters.

#fishmedic

 

[Jay Hemdal]

Yes - we need as many water quality parameters as you have.
How long have you had the urchin?
Has it been seen actively feeding on algae?

 

[twentyleagues]

Loosing spines is not a good sign.

 

[isaacfish]

OK, so I just tested my water and everything seems to be OK. I’ll read you the levels now. My pH is at 8
Ammonia 1
Nitrate 3
Nitrate 0
Chlorine 0
Phosphate 0.03
I really just think it’s my yellow head wrasse
Because I do see him picking on him do these eat pincushion urchins?

 

[isaacfish]

OK, so I just tested my water and everything seems to be OK. I’ll read you the levels now. My pH is at 8
Ammonia 1
Nitrate 3
Nitrate 0
Chlorine 0
Phosphate 0.03
I really just think it’s my yellow head wrasse
Because I do see him picking on him do these eat pincushion urchins?

Also, it isn’t really effectively eating the algae. It’s been moving around my tank like crazy though so maybe.

 

[twentyleagues]

Also, it isn’t really effectively eating the algae. It’s been moving around my tank like crazy though so maybe.

How long has it been in the tank? How long has the tank been set up? I see algae so it must have been set up at least a few weeks.
What are you testing with? 1ppm of ammonia? are you sure?

 

[isaacfish]

OK, so the urgent has been in my tank for the total of maybe three weeks now my tank has been set up for three years. The ammonia is at 1.4 so I rounded it down to one.

 

[isaacfish]

I’m also testing with salifert test kits and And I want to know if you guys can it might be my wrasse?

 

[isaacfish]

OK, so the urgent has been in my tank for the total of maybe three weeks now my tank has been set up for three years. The ammonia is at 1.4 so I rounded it down to one.

I meant to say urchin here not urgent

 

[Sharkbait19]

1.4 ppm ammonia is toxic - it would be a miracle that anything’s alive.
I’d bet that’s the issue with your urchin (losing spines is never a good sign).

 

[blecki]

Urchins are like canaries, first thing to go when parameters are off. Susceptible to nitrate as well. Ammonia at 1 is high, you should be reading zero. Consider this like a little warning bell to act before it gets worse and affects other things.

 

[twentyleagues]

How is your ammonia at 1.4 on a three year cycled tank? Did stuff just die? Like a lot of stuff?
If your ammonia is really at 1.4 its not the wrasse.

 

[isaacfish]

I will test it again

 

[isaacfish]

No nothing died I might be reading it wrong

 

[mues]

OK, so I just tested my water and everything seems to be OK. I’ll read you the levels now. My pH is at 8
Ammonia 1
Nitrate 3
Nitrate 0
Chlorine 0
Phosphate 0.03
I really just think it’s my yellow head wrasse
Because I do see him picking on him do these eat pincushion urchins?

is your ammonia at 1? or .1?

If your ammonia is at 1 and Nitrites at 3, how long has this tank had water in it? Was it cycled?

 

[BubblesandSqueak]

as an extra set of eyes, add an ammonia badge in your sump. I wouldn't rely on it but if your ammonia is high, it should show up on there too.

 

[Paul B]

They do that before they die.

Here is my long spine just before he died probably of old age but I am not sure. He was 12.



Here he is healthy.

 

[isaacfish]

Ok so I retested and the ammonia is at 0.05

 

[isaacfish]