Sea urchins Multiplying Like Bunnies

[david]

I bought live rock for my new tank about 1.5 months ago. (Carribean
Aquacultured) I noticed a couple of urchins came with the live rocks, but
now I have seven. Are these creatures a pest I need to worry about? I read
they eat algae which is fine by me, but do they do any damage to other reef
creatures?

[Mort]

I have read that some of them can/will munch on soft corals like zoos.
Also, the algae that they eat is coralline.
Personally, I dont think they add anything beneficial to the tank and I just
took the three that I had to the LFS for store credit a month ago.

hth

~Mort

"david" > wrote in message
ink.net...
> I bought live rock for my new tank about 1.5 months ago. (Carribean
> Aquacultured) I noticed a couple of urchins came with the live rocks, but
> now I have seven. Are these creatures a pest I need to worry about? I
read
> they eat algae which is fine by me, but do they do any damage to other
reef
> creatures?
>
>

[david]

I am new to reef tanks. How do I remove them without impaling myself?
"Mort" > wrote in message
. ..
> I have read that some of them can/will munch on soft corals like zoos.
> Also, the algae that they eat is coralline.
> Personally, I dont think they add anything beneficial to the tank and I
just
> took the three that I had to the LFS for store credit a month ago.
>
> hth
>
> ~Mort
>
> "david" > wrote in message
> ink.net...
> > I bought live rock for my new tank about 1.5 months ago. (Carribean
> > Aquacultured) I noticed a couple of urchins came with the live rocks,
but
> > now I have seven. Are these creatures a pest I need to worry about? I
> read
> > they eat algae which is fine by me, but do they do any damage to other
> reef
> > creatures?
> >
> >
>
>

[Billy]

"david" > wrote in message
ink.net...
|I am new to reef tanks. How do I remove them without impaling
myself?

Gentle touch.They're not as sharp as they look, IME<g>



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[Pszemol]

"david" > wrote in message ink.net...
> I bought live rock for my new tank about 1.5 months ago. (Carribean
> Aquacultured) I noticed a couple of urchins came with the live rocks, but
> now I have seven. Are these creatures a pest I need to worry about? I read
> they eat algae which is fine by me, but do they do any damage to other reef
> creatures?

What urchins are they? Diadema? Tuxedo urchin?
The second is not growing large and is recommended for a larger reef tank.

It is rather unlikely they spawn in your tank... and if so,
there is even more unlikely their larvae survive pumps/filters.
Most likely, tiny ones come with the rock and you did not noticed them.
Now, when they grown, they are more visible :-)

[david]

I looked up teh urchins on the web. They look more like diadema urchins.
The spines are relatively short with a purple hue. It looked something like
a reef urchin, but it did not have the round white bad at the base of each
stem. I have been wondering why I have been losing coraline, I assume these
guys are not helping matters.
"Pszemol" > wrote in message
...
> "david" > wrote in message
ink.net...
> > I bought live rock for my new tank about 1.5 months ago. (Carribean
> > Aquacultured) I noticed a couple of urchins came with the live rocks,
but
> > now I have seven. Are these creatures a pest I need to worry about? I
read
> > they eat algae which is fine by me, but do they do any damage to other
reef
> > creatures?
>
> What urchins are they? Diadema? Tuxedo urchin?
> The second is not growing large and is recommended for a larger reef tank.
>
> It is rather unlikely they spawn in your tank... and if so,
> there is even more unlikely their larvae survive pumps/filters.
> Most likely, tiny ones come with the rock and you did not noticed them.
> Now, when they grown, they are more visible :-)

[Eric]

I also got several diadema sp. urchins on the carribean aquacultured
live rock I bought. Two of them are friendlier sorts, but this one
pictured at the top of my page (the one with white bands on the spines)
occasionally nibbled on corals. I caught him nibbling on an acropora
frag. The damage was small (just on one tip) and healed quickly, but I
didn't want things to get worse. It's now living in my quarantine tank,
which has quickly become my "unwanted critters" tank.

http://www.atreis.com/sw-critters.html

Eric
http://www.atreis.com/

david wrote:
> I looked up teh urchins on the web. They look more like diadema urchins.
> The spines are relatively short with a purple hue. It looked something like
> a reef urchin, but it did not have the round white bad at the base of each
> stem. I have been wondering why I have been losing coraline, I assume these
> guys are not helping matters.
> "Pszemol" > wrote in message
> ...
>
>>"david" > wrote in message
>
> ink.net...
>
>>>I bought live rock for my new tank about 1.5 months ago. (Carribean
>>>Aquacultured) I noticed a couple of urchins came with the live rocks,
>
> but
>
>>>now I have seven. Are these creatures a pest I need to worry about? I
>
> read
>
>>>they eat algae which is fine by me, but do they do any damage to other
>
> reef
>
>>>creatures?
>>
>>What urchins are they? Diadema? Tuxedo urchin?
>>The second is not growing large and is recommended for a larger reef tank.
>>
>>It is rather unlikely they spawn in your tank... and if so,
>>there is even more unlikely their larvae survive pumps/filters.
>>Most likely, tiny ones come with the rock and you did not noticed them.
>>Now, when they grown, they are more visible :-)

[david]

Well anybody in the Washington DC area that wants free sea urchins let me
know. I think I found two more!
"david" > wrote in message
ink.net...
> I bought live rock for my new tank about 1.5 months ago. (Carribean
> Aquacultured) I noticed a couple of urchins came with the live rocks, but
> now I have seven. Are these creatures a pest I need to worry about? I
read
> they eat algae which is fine by me, but do they do any damage to other
reef
> creatures?
>
>

[John]

I live in Northern VA, Centreville to be exact. How big are they? I read on a
website that they can get to 8".
~John

[Mort]

My LFS gave me $10 store credit each! Worth a shot...

hth

~Mort


"david" > wrote in message
ink.net...
> Well anybody in the Washington DC area that wants free sea urchins let me
> know. I think I found two more!
> "david" > wrote in message
> ink.net...
> > I bought live rock for my new tank about 1.5 months ago. (Carribean
> > Aquacultured) I noticed a couple of urchins came with the live rocks,
but
> > now I have seven. Are these creatures a pest I need to worry about? I
> read
> > they eat algae which is fine by me, but do they do any damage to other
> reef
> > creatures?
> >
> >
>
>

[david]

One is about 2 inches and the others are .75 to one 1 inch accross
"John" > wrote in message
...
> I live in Northern VA, Centreville to be exact. How big are they? I read
on a
> website that they can get to 8".
> ~John

[John]

If youre not taking them to the LFS for store credit I'll take one of the
smaller ones off your hands.
~John