Just picked up cool little urchin...

[bigben]

Howdy Ron,

I just picked a small, black spiny, hitchhiker urchin from the LFS (nearly for free, haha!)--it resembles a long-spined urchin. I wanted to put him in the refugium, which has a DSB and several types of macro. Will he get enough to eat in there, or should I put him in the main tank where the live rock is? I feed the refugium regularly, so algal growth is lush. Thanks,

Here's more info: It's (the urchin, that is) about 1.75" in diameter (spines included) with a black body and light purple spines. Radiating out from the bottom edge are small, stringy tentacles. It's times like these I wish I had a digital camera. Thanks,

Ben

PS--Good to have you back, Ron. Just want you to know that deep down I didn't mean anything personal a while back :)

[Edited by bigben on 01-19-2001 at 06:48 PM]

[rshimek]

Originally posted by bigben [/b]
I feed the refugium regularly, so algal growth is lush.

There should be plenty of food. Watch it periodically to see if it is feeding.

...that deep down I didn't mean anything personal a while back

Nor I, but it gets tedious arguing. In this forum, religion and superstition have no place.

[bigben]

Thanks for the reply, Ron. BTW, is there a good online resource for identifying urchins? This one is really beautiful with it's bright purple spines. Tonight, I got my first luck at its underside through the tank glass. Lots of little white-tipped "feelers". My angel of vision isn't good at this point, so I can't tell if it's actually feeding or not. Should I be worried about this critter losing the purple color of its spines due to the more limited diet (compared to its natural habitat) of my system? Sorry for all the Qs. I'm open to any insight you can give me on the subject... Thanks,

Ben

[rshimek]

Originally posted by bigben
... is there a good online resource for identifying urchins?

No.

...Lots of little white-tipped "feelers".

Tube feet. These are what it uses to move and hang on with.

My angel of vision isn't good at this point, so I can't tell if it's actually feeding or not.

Tell your angel to invest in a magnifying glass, and watch for the action of the five teeth.

Should I be worried about this critter losing the purple color of its spines due to the more limited diet (compared to its natural habitat) of my system?

How do you know the diet is more limited? I would suggest it is probably a different diet, but if your tank is reasonably diverse, I doubt the diet is more limited. The spine color should not change.

[bigben]

Thanks for the reply. Guess I better start proofreading my posts, huh. I meant to say "angle" :D Yeah, I asked for a magnifying glass in my stocking over the holidays, but didn't get one. Looks like I've found something to spend those gift certificates on... Thanks again,

Ben

[Tactstat]

Hey, Ben!
When do I get to come see him!

(I have a nice camera and a scanner now, BTW)

-Tac

[hesaias]

Hey ben,
You can look for clean paths on the rock, I do mean clean, as in clear down to the white rock! My urchins do a great job grazing micro and coraline algae. The mouth is cool to watch, but mine rarely gets in a place where I can see it. Whats that thing called, Aristotles Lantern?
sumpin like that, or not:D