Urchins eating Palys and Zoas?

[Euphylliaphyle]

Does anyone else have experience with Paly-eating urchins? I have twice witnessed this happening. Seems my Purple & White has developed a taste for these, and has completely cleaned off the frag plugs of my King Midas Zoas and my Yellow Polyps. I guess because urchins have an unconventional, distributed nervous system, they are unaffected by palytoxins??? No matter. If you have had such an experience, please share. Especially if you have found a way for them to coexist. I was hoping to build a Zoa collection, but now am reluctant. Also, we really like our two urchins, and getting rid of them is off the table as a solution.

 

[DCR]

I had to remove all my pencil and long spined urchins due to them eating my zoas. The short spined rock urchins seem to leave them alone and are still in my tank. No experience with tuxedo urchins, but I generally think if any of them get hungry enough they will eat them. Also be on the lookout for asterina starfish which I have found will slowly consume zoa colonies - at least the blue colored variety

 

[slingfox]

My two tuxedo urchins don’t bother my zoas. I have no palys.

 

[Euphylliaphyle]

I had to remove all my pencil and long spined urchins due to them eating my zoas. The short spined rock urchins seem to leave them alone and are still in my tank. No experience with tuxedo urchins, but I generally think if any of them get hungry enough they will eat them. Also be on the lookout for asterina starfish which I have found will slowly consume zoa colonies - at least the blue colored variety

Thank you! My Pencil Urchin has so far been well-behaved with all corals.

 

[Euphylliaphyle]

My two tuxedo urchins don’t bother my zoas. I have no palys.

Thank you! I guess not all urchins are equal.