Pincushion urchin taking my Feather Duster on a rollercoaster ride

"Yukon" wrote in message ...
I had a pincushion drag around a snail shell with
a mushroom on it for months. I also have had them
strip insulation right off the wire of a powerhead and
fry a tank. It was only a 10 gallon tank, but it could've
happened in any tank. I still have urchins in all my tanks,
but I keep an eye on 'em.

Dont you have problems with pincusion urchins drilling
into the rocks? I have read somewhere that the only
reef-safe urchin is blue tuxedo urchin (Mespilia globulus)
but other urchins is like all bets are off...

How one can recognise rock drilling urchin from
a reef-safe algae eater ?

I would not count on any urchin not eating rock,
though some eat it more than others. Live rock +
urchin = Live sand :-)

Wayne Sallee
Wayne's Pets


Pszemol wrote on 2/25/2007 12:35 PM:
"Yukon" wrote in message
...
I had a pincushion drag around a snail shell with
a mushroom on it for months. I also have had them
strip insulation right off the wire of a powerhead and
fry a tank. It was only a 10 gallon tank, but it could've
happened in any tank. I still have urchins in all my tanks,
but I keep an eye on 'em.

Dont you have problems with pincusion urchins drilling
into the rocks? I have read somewhere that the only
reef-safe urchin is blue tuxedo urchin (Mespilia globulus)
but other urchins is like all bets are off...

How one can recognise rock drilling urchin from
a reef-safe algae eater ?

"Wayne Sallee" wrote in message k.net...
I would not count on any urchin not eating rock,
though some eat it more than others. Live rock +
urchin = Live sand :-)

I had maybe 3 tuxedo urchins over the years and
have not noticed them eating rocks... They eat
sometimes surface layers of coraline algae, but
not rocks.

I was talking about rock boring urchins as they
literaly bore a hole in the rock for themselves
and sit in the hole they made grazing on the
algae on the hole surface. This is their way of
avoiding predation: they are protected with rock.

Check this out:
http://www.jal-foundation.or.jp/html/coral/lesson4.htm

Notice that the article says it takes 15 to 20 years
to dig that size hole. How long it takes depends on
a lot of factors. Pencil urchins do the most digging.

Wayne Sallee
Wayne's Pets


Pszemol wrote on 2/25/2007 2:09 PM:
"Wayne Sallee" wrote in message
k.net...
I would not count on any urchin not eating rock, though some eat it
more than others. Live rock + urchin = Live sand :-)

I had maybe 3 tuxedo urchins over the years and
have not noticed them eating rocks... They eat
sometimes surface layers of coraline algae, but
not rocks.

I was talking about rock boring urchins as they
literaly bore a hole in the rock for themselves
and sit in the hole they made grazing on the
algae on the hole surface. This is their way of
avoiding predation: they are protected with rock.

Check this out: http://www.jal-foundation.or.jp/html/coral/lesson4.htm

"Pszemol" wrote in message ...
"Yukon" wrote in message ...
I had a pincushion drag around a snail shell with
a mushroom on it for months. I also have had them
strip insulation right off the wire of a powerhead and
fry a tank. It was only a 10 gallon tank, but it could've
happened in any tank. I still have urchins in all my tanks,
but I keep an eye on 'em.

Dont you have problems with pincusion urchins drilling
into the rocks? I have read somewhere that the only
reef-safe urchin is blue tuxedo urchin (Mespilia globulus)
but other urchins is like all bets are off...

How one can recognise rock drilling urchin from
a reef-safe algae eater ?

All my pincushions have ever done is strip algae (all kinds), and wire insulation.

"Yukon" wrote in message ...
All my pincushions have ever done is strip algae (all kinds),
and wire insulation.

Wire insulation??? That sounds scarry...
What devices they chew on?

Pszemol wrote:
"Yukon" wrote in message
...

All my pincushions have ever done is strip algae (all kinds),
and wire insulation.


Wire insulation??? That sounds scarry...


Really? I happen to do cat 5 cabling installs at $dayjob from time to
time. I'm wondering if these urchins could be trained to stip 2 inches
of the jacket off of a plenum cat 5 cable. Save me some time. Amd I
don't have to pay them.

"Pszemol" wrote in message ...
"Yukon" wrote in message ...
All my pincushions have ever done is strip algae (all kinds),
and wire insulation.

Wire insulation??? That sounds scarry...
What devices they chew on?

I've had pincushions in all my tanks for over 15 years, and it only
happened once. The urchin stripped a small spot on a heater cord down
to the bare wire and fried itself and a dwarf lionfish in a 30 gal tank. It
was a new heater too. So I always check my powerhead wires too.

"Add Homonym" wrote in message ...
Pszemol wrote:
"Yukon" wrote in message ...

All my pincushions have ever done is strip algae (all kinds),
and wire insulation.


Wire insulation??? That sounds scarry...


Really? I happen to do cat 5 cabling installs at $dayjob from time to time. I'm wondering if these urchins could be trained to
stip 2 inches of the jacket off of a plenum cat 5 cable. Save me some time. Amd I don't have to pay them.

LOL! Yep - just bring some along in a jar.

Yukon wrote:
"Add Homonym" wrote in message ...

Pszemol wrote:

"Yukon" wrote in message ...


All my pincushions have ever done is strip algae (all kinds),
and wire insulation.


Wire insulation??? That sounds scarry...


Really? I happen to do cat 5 cabling installs at $dayjob from time to time. I'm wondering if these urchins could be trained to
stip 2 inches of the jacket off of a plenum cat 5 cable. Save me some time. Amd I don't have to pay them.


LOL! Yep - just bring some along in a jar.



Dunno if the jar will have enough water volume to keep temp, PH, etc
stable long enough.

I'm gonna try a 55gal AGA on a wheeled cart.