Urchin eating everything?

[Uptightjoker]

I'm new to reefing and have had my tank setup about a month now. I have 2 black+white oc clownfish, a pincushion urchin, a couple dwarf red hermits and a handful of snails (only 2 trochus and 1 turban that I know of). The Urchin was my favorite thing I was getting even though I Knew I'd have to feed him and other inverts since there wouldn't be enough algae to sustain them in a new tank. Well starting day one, and I mean 20 minutes after acclimation, the urchin ate one of my snails. I put it as a one off because he was hungry/stressed from transit (I ordered all from live aquaria since the closest lfs with saltwater is a 2+ hour drive away. Anyways I have since got into a routine of alternating Nori and algae wafers and feeding the inverts every other day. The Urchin almost always eats all the Nori and all of the wafer, and STILL goes after my snails. (A month ago I started with 5 cerinth, 5 trochus, 5 nassarius, and 1 turban snail) and am now down to 3 snails total (I see the empty shells so I know that they are dead and not mia/buried). So I have a few questions.

1. Is this normal?
2. How can I stop him from eating everything else wheni already feed him so much?
3. Is it likely he will much on corals when I start adding them?
4. If it is likely he will much on them, are there any suggestions on aggressive/defensive corals that can fend him off and maybe put him in his place a bit?

Thank you ahead of time for reading and for the help.

(Also I have tons of pictures and will be doing a build thread soon)

 

[Uptightjoker]

I'm new to reefing and have had my tank setup about a month now. I have 2 black+white oc clownfish, a pincushion urchin, a couple dwarf red hermits and a handful of snails (only 2 trochus and 1 turban that I know of). The Urchin was my favorite thing I was getting even though I Knew I'd have to feed him and other inverts since there wouldn't be enough algae to sustain them in a new tank. Well starting day one, and I mean 20 minutes after acclimation, the urchin ate one of my snails. I put it as a one off because he was hungry/stressed from transit (I ordered all from live aquaria since the closest lfs with saltwater is a 2+ hour drive away. Anyways I have since got into a routine of alternating Nori and algae wafers and feeding the inverts every other day. The Urchin almost always eats all the Nori and all of the wafer, and STILL goes after my snails. (A month ago I started with 5 cerinth, 5 trochus, 5 nassarius, and 1 turban snail) and am now down to 3 snails total (I see the empty shells so I know that they are dead and not mia/buried). So I have a few questions.

1. Is this normal?
2. How can I stop him from eating everything else wheni already feed him so much?
3. Is it likely he will much on corals when I start adding them?
4. If it is likely he will much on them, are there any suggestions on aggressive/defensive corals that can fend him off and maybe put him in his place a bit?

Thank you ahead of time for reading and for the help.

(Also I have tons of pictures and will be doing a build thread soon)

Oh also! I tried to put some chaeto from the sump into the dt in hopes it would grow a bit and the urchin would munch on that. He found the ball today and has started eating it. I just hope he doesn't eat it all so it can keep growing (I have more in the sump but still)

 

[xjiang7]

They will eat meat if there are not enough algae to graze (or they just eat meat when they can catch it? I don’t know) my pencil urchin ate my feather duster tube worm

 

[Tahoe61]

Never have I heard of an urchin eating snails. If you can get an image of the urchin doing so I would be interested. Honestly I do not see how it is possible, but stranger things have happened I guess.

 

[Cell]

I didn't know this was a thing either. An urchin will pick snails up and carry them around, but I'm not quite sure how it would pry open the operculum and suck the snail out.

 

[robbyg]

I also never heard of them eating snails, how is that even possible? I did not know they could extend their mouths that much.

When my tank was in a 2 year limbo with GHA all over it I put in one medium sized long spine urchin. Within one week he had not only eaten all the GHA he could reach but he also ate it down until the rock was white! He ate all the Coralline Algae on the rocks and then was starting to eat the algae and silicone in the seams. That’s when he got evicted.

BTW OP just get them out of your tank, there is nothing else you can do to solve the problem.

 

[Kris 2020]

Are you sure it’s not your hermits eating your snails? Or maybe they are starving? I’ve had many an urchin over the years but never a carnivorous one.

 

[Uptightjoker]

sorry for the late responses friends. Yes I'm sure he is eating the snails. He picks them up and carries them around, which from experiences I've heard of around here i was expecting. However, he then moves the snails towards his mouth, just as he does seaweed or the algae wafers he eats. He then holds the snail shell over his mouth for anywhere from 1-12 hours, and then when he drops the shell, it's completely empty. I had heard of them going after whatever they could if they couldn't find enough algae, which is why i supplemented his diet with algae wafers and nori to try and keep him from dying or causing chaos. I do not have any pictures or video of this, but if he goes after another I'll definitely take some and post them. Thinking I might have to move him out but I currently only have the one tank, and no LFS or anyone I know of in the area that keeps saltwater, so I guess it'll continue to be his tank for a while hahah.

