Long Spine Urchin

chucknsheila · #1 01/10/2008, 07:54 PM

Are Long Spine Urchin's reef safe????

Fish_wiz2 · #2 01/10/2008, 07:57 PM

They should be but i heard the sometimes eat coralline.

Engine 7 · #3 01/10/2008, 07:58 PM

Small rocks and frags are at risk of being dislodged if not secured well.

chucknsheila · #4 01/10/2008, 08:02 PM

Thanks!

Pufferpunk · #5 01/10/2008, 09:42 PM

Yeah, they grow HUGE & knock everything over. I've seen them in the ocean around 9" across.

triple j · #6 01/10/2008, 10:51 PM

They will eat coralline and they will knock things over and are very difficult to get back out of the tank because the don't come out in the open alot they stay well hid. I hve one and I rarely see it out.

Pufferpunk · #7 01/11/2008, 12:14 AM

I would keep one in my fuge/sump though, they're pretty cool.

DgenR8 · #8 01/11/2008, 05:34 AM

If you don't mind an urchin eating your coralline algae, look at a tuxedo urchin. Very cool looking, and not very likely to disrupt your tank.

bigevill · #9 01/11/2008, 08:11 AM

I had a long spine urchin that after 2 years in the tank decided he wanted to start eating my sand shifting stars. I had had the same problem before with pencil urchins. The final straw with the long spine was when I carelessly put one of its spines thru my finger. If you are going to get one be careful when putting your hands into the tank.

coffeenut · #10 01/11/2008, 09:43 AM

i have a LARGE one.. hanging out in my fuge..he needs a new home..he is the size of a basketball..

skunkmere · #11 01/11/2008, 11:48 AM

wow really

Pufferpunk · #12 01/11/2008, 01:09 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by DgenR8
If you don't mind an urchin eating your coralline algae, look at a tuxedo urchin. Very cool looking, and not very likely to disrupt your tank.

I don't know about that... Mine rips off the airline tubing from my Backpac & laughs at me while walking all over the tank with it on his back or for a really good joke, hides it somewhere under a rock! I've replaced it 3x. I still let him live in the tank though, cause he's cool.

nikski9098 · #13 01/11/2008, 10:45 PM

my long spine has been in my tank for a long time now, i put a sand sifting star in there last week and today i noticed he was being eaten and missing limbs i blamed my mean *** dottyback that picks on everything new i put in there, (he wont leave my sand sifting goby alone so i put him in my nano) anyways, so its my urchin huh? thats all it could be? maybe an emerald crab.....hmmm