urchin an coral
- Thread starter Lenett
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P-Dub
The ocean is open to all, merciful to none.
Well, let's see a photo of that. Never heard of an urchin going after Acros. I've heard of them dining on some small encrusting corals and zoas, but never Acros.
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Waters
"...in perfect isolation, here behind my wall."
It most likely is eating algae around the acro.......or just passing by and needed somewhere to sit lol. As stated, I have never seen an urchin eat a healthy acro.
NeonRabbit221B
2500 Club Member
Have you seen the damage or is he just walking over it?
chipmunkofdoom2
Always Making Something
Never seen an urchin eat an acro. Mine eats the algae around the base of my corals. If I wasn't paying very close attention and watching very closely, it could probably seem like it's eating the base of the coral.
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Lenett
Active Member
Okay, I don't know what the coral is called. A bright green branching hard coral that looks like a tree. I removed it from my tank so the urchin wouldn't eat the rest of it. There are shortened white ended branches where it was eating. Can show you the coral, but not putting them back together! I do not have a good phone camera, so will have to take pic and upload to computer. A before and after pic
P-Dub
The ocean is open to all, merciful to none.
Could we get a shot of the culprit?Okay, I don't know what the coral is called. A bright green branching hard coral that looks like a tree. I removed it from my tank so the urchin wouldn't eat the rest of it. There are shortened white ended branches where it was eating. Can show you the coral, but not putting them back together! I do not have a good phone camera, so will have to take pic and upload to computer. A before and after pic
P-Dub
The ocean is open to all, merciful to none.
Pencils are known to not be reef safe.
Do you still have that pencil in your tank? I had 6-of them, took 5-out and gave them to a LFS. The 6th was in a crevice at the time and I couldn't pull him out. However, I'm staring at him right now on my back wall next to my MP40. I want him out, but feel bad to kill it by either throwing it in the trashcan or over the fence. At least that way, it would become coyote food. I've suspected before it may damage coral.I’ve caught both my pencil and short spine take bites out of my acros.
I put it in my scrap tank full of zoas, montis and less valuable acros
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Lenett
Active Member
Urchin is losing spines. It may be needing something. It lasted through 8 months of my tank being resealed in a 50 gal. Is about 3 years old. My brain frag and a flowering coral are looking good still, but the little green tree isn't doing well. 2 pics. 1befor and1after below.
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Lenett
Active Member
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Lenett
Active Member
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Lenett
Active Member
Mine is a black long spinney, not a pencil. I guess the same applies!
pics are above on # 9
Softhammer
Valuable Member
The little green tree is an anacropora and your urchin is probably starving if it’s losing spines. Hook it up with some nori on a rock and place it nearby. Those bites don’t look like it’s eating the coral intentionally, just incidental nibbles. Once you get more corals going you will grow to hate urchins. The bulldozers of the reef, the will knock over virtually everything.
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Lenett
Active Member
Thanks for your response, Softhammer! Okay, the anacoraporas branches are considerably shorter. It has lost its green and I think is gone. The urchin usually eats all of the coraline off the rock. Leaves everything white where its been. Right now its staying on the tank wall. It and the snails knock everything over. I have a white fuzzy looking urchin that eats the rock as well as carrying everything around. I will look up nori. I'm waiting for n order of copepods for the blennys. One is bullying the other to the point of starvation. He waits now for me to feed him frozen brine shrimp. Because of that my nitrates stay at least 20. I have never been able to keep corals very long. I would like to figure out why. Nitrates and phosphates usually are an issue. Water changes usually take 2-4 hours, but am doing. Bio filter works very well. Have a sump, no refugium, but a protean skimmer. Fish do well, but plants don't ever grow. My brain coral frag is happy. Have had for about 3 months. 175 gal tank is back up after having to have it resealed. It was down over 4 months, but kept the liverock alive so no need to new cycle.
Do you know how to quarantine and medicate ornamental sponge? I understand the peppermint shrimp love them. Well I guess TMI! I will just keep researching everything, but nothing comes up on sponge except for the white pineapple. I have those growing already.
Thanks again!
Do you know how to quarantine and medicate ornamental sponge? I understand the peppermint shrimp love them. Well I guess TMI! I will just keep researching everything, but nothing comes up on sponge except for the white pineapple. I have those growing already.
Thanks again!
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Lenett
Active Member
Sorry, I thought I sent this days ago. I do appreciate you taking the time to give me some constructive feedback! There were comments, but no help from anyone else. Am feeding urchin nori and brine shrimp. It will be touch and go. He is staying on the glass at the top of the tank. Shrinking and more spines gone. I may not be able to save him, but am trying. Do you have any suggestions on a bully sailfin blenny? I made the mistake of getting 2 and one is larger and keeps the other from eating and resting. Was starving. Now the smaller one will hide and then eat frozen brine shrimp I squirt towards him with a coral feeder. He is surviving this way, but always running. My tank is large and full of live rock and I can't get him out.
Thanks again for your help! any advice is welcome!
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