Yikes! Urchin shedding/melting

[Theulli]

Just transferred my pincushion urchin to a new tank after a significant drip acclimation and it is shedding all this white filamentous stuff at an alarming rate. Is it dying and will this stuff hurt the other inhabitants?

 

[blaxsun]

It's not dead (yet) Jim. And no, they won't harm the other inhabitants (though you may see them around for a weeks until they're all scavenged). Make sure the little guy has some seaweed if he moves down onto the substrate.

 

[Theulli]

It's not dead (yet) Jim. And no, they won't harm the other inhabitants (though you may see them around for a weeks until they're all scavenged). Make sure the little guy has some seaweed if he moves down onto the substrate.

What is it shedding? It looks almost like its stickers are melting.

 

[blaxsun]

What is it shedding? It looks almost like its stickers are melting.

Assuming he means the white spines.

 

[Theulli]

Assuming he means the white spines.

Not the hard ones, the ones it hangs on with.

I am mostly trying to decide if this is just unhappy or this is dying. Weird thing is a bunch of my more delicate inverts that just went through the same process today are super happy (clams, snails, shrimp, corals)

 

[blaxsun]

Urchins are finicky. Out of the last 6 I added only 1 made it.

 

[Theulli]

It looks to be all coming from areas symmetrically circled around his…errr…urchin butt.
Is this mating behavior?

 

[blaxsun]

If you're referring to his underside, that's the mouth.
(I can't tell which way is up from the images)

 

[Theulli]

Haha no the very center of his top

 

[blaxsun]

Haha no the very center of his top

You could always pick him off the side and drop him on some seaweed. If he's hungry he'll stay there like Oprah on a baked ham...

 

[Theulli]

Gosh it does look a lot like this


I guess my urchin is happy with the new spot…sigh, it’s all over my hands and I guess my cell phone now

 

[chaostactics]

Urchins are finicky. Out of the last 6 I added only 1 made it.

Sounds like a you problem not an urchin problem tbh. Ought to check parameters, predators, and procedures (acclimation and handling)

 

[Theulli]

It has now stopped and he appears to be smoking a cigarette