Advice on my Blue Urchin

[CanadianReeferGuy]

I’ve got a Blue Urchin and he’s amazing he did amazing job on getting rid of my GHA. The problem is I got him to early my tank is only a few months old and he’s eating my coralline algae before it’s getting a chance to grow. I’ve got some Coralline on my back wall he hasn’t gotten yet. My question is do I take him out for a few weeks? I don’t want get rid of him completely he’s really cool. Will my coralline out pace him eventually? Thanks.

 

[moz71]

Do you have a sump with algae in it? Can put him there. I have a pincushion that does outpace need and always stripping rocks to white.

 

[NowGlazeIT]

I would let him do his thing, the coralline will grow in many places at the same time.

 

[CanadianReeferGuy]

Do you have a sump with algae in it? Can put him there. I have a pincushion that does outpace need and always stripping rocks to white.

No I just have a biocube. A starter tank for me to get introduced into hobby.

 

[CanadianReeferGuy]

I would let him do his thing, the coralline will grow in many places at the same time.

Will the coralline out pace him eventually? He’s stripping my rock right to the white.

 

[NowGlazeIT]

Will the coralline out pace him eventually? He’s stripping my rock right to the white.

Yes because eventually the coralline will grow on every surface at once. I think the minimum tank size for a urchin is 20g so any bigger then that you should be fine

 

[CanadianReeferGuy]

Yes because eventually the coralline will grow on every surface at once. I think the minimum tank size for a urchin is 20g so any bigger then that you should be fine

Ok, thanks

 

[Littlesquishy]

You could try to feed your urchin some nori to see if that will slow him down.

 

[CanadianReeferGuy]

I’ve tried that he won’t touch it though.

 

[Tamberav]

I’ve got a Blue Urchin and he’s amazing he did amazing job on getting rid of my GHA. The problem is I got him to early my tank is only a few months old and he’s eating my coralline algae before it’s getting a chance to grow. I’ve got some Coralline on my back wall he hasn’t gotten yet. My question is do I take him out for a few weeks? I don’t want get rid of him completely he’s really cool. Will my coralline out pace him eventually? Thanks.

I would leave him... coralline eventually grows so fast he won't keep up. Besides, him eating it spreads it.

 

[CanadianReeferGuy]

I would leave him... coralline eventually grows so fast he won't keep up. Besides, him eating it spreads it.

Ok, thanks I’ll do that.

 

[EricR]

I have a pink urchin (looks like a pincushion urchin) that ate my live rock "bald" also and still always keeps going back to the rocks.

Mine would never touch nori for awhile either but, eventually, started taking too it and now will go after it when I hang it off the glass (in a clip) near wherever he's cruising around. Also, mine eats algae wafers now too as long as I drop half of one on the sand in his path when he's moving around.

...so, I'd say keep trying on the nori and maybe even try algae wafers but, in the end, mine still out-eats the coralline growth on my rock. Never seems to eat the coralline noticeably off the glass though, even when he "seems" to be munching on it for awhile.