Urchin acclimation ?

PghReef · Feb 24, 2022

I ordered 3 tuxedo urchins from algaebarn. I've ordered many corals and snails from various vendors but this is my first time ordering urchins. I asked for Friday delivery but they didn't see the note until they had already shipped, they did reach out to me to apologize before I even caught it on their behalf. I explained that I will not be able to get home today until after 9pm to acclimate and transfer. I have someone at home that can bring the package in to keep it out of the elements but it'd have to wait until I'm home from work to acclimate. They said that'd be fine and they will still honor their arrive garuntee.

So they shipped it Tuesday, I guess they use 2 day shipping and not next day for live goods? Never used algaebarn before but they have a good reputation so I'll assume they know what they're doing. With the delay it'll be closer to 3 days for these guys to be in their shipping container, they said that the urchins should be fine if brought inside out of the elements. My house is 72 degree and I had them placed next to the tank so their temp should be low 70s. However when I asked algaebarn their suggested acclimation they suggest drip acclimation. After such a long period in the bags I'm afraid of waste build up and dripp acclimation causing more harm. Most vendors suggest temp acclimation only and then dumping in.

So what would you guys do? This is obviously all assuming when I get home tonight I don't open a box of 3 dead urchins.

Jay Hemdal · Feb 24, 2022

PghReef said:
I ordered 3 tuxedo urchins from algaebarn. I've ordered many corals and snails from various vendors but this is my first time ordering urchins. I asked for Friday delivery but they didn't see the note until they had already shipped, they did reach out to me to apologize before I even caught it on their behalf. I explained that I will not be able to get home today until after 9pm to acclimate and transfer. I have someone at home that can bring the package in to keep it out of the elements but it'd have to wait until I'm home from work to acclimate. They said that's be fine and they will still honor their arrive garuntee.

So they shipped it Tuesday, I guess they use 2 day shipping and not next day for live goods? Never uses algaebarn before but they have a good reputation so I'll assume they know what they're doing. With the delay it'll be closer to 3 days for these guys to be in their shipping container, they said that the urchins should be fine if brought inside out of the elements. My house is 72 degree and I had them placed next to the tank so their temp should be low 70s. However when I asked algaebarn their suggested acclimation they suggest dropping acclimation. After such a long period in the bags I'm afraid of waste build up and dripp acclimation causing more harm. Most vendors suggest temp acclimation only and then dumping in.

So what would you guys do? This is obviously all assuming when I get home tonight I don't open a box of 3 dead urchins.

Personally, I would use the visual and nose test. If the urchins have dropped their spines, don't acclimate them into a tank containing other animals, likewise, if they are stinky, presume they are dead. Can you acclimate them into a container of tank water and float that with aeration in your main tank for temperature control? Then, you can assess them tomorrow and decide then if they are still alive.

Jay

SteveEreef · Feb 24, 2022

I order 3 urchins a few months back from them. I temp acclimated and salinity acclimated in three different tanks. They did fine. Just a heads up, the ones I got were very very small. Good luck!

PghReef · Feb 24, 2022

Jay Hemdal said:
Personally, I would use the visual and nose test. If the urchins have dropped their spines, don't acclimate them into a tank containing other animals, likewise, if they are stinky, presume they are dead. Can you acclimate them into a container of tank water and float that with aeration in your main tank for temperature control? Then, you can assess them tomorrow and decide then if they are still alive.

Jay

I do plan on doing the visual and nose test. This is all assuming they have their spines and don't smell of death. Ideally I'd see movement of their little feet in the bag.

If they pass all those test, would it be best to just temp acclimate and then into the tank? I guess I can try and float some device, I'm not sure how'd I'd aerate it or keep it from sinking but I can try to figure something out.

If they fail and look dead I'll put in a basement tank away from my livestock or just to the trash and contact the company.

PghReef · Feb 24, 2022

SteveEreef said:
I order 3 urchins a few months back from them. I temp acclimated and salinity acclimated in three different tanks. They did fine. Just a heads up, the ones I got were very very small. Good luck!

Yes I'm assuming theyre small, not sure how fast they grow, and am hoping they actually them bring so small will be a good thing in teems of shipping and surviving all this time in a bag.

How are they doing now for you?

SteveEreef · Feb 24, 2022

PghReef said:
Yes I'm assuming theyre small, not sure how fast they grow, and am hoping they actually them bring so small will be a good thing in teems of shipping and surviving all this time in a bag.

How are they doing now for you?

Two of them are doing good. thanks! They may have doubled in size . Maybe an inch now. One passed away. Here’s a picture I just took

PghReef · Feb 24, 2022

SteveEreef said:
Two of them are doing good. thanks! They may have doubled in size . Maybe an inch now. One passed away. Here’s a picture I just took

Wow they really don't look anything like the adults with the blue or red colors do they? Maybe as they get larger.

I ordered 3 hoping to keep 2 alive.

PghReef · Feb 26, 2022

Well all 3 came in looking very rough. Lots of spines and other particulate in the containers, minimal movement. I snapped a picture to send to algae barn and they asked I monitor for life and keep them posted. Today I found the 1st skeleton remain, pretty sure all 3 are dead. I sent an email to algaebarn and awaiting a
response

hllb · Feb 26, 2022

Poor little guys. I’m surprised they did 2 day shipping on urchins, especially the little ones. I ordered one from diver’s den with overnight shipping and it arrived dead (this was at least a year ago when they had good shipping materials).

I ordered one from Blue Zoo that arrived healthy and is doing well. He was maybe 1.25” diameter

PghReef · Feb 26, 2022

hllb said:
Poor little guys. I’m surprised they did 2 day shipping on urchins, especially the little ones. I ordered one from diver’s den with overnight shipping and it arrived dead (this was at least a year ago when they had good shipping materials).

I ordered one from Blue Zoo that arrived healthy and is doing well. He was maybe 1.25” diameter

Yea and with the delay it was closer to 3 days. Cant say I'm surprised they didn't make it, they're about 1 inch maybe.

hllb · Feb 26, 2022

PghReef said:
Yea and with the delay it was closer to 3 days. Cant say I'm surprised they didn't make it, they're about 1 inch maybe.

Here’s my little guy this morning. His name is Marble.

PghReef · Feb 26, 2022

hllb said:
Here’s my little guy this morning. His name is Marble.

Hopefully I can get a few little marbles in my tank. I had a pencil urchin that hitchhiked as a baby on some liverock. Got too big and started to knock things over so to the basement tank he went

Here's the floating mine with some photobombers