For those with Experience with Plywood tank, Can Urchin eat through Epoxy Paint?

[mehaffydr]

I have a Plywood tank 1100 Gallons that I made and had not planned on buying any Urchins. I bought some Gulf Live Rock and after having it in Quarantine tank for a month I have spotted 2ea. Long Spine Urchins. My concern is I think I may have read somewhere that they could eat through the Epoxy Paint in the tank which could cause tank failure. Has anyone any knowledge of this happening?

 

[Eagle_Steve]

I have a Plywood tank 1100 Gallons that I made and had not planned on buying any Urchins. I bought some Gulf Live Rock and after having it in Quarantine tank for a month I have spotted 2ea. Long Spine Urchins. My concern is I think I may have read somewhere that they could eat through the Epoxy Paint in the tank which could cause tank failure. Has anyone any knowledge of this happening?

I could see them doing it. I have 3 rock boring and 2 long spines and they scrape rock when eating coralline. They also were able to gouge into acrylic when in that tank. They didn’t intentionally do it, at least I don’t think they did. I think the fact the scrape with beaks just causes some unintentional scraping of whatever is behind the algae they are eating.

 

[AlexG]

I kept long spine urchins and pincushion urchins in my plywood tanks without any issue. However there was a well documented case a few years ago of a rock boring urchin that ate through the epoxy into the plywood side of a tank. I remember I had already fed my rock boring urchins to the puffers and triggers as I caught them munching on corals at night.