Low calcium levels / urchin dying

[TikiBird]

I fell in love with a tuxedo urchin this weekend (as one does) and brought the little one home with me. I drip acclimated him for an hour. He lost a lot of spines overnight the first day. He peeked up and was eating a lot of algae the next day, but today he is not doing well at all. He's fallen off the glass and onto his back twice and lost some more spines. [emoji20]

I tested the levels today and they are:

Temp: 80
pH: 8.2
Salinity: 1.25
Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 0
Calcium: 340
Phosphate: 0
dKh: 10 / KH: 179

I just adjusted the heater to lower the temp a degree.

What is the best way I can raise the calcium level? I have been reading about it but honestly it is confusing me.

If my little guy still has a fighting chance, how can I raise the level slowly enough to not cause further harm?

I should have prepared and tested all of my levels before bringing him home! I feel terrible for him.

Edit to add: I get my water from a local pet store that gets the water from the ocean (it goes through a UV sterilizer). Instead of adding supplements to raise calcium, is a solution to do more frequent and/or larger water changes? I would think the water from the ocean would have the right balance necessary without me altering it....?

 

[CodyRVA]

Regardless of where you get your water from and of what quality, your ALK, CA, MG, etc, etc, etc will ultimately drop as they are being utilized. So, water changes or dosing is recommended depending upon the demand. If you don't have many corals, or specifically softies, (not sps dominant) frequent water changes should be sufficient. Again, you can also dose CA directly if the demand is not met through your routine water changes.

With that being said, i've never owned one of these critters, but do CA levels have a direct correlation to their survival? Say it does, are you positive this is indeed the reason for the poor health? Could it be something else: food source, chemistry swings (salinity, NO3, PO4, temp), warfare, etc.?

 

[helen ann]

Awwwwwwww, sorry about the urchin!!!
Hope you get it figured it out soon!!

 

[TikiBird]

Regardless of where you get your water from and of what quality, your ALK, CA, MG, etc, etc, etc will ultimately drop as they are being utilized. So, water changes or dosing is recommended depending upon the demand. If you don't have many corals, or specifically softies, (not sps dominant) frequent water changes should be sufficient. Again, you can also dose CA directly if the demand is not met through your routine water changes.

With that being said, i've never owned one of these critters, but do CA levels have a direct correlation to their survival? Say it does, are you positive this is indeed the reason for the poor health? Could it be something else: food source, chemistry swings (salinity, NO3, PO4, temp), warfare, etc.?

Thank you for taking the time to reply, @CodyRVA!

For the water changes, I have been changing it once every other week--do you think if I make it weekly it will help enough?

If that doesn't work, could you please point me in the direction of a good easy-to-understand thread/site on the best way to dose calcium directly? I've been googling and a lot of the info is a bit detailed and complicated!

Anyway, you're right, and I'm not totally sure that the calcium level is responsible for its declining health. It was the only number that seemed "off" to me so I was thinking that was it, but it could be a complete coincidence. I don't *think* food source is a problem because he was munching away the day after we got him, and I have plenty of algae. [emoji15] It's possible there was some sort of swing in the tank that I didn't notice.

Thanks again for the reply!

 

[TikiBird]

Awwwwwwww, sorry about the urchin!!!
Hope you get it figured it out soon!!

Thank you, @helen ann! [emoji173]️ I hope so too, but I think it might be too late for this little one. [emoji20] I would like to get it figured out though, because I love this guy and I would like to get another one in the future....

 

[twilliard]

I am questioning the temperature
stress=spine release

 

[CodyRVA]

Yea I think the CA Is unrelated. Check out YouTube, BRS: Bulk Reef Supply has some good how to videos on dosing. Look at their older videos, the new ones are way too in depth and far more complicated than necessary, just my two cents.

Agree with @twilliard, check temp. I've never had one of these guys so I have no reference, but guessing CA is another issue. Try weekly water changes and see what the CA does. If you're having a coralline algae explosion, it will fall, once the coralline growth slows, CA should recover.

If you load your tank up with coral, you're going to need to supplement CA back anyways eventually.

 

[twilliard]

Things to consider- store tank temp, proper transport container, time on the road, home tank temp
I have been keeping urchins for over 10 years and that is the number 1 thing that can bring an urchin down. They are quite sensitive creatures

 

[TikiBird]

Thank you so much, @twilliard and @CodyRVA!! Appreciate the help!

I'll check out the old videos!

I have been having a lot of coralline growth lately, so perhaps that is a reason.

Thank you again!

 

[teamlounge]

If you have been having the purple coraline growth then your calcium probably isn't low. As stated above the tank shouldn't be sucking much calcium if you don't have SPS corals, Clams or things with a hard shell. Water changes should be sufficient. However, coraline does suck calcium. So there is a balance. Slowly hand dose some calcium and test the next day. Rinse repeat until it crawls into the 420 range.

 

[BrettMallette]

Urchins can be tricky lil guys... did you remove it from water entirely? Did ya notice if it had lost spines at the store before ya got it? Do the blue parts look fuzzy like velvet? Or hard like stone?

 

[TikiBird]

If you have been having the purple coraline growth then your calcium probably isn't low. As stated above the tank shouldn't be sucking much calcium if you don't have SPS corals, Clams or things with a hard shell. Water changes should be sufficient. However, coraline does suck calcium. So there is a balance. Slowly hand dose some calcium and test the next day. Rinse repeat until it crawls into the 420 range.

The purple algae (and every other kind it seems) has been growing. I'll start with more frequent water changes and then hand dose if it doesn't help I think.

Thank you!!

 

[TikiBird]

Urchins can be tricky lil guys... did you remove it from water entirely? Did ya notice if it had lost spines at the store before ya got it? Do the blue parts look fuzzy like velvet? Or hard like stone?

It seems to have died while I was gone today. [emoji20] When he was alive I tried not to remove it from the water. I scooped him in a cup to move him from the acclimation bucket to the tank, but it's possible he was exposed to air in the process.

I didn't notice any missing spines in the store, but then again, I didn't even look. Sigh. I thought he was so cool I didn't even stop to check spines!

When he was alive he looked kinda fuzzy but when I got home tonight all his spines were gone and he just looked pale and like a rock. RIP little one.

Thank you, @BrettMallette!!

 

[BrettMallette]

sad to hear @TikiBird... it may have simply been old when u purchased and didnt fair well with the acclimation process. Dont b discouraged though i would go pick another up if you think your params are good. Could have simply been luck of the draw... mine is almost 5 yearz old now and their life expectancy is 3 years in captivity. With no special care.

 

[TikiBird]

sad to hear @TikiBird... it may have simply been old when u purchased and didnt fair well with the acclimation process. Dont b discouraged though i would go pick another up if you think your params are good. Could have simply been luck of the draw... mine is almost 5 yearz old now and their life expectancy is 3 years in captivity. With no special care.

Thank you @BrettMallette! That is good to hear. I thought he was so interesting and adorable, I would love to get another, but I'm scared now for sure. I'll wait a bit and make sure the parameters are really good before I add another this time. Thank you again for your condolences!

 

[BrettMallette]

@TikiBird no worries. I always feel bad even when one of my hermit crabs passes away. So i know where your coming from.