 

[Uptightjoker]

And the snails aren't just dead when he drops them, shell picked completely clean as far as i can see inside it

 

[robbyg]

sorry for the late responses friends. Yes I'm sure he is eating the snails. He picks them up and carries them around, which from experiences I've heard of around here i was expecting. However, he then moves the snails towards his mouth, just as he does seaweed or the algae wafers he eats. He then holds the snail shell over his mouth for anywhere from 1-12 hours, and then when he drops the shell, it's completely empty. I had heard of them going after whatever they could if they couldn't find enough algae, which is why i supplemented his diet with algae wafers and nori to try and keep him from dying or causing chaos. I do not have any pictures or video of this, but if he goes after another I'll definitely take some and post them. Thinking I might have to move him out but I currently only have the one tank, and no LFS or anyone I know of in the area that keeps saltwater, so I guess it'll continue to be his tank for a while hahah.

I first heard about this story at MACNA

Now we have killer Urchins! :eek: :eek: :eek:
It's the End Times boys! I am getting into my bunker and waiting it out. Hopefully the Japanese will come up with a solution.:p

 

[Uptightjoker]

Here is the culprit sitting on the rocks amid the graveyard he has created.

 

[Uptightjoker]

sorry for the bad picture haha, he's at a really weird spot to try and get a picture because i can't get to the left side of the tank and from the front he's mostly covered. by the rockwork

 

[Reefs and Geeks]

I've also seen my urchins eating snails before. I have a picture of it somewhere, but I'm not about to try to dig through all of my 1,000's of pictures to try to find it. I've not had an issue with mine repeatedly eating snails though. Only occasionally, and typically smaller snails.

 

[Uptightjoker]

Originally he only went after the nassarius snails, but then he got one of the cerinths, and now 3 of the trochus snails. Gonna call around a few places and see if anyone will take him I think, even if it's a couple hour drive. I don't want to have to worry about anything in my tank that can't swim in open water being eaten haha. In the mean time maybe I'll try to up his feeding (I have no idea how much to actually feed him since my tank is mostly algae free still). And I'll kick on the lights to see if i can maybe get a little big of algae to grow so he can graze easier. (I also added a small piece of chaeto to the DT for him to graze, but he doesn't seem to be interested in it. He's climbed over/around it a few times but never touched it)

 

[robbyg]

Originally he only went after the nassarius snails, but then he got one of the cerinths, and now 3 of the trochus snails. Gonna call around a few places and see if anyone will take him I think, even if it's a couple hour drive. I don't want to have to worry about anything in my tank that can't swim in open water being eaten haha. In the mean time maybe I'll try to up his feeding (I have no idea how much to actually feed him since my tank is mostly algae free still). And I'll kick on the lights to see if i can maybe get a little big of algae to grow so he can graze easier. (I also added a small piece of chaeto to the DT for him to graze, but he doesn't seem to be interested in it. He's climbed over/around it a few times but never touched it)

Don't waste your time LOL, they can eat as much food as you can supply. Mine grew in a couple of weeks from about 3" across to slightly over 4". I don't even see them pooing, it's like their is a black hole in the center that just consumes mass and most likely a lot of calcium.

 

[Kris 2020]

Originally he only went after the nassarius snails, but then he got one of the cerinths, and now 3 of the trochus snails. Gonna call around a few places and see if anyone will take him I think, even if it's a couple hour drive. I don't want to have to worry about anything in my tank that can't swim in open water being eaten haha. In the mean time maybe I'll try to up his feeding (I have no idea how much to actually feed him since my tank is mostly algae free still). And I'll kick on the lights to see if i can maybe get a little big of algae to grow so he can graze easier. (I also added a small piece of chaeto to the DT for him to graze, but he doesn't seem to be interested in it. He's climbed over/around it a few times but never touched it)

I have a recipe for urchin cookies if you are interested. Probably doesn’t taste as good as snails though! Your urchin is a beast.

 

[Uptightjoker]

I have a recipe for urchin cookies if you are interested. Probably doesn’t taste as good as snails though! Your urchin is a beast.

I definitely would be interested! and yes he is a beast haha. he's my favorite thing in the tank so far i just wish he'd be nicer to his tank mates lol

 

[Kris 2020]

the agar you want is a powdered food type agar, not the lab type stuff used for plates. I buy it on amazon if my local natural food store or food co-op don’t have it. I feed it in a mesh clippy type of fish feeder. I’ve had urchins who love it and urchins that ignore it, just depends on its appetite I guess. Also the recipe makes a lot so you might want to halve or quarter it. I cut it into little pieces, let it freeze all separate on a plate in the freezer, then put it in baggies and keep it frozen.

 

[Calm Blue Ocean]

the agar you want is a powdered food type agar, not the lab type stuff used for plates. I buy it on amazon if my local natural food store or food co-op don’t have it. I feed it in a mesh clippy type of fish feeder. I’ve had urchins who love it and urchins that ignore it, just depends on its appetite I guess. Also the recipe makes a lot so you might want to halve or quarter it. I cut it into little pieces, let it freeze all separate on a plate in the freezer, then put it in baggies and keep it frozen.

This is very interesting because I might have to move my urchin before the new tank is really as mature as I'd like and he really has no interest in nori. I've also wondered if anyone has tried feeding their urchin Masstick?

 

[Kris 2020]

This is very interesting because I might have to move my urchin before the new tank is really as mature as I'd like and he really has no interest in nori. I've also wondered if anyone has tried feeding their urchin Masstick?

I have taken easy masstick and crunched up nori and kelp and molded it in with that. It makes it a little more likely to ...disintegrate ... and I'm not sure he always gets it before the snails and hermits and shrimp and crabs move in.