Oops all Rock-boring Urchins! (A little info before I get them please!)

[KleineVampir]

I have a rock boring urchin. Just 1 in a 65g. They will carry things around just not as much or as frequently as a tuxedo. They will knock your frags all over the place, and anything else too. Destructive little guy but I still love him. 9 in a 40 g will be like Godzilla in Tokyo. You will probably have to supplement them already tomorrow to keep them from starving.

Dude...do not underestimate the amount of algae in this tank! To be honest, I'll be quite surprised if they actually ever eradicate all the algae from this tank!

 

[KleineVampir]

About moving frags, there's one thing I realized looking at the tank: The frag tank is in a high-light area. During the day they do not want to be somewhere that bright. They would have to get up there at night but I think they will be busy doing things closer to where they are. If the frags were just stuck in the rocks I'm sure they'd pick them up. But in a raised frag rack? I dunno. Probably at some point but hopefully not enough to be a big problem, I'm thinking.

 

[fishybizzness]

That's the great thing about the creatures we keep, my experience may be completely different from yours. It even varies from one to another. I had a butterfly fish that started eating my aptasia the day after I got it until I couldn't find one. I ended up giving it away because it had started liking my zoas. There must have been a few hidden that it couldn't get to because a month later they started popping up. I decided to try another butterfly fish. The second one didn't even touch one of the aptasia. . Hopefully the urchins have a steady enough supply of algea and they become model citizens.

 

[Kris 2020]

About moving frags, there's one thing I realized looking at the tank: The frag tank is in a high-light area. During the day they do not want to be somewhere that bright. They would have to get up there at night but I think they will be busy doing things closer to where they are. If the frags were just stuck in the rocks I'm sure they'd pick them up. But in a raised frag rack? I dunno. Probably at some point but hopefully not enough to be a big problem, I'm thinking.

My urchin is out and about all day, he’s all over the tank and rocks. He even comes up by the water line. He likes it when I scratch him behind the ears. Jk but really he does not hide during the day whatsoever. They are all different like @fishybizzness says. In my 65g 8ish year old tank, I do have to feed him. It’s amazing how much they eat.

 

[KleineVampir]

Does anybody think they could reproduce in the tank without extra actions from me?

 

[dochou]

@KleineVampir, did the urchins make a dent in your algea problem yet? Have they been helpful yet?

 

[KleineVampir]

@KleineVampir, did the urchins make a dent in your algea problem yet? Have they been helpful yet?

By technicality, I suppose! Like I said they took about a good 1x4 inch swath off the side of the frag rack. As he shoved the whole thing away from the rock next to it. I'm still waiting for them to actually go and take the fuzz off the rocks! But maybe they'll have to finish the film on the glass first.

 

[Kris 2020]

How is your urchin harem? Did they get your tank all cleaned up?

 

[KleineVampir]

How is your urchin harem? Did they get your tank all cleaned up?

No absolutely not. I didn't want to even say it but it looks like absolutely no critter will help with a nutrient control problem. That said, they are performing admirably. About as well as anything could probably. I think they've cleaned up one corner pretty well. (The corner with the return line in it, so the highest flow area interestingly.) But honestly at this rate, by the time they clean up another area that corner will just have more algae again. That said, I am trying yet another method of nutrient control that I think has some pretty good potential so we'll see if that + the urchins starts to make some real progress.

 

[KleineVampir]

Also they have not touched my frags. Though I did see them pick up a live hermit crab. Kinda funny. He wasn't happy about that arrangement! I think he eventually found a way to get himself loose after sitting around for a while.

 

[Kris 2020]

No absolutely not. I didn't want to even say it but it looks like absolutely no critter will help with a nutrient control problem. That said, they are performing admirably. About as well as anything could probably. I think they've cleaned up one corner pretty well. (The corner with the return line in it, so the highest flow area interestingly.) But honestly at this rate, by the time they clean up another area that corner will just have more algae again. That said, I am trying yet another method of nutrient control that I think has some pretty good potential so we'll see if that + the urchins starts to make some real progress.

I have to say I’m surprised! Hopefully you can get the nutrients under control, but in the meantime at least urchins are fun to watch.

 

[danieyella]

I had a pencil who was fine for awhile, helped keep algae under control pretty well. Eventually I caught him eating into the skeleton of my torch and rehomed him to the LFS.

 

[csb123]

I had a rock urchin eat a vertical strip , including some skeleton, of a newly mounted Acro frag. It’s a rare occurrence. I my tank, the benefits outweigh the risks. But if it becomes a habitual offender......g’bye!

 

[dochou]

No absolutely not. I didn't want to even say it but it looks like absolutely no critter will help with a nutrient control problem. That said, they are performing admirably. About as well as anything could probably. I think they've cleaned up one corner pretty well. (The corner with the return line in it, so the highest flow area interestingly.) But honestly at this rate, by the time they clean up another area that corner will just have more algae again. That said, I am trying yet another method of nutrient control that I think has some pretty good potential so we'll see if that + the urchins starts to make some real progress.

Thanks for the info. Good to know! Hopefully others will learn from this.

 

[KleineVampir]

Sadly one of them did die. By the time I found him, only his skeleton was left. That said he must have gone skeletal pretty quick. Anybody know why they might stay under the return so much?

Also the temp did go from 80 to 75 in about a week, now that apparently the summer heat has turned off. So kind of understandable that not every invert is gonna like that. But I think 75-76 is better in general but especially for the snails. Anybody know how urchins are with temperature? Sensitive or not and what temp seems best for them?

 

[LRT]

Glad i clicked on this. I have a bunch of these guys that came on gulfliverock. At least the one posted on website.

 

[sfin52]

4 yrs later my rock boring urchin has grabbed a toothpick and some calarapa. It will occasionally go to the rock. For thr most part it cruises around the glass. It has pushed the frag rack to almost a 90° position.