Urchin Appreciation Thread/Reef Safe Urchins

[Ghost25]

Found another urchin today, this one looks like a rock boring urchin. It's just crazy that I bought this live rock 10 months ago, the tank sits on my desk where I am for hours a day, and this is the first time I'm seeing this urchin. I guess they hitchhike as tiny eggs or larvae and are probably microscopic for weeks or months.

 

[PeterEde]

Definitley my favorite hitch hiker.
He came with my initial live rock and when I found it it was only a few mm in diameter.it has grown the fastest of all critters in my tank.
I know I will have to re home it sooner or later.

 

[Tchung23]

Is there a recommendation to the number of urchins one would put in a tank?? Just got one and love it! Looking to maybe add more.

 

[PeterEde]

Is there a recommendation to the number of urchins one would put in a tank?? Just got one and love it! Looking to maybe add more.

Definitely depends on tank size and how much room for the urchin to move freely.
My longspine will need a new home soon as it's the fastest growing critter in my tank.
Although I did just price up a 326litre tank today. Wife won't notice the difference

 

[Tchung23]

Definitely depends on tank size and how much room for the urchin to move freely.
My longspine will need a new home soon as it's the fastest growing critter in my tank.
Although I did just price up a 326litre tank today. Wife won't notice the difference

I have a 50g. So more than one?

 

[Ghost25]

I have a 50g. So more than one?

First thing to think about is how much algae is available for them to eat. How much coraline, macro algaes, and hair algaes for example. My tank has a decent amount of coraline growing on the rocks as well as patches of Ulva (sea lettuce) but not much hair algae.

Brand new tanks may get hair algae blooms, but generally don't have much coralline or other encrusting algaes for them to eat so that tank couldn't support as many unless they were quite small.

 

[PeterEde]

First thing to think about is how much algae is available for them to eat. How much coraline, macro algaes, and hair algaes for example. My tank has a decent amount of coraline growing on the rocks as well as patches of Ulva (sea lettuce) but not much hair algae.

Brand new tanks may get hair algae blooms, but generally don't have much coralline or other encrusting algaes for them to eat so that tank couldn't support as many unless they were quite small.

So far my small long spine has an abundance of coraline on its home rock. It's not had to move in 2 months.
Fortunately I have a lot of live rock encrusted with coraline. Even a large chiton has stayed on the same rock

 

[Tchung23]

Question. Do urchins slow down sometimes? When I first got mine it was moving all over with its spines moving. Now it’s behind a rock just chilling. I just hope it doesn’t die!!

 

[homer1475]

If they find food and a spot they like, they may not move for a couple days.

Mine has been hanging out in the same spot on my feeding ring for the last 3 days.

 

[dedragon]

Finally able to take a clear picture of one of the two pencil urchins that hitchhiked on my rock. They have grown significantly since I first noticed them.

I think they are Eucidaris tribuloides, since the rock was from Florida. Different than the Hawaiian red pencil urchin
Heterocentrotus mamillatus.

Be careful pencils arent reef safe if u have anything in there that could be eaten

So far my small long spine has an abundance of coraline on its home rock. It's not had to move in 2 months.
Fortunately I have a lot of live rock encrusted with coraline. Even a large chiton has stayed on the same rock

rock boring (looking for one myself) and pincussion and tuxedos are great with coraline

 

[BeltedCoyote]

Finally able to take a clear picture of one of the two pencil urchins that hitchhiked on my rock. They have grown significantly since I first noticed them.

I think they are Eucidaris tribuloides, since the rock was from Florida. Different than the Hawaiian red pencil urchin
Heterocentrotus mamillatus.

that looks just like the urchin that came in on my KP rock.

 

[Ghost25]

that looks just like the urchin that came in on my KP rock.

Yep, it's KP rock. How big is yours? Any problems? Mine are still small.

 

[BeltedCoyote]

Yep, it's KP rock. How big is yours? Any problems? Mine are still small.

mine is somewhere between a nickel and quarter. Haven’t had any problems so far. It just seems to roam around the rock it came in on at night and disappears during lights on

 

[billyocean]

Cleans the rock well and doesn't pick up as many frags with a few hat selections

 

[billyocean]

 

[nobody]

Here's my 1st one. Nice purple color

 

[Sink_or_Swim]

Here is my halloween urchin.

My favorite holiday, lol - cute!

 

[happyhourhero]

My guy came in on some gulf rock and is just amazing at cleaning. Not a speck of algae in my tank.

 

[EricR]

Cool thread.

I've only tried one urchin but he's doing well.
$15 "pink urchin" (per LFS) -- looks like a pincushion urchin, about the size of a racquetball.
Going strong after 6 months and 1 tank transfer.
Would only eat coralline off my live rock for the first few weeks but, eventually, got him to start liking nori and algae wafers.

Of course, picks up and carries around everything he touches, as others have mentioned.

*I'm not a huge fan of "artificial" stuff but my daughter bought me some urchin hats for Christmas so we threw in the "baby yoda ears" and he hasn't let go of them since for some reason (...going on 1 month carrying it around):

 

[GARRIGA]

Picked up this urchin yesterday but labeling on the tank was sketchy at best and hoping for an ID. I'm guessing Pincushion. Already started scraping the algae. Hopefully doesn't eat my coralline that I also introduced yesterday. Was hoping to not have to take the rocks out and hydrogen peroxide them in fresh and just let nature do it's thing until coralline takes hold then I can start adding corals which I'm also hoping this guy won't touch. Looking to add a Holloween as well. All later to be transferred to the main DT as for now will reside in my 20H experimental tank.