Should I buy an urchin?

[Sharkbait19]

Hello,
I was looking into buying a pincushion urchin for my 40 breeder reef, and was trying to pro and con adding one. I’ve heard that they are incredible algae grazers, something I most certainly need, though I have also heard that they can flip frags, topple rocks, and even sometimes eat corals. To those who have kept an urchin, how would you describe your overall experience with one? Should I look into one, or will it cause more harm than help? Is there a particular species you find more helpful than others?

 

[Sharkbait19]

Bump

 

[RGoltz]

I prefer herbivores to any other method of algae control. Messing around with nutrients or even worse directly applying chemicals seems to lead to more issues, IME.

To that end, I use urchins and crabs to control algae.

 

[Anemone_Fanatic]

Yes. Mine cleared up all my sea lettuce and much of my film algae in a matter of weeks.

 

[homer1475]

Great part of my CUC.

Just be aware, they love coralline, and keep things glued down and you won't have an issue.

 

[EricR]

I have a pincushion urchin in a 40 breeder. (Was actually labeled "Pink Urchin" at LFS when I bought him about a year ago,,, but looks like a pincushion to me).

Quick bullet points of my experience with just that ONE urchin:
-- Carves coralline off rocks
-- Mine doesn't touch hair algae at all,,, in fact, I'm convinced he purposely steps around it as if it's his own personal garden that he's trying to be careful with
-- All frags on top of head as often as possible until you decide to glue them down (((although, truth be told, I feel like my zoas always look fuller and happier when the urchin is carrying them around than when they're stuck to wherever I decide to glue them)))

*my speculation from reading (and my one experience) is that tuxedo urchins might be better for algae control.

 

[ying yang]

I voted other as no urchins now,but did have 2 x blue tuxedo urchins and came back from holiday and one dead and one dead few days later,not sure if because tank getting fed much less and 0 algae sheets while away or a fish or cuc killed/ harassed them.
But for the 8 months had them,they was great,used to pick up loose frags that newly acquired and not glued down whilst they light acliminatating .picked up odd hermit on their backs which was annoying tbh.
Did get a large halloween urchin that one my urchins picked up but halloween hermit just started eating its tentacles ( also annoying) but got rid the halloween hermit as attacking few nass snails lol ( everything wants to eat everything ha ha)

But anyhow brilliant algae grazers and will be getting another tuxedo urchin but a orange/ black halloween urchin next as they look cooler.
I hear I think @vetteguy53081 recommends pencil/or pin cushion urchins often ( think pencil but sure can confirm)

One my urchins did eat my nearly dead gsp that cut up and tried sticking on back glass but gsp dead or nearly dead anyway,but never ate any healthy corals

I say if you like them and can benifit your tank and tank enough algae or dont mind supplementing food for it if not then go for it and get one .

 

[Duncan62]

Hello,
I was looking into buying a pincushion urchin for my 40 breeder reef, and was trying to pro and con adding one. I’ve heard that they are incredible algae grazers, something I most certainly need, though I have also heard that they can flip frags, topple rocks, and even sometimes eat corals. To those who have kept an urchin, how would you describe your overall experience with one? Should I look into one, or will it cause more harm than help? Is there a particular species you find more helpful than others?

I've owned several different ones. I have 2 pincushion urchins now. I had a turf outbreak that's resolved and now I move them around to different tanks for 2 reasons . The tanks need a cleaning and it gives the coralline a little recovery time. Never a nuisance if things are fastened down.

 

[vetteguy53081]

I voted other as no urchins now,but did have 2 x blue tuxedo urchins and came back from holiday and one dead and one dead few days later,not sure if because tank getting fed much less and 0 algae sheets while away or a fish or cuc killed/ harassed them.
But for the 8 months had them,they was great,used to pick up loose frags that newly acquired and not glued down whilst they light acliminatating .picked up odd hermit on their backs which was annoying tbh.
Did get a large halloween urchin that one my urchins picked up but halloween hermit just started eating its tentacles ( also annoying) but got rid the halloween hermit as attacking few nass snails lol ( everything wants to eat everything ha ha)

But anyhow brilliant algae grazers and will be getting another tuxedo urchin but a orange/ black halloween urchin next as they look cooler.
I hear I think @vetteguy53081 recommends pencil/or pin cushion urchins often ( think pencil but sure can confirm)

One my urchins did eat my nearly dead gsp that cut up and tried sticking on back glass but gsp dead or nearly dead anyway,but never ate any healthy corals

I say if you like them and can benifit your tank and tank enough algae or dont mind supplementing food for it if not then go for it and get one .

Pencil yes- they clean algae and other uneaten items WITHOUT dragging anything around the tank

 

[Garf]

My little hedgehog is great, gotta keep stuff nailed down though. He even moves a large rock around on the glass bottom.

 

[monkeyCmonkeyDo]

Pencil urchins. Rock boaring ones r ok but tend to stay small.
D

 

[PeterEde]

I got 2 now from LR
1st is a longespine and now approx. 6months old.
Recently I bought some more LR and found a tiny Tuxedo who is now growing rapidly
Certainly not room for 2 large urchins in my 120minireef. One will have to go at some point.

The longspine can be a pain in the butt for knocking frags over but he eats a lot of alae

 

[BrianAnthony]

I went with 2 tuxedo urchins. They are awesome. They eat long crazy hair Algae. They also get it stuck on them, so I pull it off of them every couple days.

 

[BrianAnthony]

Note... I don't have Coraline algae. So, I'm not worried about them eating it off the rocks.

 

[Jedi1199]

I had a pencil urchin in my tank a while back. Nail everything down tight or you will spend part of every day replacing frags where they belong.

Did a good job of eating algae, but also made a snack of my pulsing xenia.

When I donated it to my LFS, the girls swear they watched it eat a snail from their tank. I didn't see it myself, but something to consider as a possibility.

 

[Lyss]

Yes! Tuxedo urchin. Mine can be a nuisance but I do not regret getting it, and the benefits outweigh the annoyances.

 

[JoJosReef]

Had a tux for a while and it mowed down GHA. Didn't have coraline at the time. They also are super intolerant of parameter swings, so watch out for that. My poor tux lost all it's spines and died a few days after an ATO malfunction.

 

[Miami Reef]

My rocks have trails of pristine white areas which I can say are from the urchins I have. They are little spiky balls of fun!

 

[Sharkbait19]

Thanks! I think I will try a pincushion (mostly because they are available from where I am ordering from). Hopefully it works out well!

Also wondering—if I had plans for Christmas tree macroalgae and branching coralline in the tank, would an urchin consume these, or do they only eat surface algae?

 

[ying yang]

Is it possible to have macro algae in my tank with my urchin?

I have a 3 year old reef tank and everything is going very well, I have a few pajama cardinals, a pair of clowns, and most importantly a Halloween urchin. I purchased him about a year ago and have really enjoyed him, but I’m hoping to add some macro algae to my tank and I’m worried he will eat...

www.reef2reef.com

Honestly don't know about that macro algae or any sorry.also about branching coraline, if had to guess I would say eats the branching coraline but honestly don't know,but let's bump this back to the top to see if others have personal experience.

My personal experience with my tank is alot of stuff wants to eat alot of stuff,like a war zone in my tank at times pfftt