Urchins

[Lunareclipse]

How many urchins can I keep I keep in a 150g? Are there any urchins that are not reef safe or safe with other urchins?

 

[ryangrieder]

well.......................that depends.

what urchins do you want to do?

 

[Lunareclipse]

WEll, I have some type of black urchin and a white pincushion urchin. I wanted to get a pencil urchin and a longspine urchin and a rock urchin.

 

[Master Shake]

pin cussions, pencils and blue tuxedoes are ok in reef tanks. The others like the black spine and i dont remember the name of the other one but its black and white with sharp spikes are both poisonous. Those kinds are the most common in the trade. Most urchins eat coraline algae and are huge pains in knocking coral and rocks over so i usually dont recomend them for reef tanks

 

[Lunareclipse]

Ok. How many can I put in a 150g tank? I already have 2.

 

[jaa1456]

I think 2-3 is the recommended amount for a 150, just to the fact the amount of live rock you can fit in that tank will only sustain a certain amount of urchins. I have one tuxedo urchin and it is a PIA, it always takes zoas with it and I have found live snaols and hermits stuck to its back unable to escape.

 

[Lunareclipse]

I think 2-3 is the recommended amount for a 150, just to the fact the amount of live rock you can fit in that tank will only sustain a certain amount of urchins. I have one tuxedo urchin and it is a PIA, it always takes zoas with it and I have found live snaols and hermits stuck to its back unable to escape.

I don't have that problem. I quit buying snails because they keep getting eaten. The black urchin rarely moves but the white one is quite busy. I would love to see a pic of your urchin carrying live snails. I guess he likes a captive audience.

 

[Pallobi]

If this helps at all, I have had many a urchins of all kinds... the last urchin I had was a pencil and it ate my zoas like it was its job... jus my experience as not all are necessarily the same... GL

 

[loneracer05]

I agree withpallobi. The only urchins id keep in a reef are tuxedos. Every other urchin I've had ate coral.

 

[loneracer05]

But if you want to keep them id say 4 mabe 5

 

[Lunareclipse]

I don't know that I've ever seen a tuxedo urchin. Or maybe I have and I didn't know what it was. I will have to get one. We have a black urchin that we've had since we set the tank up and he doesn't touch anything. In fact, he's quite content to stay in one spot. He'll move once every couple of weeks. So I think he's reef safe. He certainly doesn't eat corals. The white urchin keeps eating my coraline algaes.

 

[loneracer05]

I had a black long spine urchin for 7 months with no issue...then woke up 1 morning to find it chomping on a zoa fra and 3 other frag plugs with no zoas on them at all.....usually they are ok but just be aware they can turn on u....I've have no issues with tuxedos but I've only had my 2 guys for 5 months or so