Okay to move urchin?

[TailspotBlenny]

I got a Halloween urchin a few weeks ago. My first urchin. I placed him on the rocks and he cleared a good part of the algae. But now he has moved to the back wall the last few days and doesn’t seem to have any intention of going back on the rocks which still have a ton of algae. Is it okay to carefully pick him up and move him back on the rocks or will that cause too much stress?

 

[coralboi56]

Pfft I move mine all the time. It's no big deal

 

[TailspotBlenny]

Also I wanted to do a water change today and he’s hanging out near the top of the tank so I’m thinking it might be a good time to move him so he’s not exposed to air when I drain the water?

Does anyone else worry about this for urchins?

(This is an all-in-one tank so I can’t just take water from the sump for water changes)

 

[ReeferHD]

urchins can be out of the water for a short period of time, it is a myth that they can die if exposed to air, in the wild many urchins live in intertidal zones and are exposed to air when the tide goes out. as for moving the urchin, i recommend gently twisting back and fourth until it lets go, if you just pull it straight off you will tear a lot of their tube feet.

 

[TailspotBlenny]

That was my next question, how to do it. I will try that. Thanks.