Adding Tuxedo Urchin?

N11morales · Apr 21, 2020

Hello, I have really wanted to add a tuxedo urchin to my 32G biocube. I’m not sure if I can add one yet though. My tank has only been completely cycled for about 2 months now. I don’t have much algae due to the cuc I already have: 3 turbo snails, 5 nassarius, and 2 astrea snails. I had read I can supplement their food with seaweed.
Can I put a tuxedo urchin in my tank? Or should I wait a couple months (or get hair algae) to add one of these guys in?

najer · Apr 21, 2020

I would wait longer, they need coraline algae as well as greens.

Hannahrain · Apr 21, 2020

My experience: I put a tuxedo in a 13.5 gal when it was over a year old and it really put a hurting on the coralline --we were AMAZED every day, at how much coralline it scraped off the rock, which would be back to white rock underneath :(. I moved it to my 60 cube several months ago and it seems to be happier. We don't even notice a decrease on the coralline in there. So, I definitely would wait until you have good coralline coverage and other algae, to be sure it thrives in your tank. Yes, you could just feed it but nothing good happens fast in a reef tank. Good luck :)