Halloween Urchin Concerns

[boeingn747]

I just got a Halloween urchin for my 75gallon mixed reef tank. When I got him home, acclimated and in the tank he had more white hairs on him then he does today. I am wondering if this is normal just from traveling/acclimating stress? I currently have a standard white/gray pin cushion urchin in the tank (12mo+) doing fine. Tank is 2years old.
I am just wondering if I should be worried. He is moving around and seems fine. Seems odd that he has lost some of the white spikes/hairs.
Temp- 78
Salinity- 35ppt
Nitrate- 20ppm or less
Ammonia- 0ppm
Nitrite- 0ppm
Calcium- 450
Alk- 8.5
Mag- 1380

 

[boeingn747]

I just got a Halloween urchin for my 75gallon mixed reef tank. When I got him home, acclimated and in the tank he had more white hairs on him then he does today. I am wondering if this is normal just from traveling/acclimating stress? I currently have a standard white/gray pin cushion urchin in the tank (12mo+) doing fine. Tank is 2years old.
I am just wondering if I should be worried. He is moving around and seems fine. Seems odd that he has lost some of the white spikes/hairs.
Temp- 78
Salinity- 35ppt
Nitrate- 20ppm or less
Ammonia- 0ppm
Nitrite- 0ppm
Calcium- 450
Alk- 8.5
Mag- 1380

I will add that he has not many if any of the orange spikes. Just the white hairs.

 

[SlugSnorter]

I will add that he has not many if any of the orange spikes. Just the white hairs.

PH? anything that would attack him? enough food?

if they continue to fall out its an issue, if they have slowed down or stopped falling out already or in a day or two its just from stress

 

[boeingn747]

I ment to post an update. He died within 24hrs of this post. I do believe that he was sick or unhealthy at the point of purchase. I was givin a full refund and ended up purchasing another one just like it from a different store and it is doing fine. To date I have 3 different urchins in my reef. All different colors, and all doing great. Sometimes I just think even when you do everything right, you are only as good as the quality that you buy. So if you buy sick or diseased you are already behind the curve and it makes it that much harder to bounce back. KY

 

[czoolander]

Sorry to hear of your loss. I just recently added a Halloween urchin 3 days ago. He looks healthy with all his spikes on and many shells he picked up. He is very active and moves all over the tank.

I guess my concern / question is that I have a few rocks with GHA on them and I was hoping this urchin would zero in on this algae and mow it down . No such luck so far he seems to go all over the sand and glass and rocks with no algae on them ?

Do they actually eat hair algea? Did I just get super unlucky to get a urchin that has no interest in hair algea? I also have a tang and rabbitfish that don't touch the algea on my rocks......... what is going on ? I feel like im being punked haha everyone says rabbitfish , tangs and urchins mow down algea .

 

[SlugSnorter]

Sorry to hear of your loss. I just recently added a Halloween urchin 3 days ago. He looks healthy with all his spikes on and many shells he picked up. He is very active and moves all over the tank.

I guess my concern / question is that I have a few rocks with GHA on them and I was hoping this urchin would zero in on this algae and mow it down . No such luck so far he seems to go all over the sand and glass and rocks with no algae on them ?

Do they actually eat hair algea? Did I just get super unlucky to get a urchin that has no interest in hair algea? I also have a tang and rabbitfish that don't touch the algea on my rocks......... what is going on ? I feel like im being punked haha everyone says rabbitfish , tangs and urchins mow down algea .

"hair" algae is a number of species. Same with many other pest algaes. Also many things won't eat really long hair algae