Sea urchin....

[Anihiel1]

Not really a question, but I recently purchased a 1" sea urchin to eat algae. I had no idea that he was secretly a tiny living spiky robo-vacuum.
He has eaten all my fern caulerpa in a single night and is wearing the remains (& a random pebble just for spite) on his head like a trophy.
I don't even know where he put it all...

 

[Smarkow]

Not really a question, but I recently purchased a 1" sea urchin to eat algae. I had no idea that he was secretly a tiny living spiky robo-vacuum.
He has eaten all my fern chalerpa in a single night and is wearing the remains (& a random pebble just for spite) on his head like a trophy.
I don't even know where he put it all...

Yep they are voracious
Do you have a before/after of the massacre?

 

[Anihiel1]

I actually JUST planted it last night so didn't have a picture yet. I guess he assumed it was his dinner

 

[reeftivo]

get some Nori sheets for after it finishes the housekeeping. pin cushions get pretty big so watch out, because it may bulldoze freshly mounted frags.

 

[Sweetreef21]

Haha this is funny. I had an urchin and it was awesome until i noticed it was dead and all the spikes were everywhere and then my yellow tang mysteriously died. I was ticked!

 

[reeftivo]

Haha this is funny. I had an urchin and it was awesome until i noticed it was dead and all the spikes were everywhere and then my yellow tang mysteriously died. I was ******!

they can starve pretty easily if no descent amount of algae is available. Nori/seaweed sheets are a great substitute when they run out of tank grazing. a quarter size held slightly under the side of them will get their motor running. takes a while for them to get hold of it though, so if you have strong flow you'll have to hold it there a while until they're almost on top of it.

cool critters

 

[Anihiel1]

I do have 2 zoa frags high atop the pinnacle of rocks. "Spike" attempted to climb a smaller rock but his bulbous stature made him blow right off like a tiny beach ball on the sand.
So....basically he's a sea tribble..?

 

[Mr Fishface]

I love urchins, one of my favorite animals in my tank! Great appetites like you noticed. I'm converting my display refugium into a frag grow out tank so i just stuck a new urchin in there. He has a big job ahead of him!

 

[Anihiel1]

Mine has work ahead of him too, have an outbreak of hair algae on the live rock ugh. Newish tank only about 8 months old so trying to nip it in the bud. Years to go for a full reef....

 

[Anihiel1]

Also my clowns absolutely positively refuse to host my anemone. I've tried everything short of making them sit through instructional videos. He's quite happy to gorge on silversides though so I guess I'll be filleting minnows forever... *shrug*

 

[Anihiel1]

Question, would y'all recommend moving the frags to a clean piece of live rock? I've had them a month or so and they are growing new polyps so I've been undecided on moving them, but don't want the hair algae to harm them

 

[TheShrimpNibbler]

Question, would y'all recommend moving the frags to a clean piece of live rock? I've had them a month or so and they are growing new polyps so I've been undecided on moving them, but don't want the hair algae to harm them

It’s fine. Just keep them well blown off, and they should be ok where they are. A single pincushion won’t be enough to control hair algae in your tank, so some snails would helpz

 

[kpl_creations]

Ours makes paths through as it eats. Didn’t realize it was as bad as it was till I saw the white path behind him. Thanks for the tip on them starving as I was thinking about getting another one, but I’ll hold off.

 

[Mr Fishface]

Question, would y'all recommend moving the frags to a clean piece of live rock? I've had them a month or so and they are growing new polyps so I've been undecided on moving them, but don't want the hair algae to harm them

Should be fine to stay where it is. If the hair algae gets too close or even on the frag, remove frag to scrub algae off or, depending what coral, put some peroxide on a q-tip and spot treat algae. If its growing new polyps I would leave it until needed to move.

Ours makes paths through as it eats. Didn’t realize it was as bad as it was till I saw the white path behind him. Thanks for the tip on them starving as I was thinking about getting another one, but I’ll hold off.

Its amazing! I had no idea my rocks had changed color until the urchin made a path too. If you decide to get another one, just be aware you might need to feed them. As a HUGE urchin fan, I love them more than most fish, I am on the urchin train. I have several urchins and want to get a few more. Rubberband some algae like nori to a rock and when lights go off, drop it in the tank in an easy to reach area. They are mostly nocturnal so they will find it at night time (while not competing with fish) and eat it up. Next morning just remove the rock and repeat!

 

[Anihiel1]

Bob Marley and Safecracker zoanthids. I've had tanks before but never coral, taking it slow. Pics attached, they are normally not so extended but the morning "sun" cycle is ramping up. Can't wait for the juveniles to develop, I think it will really take off then. But as you can can see the hair algae is quite the nuisance.
Otherwise building a burgeoning ecosystem, the live rocks also had beneficial bristleworms so the sand has been relatively clean and my horseshoe crab is getting quite fat. The circle of life..
Thanks for the tip about the nori, I have a whole box, my fish won't touch the stuff. I think I've spoiled them with more expensive foods lol.
Lastly, pic attached of the massacre of my poor beautiful ferns *sob*

 

[jeffchapok]

Mine has work ahead of him too, have an outbreak of hair algae on the live rock ugh. Newish tank only about 8 months old so trying to nip it in the bud. Years to go for a full reef....

Off topic, but just an observation. Unless you have a sump filled with rock, I think you need much more rock in that tank or you're asking for trouble. Rock provides a home for the beneficial bacteria that drive the nitrogen cycle in your tank, and without enough rock you may not have enough bacteria to handle the bioload. The result is ammonia build up, which is toxic to most inhabitants.

 

[Anihiel1]

Yes good call. I actually had 40+ pounds of rock in there, I removed it for cleaning when I discovered the bristleworms. I plan to put it back gradually once the hair algae is under control.