Some algae going on in my tank recently, so i bought a long spin black urchin yesterday, now i noticed that it doesn't really eat nasty algae but beautiful coralline algae! It make all of my pretty purple rock into ugly big white spot rock.Any ideas guy? Should i take it out? thanks!
long spine urchin good or bad?
- Thread starter john70
- Start date
- Location
- Brooklyn
not sure if it is quite the same as mine, but I have one that eats GHA. I know all urchins eat some coralline as well. It looks like yours has a particular taste for coralline.
- Location
- Queens, NY
There are some posts that say as their urchins eat coralline, they are fragmenting it so much that it spreads really quickly onto other rocks.
I have an urchin and I prefer to have bare spots on my rocks versus hair algae over growing my coralline.
I have an urchin and I prefer to have bare spots on my rocks versus hair algae over growing my coralline.
- Location
- Port Washington NY
I had some little spots with hair algae in my tank and tried a long spined urchin also but I had the same experience as you. He won't touch it. He does keep the rocks nice and clean so that hair algae won't grow anywhere else but won't eat the long nasty stuff you're trying to get rid of. I noticed that if I scrape most of it off the urchin will clean the area where it was and it doesn't grow back
- Location
- LIC, Queens
That's not a long spine urchin, that's a rock boring urchin.
Long spines (Diadema sp.) have very long spines that break easily: http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=497+530+591&pcatid=591
Rock boring urchins (Echinometra sp.) have shorter, stouter spines that don't readily snap off.
Both are effective consumers of hair and turf algae, though as you've noticed the rock borers will also happily go after coralline. If you're not happy with the bare spots (google "urchin barren" to see what how destructive they can be in the wild) you can always give it the sea hare treatment and remove it after it's done its job. Just be aware that they have a much stronger grip than a tuxedo or long spine urchin, and you'll likely need to pick an opportunity when its wandered away from its cave before you can shuck it off the rock.
Long spines (Diadema sp.) have very long spines that break easily: http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=497+530+591&pcatid=591
Rock boring urchins (Echinometra sp.) have shorter, stouter spines that don't readily snap off.
Both are effective consumers of hair and turf algae, though as you've noticed the rock borers will also happily go after coralline. If you're not happy with the bare spots (google "urchin barren" to see what how destructive they can be in the wild) you can always give it the sea hare treatment and remove it after it's done its job. Just be aware that they have a much stronger grip than a tuxedo or long spine urchin, and you'll likely need to pick an opportunity when its wandered away from its cave before you can shuck it off the rock.
Thanks everybody here for giving me these useful infos! I have try Seahare for 3 times already, they all die on me eventually and don't know why. Now I try this urchin, but he completely turn my tank from purple to mostly white now lol,I am going to bring it back to lfs tomorrow.
- Location
- Baiting Hollow Long Island NY
Here is what they look like on a reef. This is Hawaii, they are all over the place, scraping holes in rocks.
- Location
- Baiting Hollow Long Island NY
I have no idea which ones you have. I have one in my tank for many years. But there are many types and it is hard to tell sometimes.
- Location
- LIC, Queens
Caribbean rock boring urchins are black to red
Pacific specimens have a black to purple body with white spines
Pacific specimens have a black to purple body with white spines
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