Blue spot urchin - coral eaters?

ID-Reefer · Jan 19, 2021

I have had this urchin for close to a week now. Beautiful but last night he tore into one of my Leptos. Time to take back or hope it was a one time thing?

Bad photo - its towards the back of the tank.

StlSalt · Jan 19, 2021

Yup I have one just like that it ate some zoa frags, although I think it was after the algae on the frag plug and didn't intend to eat the zoas it still ate them.

ID-Reefer · Jan 19, 2021

StlSalt said:
Yup I have one just like that it ate some zoa frags, although I think it was after the algae on the frag plug and didn't intend to eat the zoas it still ate them.

Hmm Guess Ill have to watch closely. Beautiful urchin but I have some spendy corals up higher in the tank I don't want him to "accidentally" snack on. Do you supplement feed him? I put some nori on a rock and he didn't seem to eat much of it.

StlSalt · Jan 19, 2021

ID-Reefer said:
Hmm Guess Ill have to watch closely. Beautiful urchin but I have some spendy corals up higher in the tank I don't want him to "accidentally" snack on. Do you supplement feed him? I put some nori on a rock and he didn't seem to eat much of it.

I don't feed it much once in awhile I'll give it half an algae wafer. I'm not sure they have a taste for coral as much as it just munches everything in it's path and when it's path meets with coral they get eaten. He ate some utter chaos, and Rockstars, left the circus zoas, they're up high. He had an expensive lunch that day. In the back you can see a lepto and he's never gone after it, I'm guessing they have been together for 6 months now. I'm trying to get that cyano problem under control so I'm not adding any coral right now, but I'm afraid to add anything to the tank.

abbypoodle · Jan 19, 2021

Astropyga radiata right? This is one of my favorite Urchins, but I've read reports that some can occasionally munch on coral. I really, really want one but now I'm thinking he might wind up as a sump Urchin with a cool hat from that guy on here who 3d prints Urchin hats.

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