Pencin urchin stories

;D
I was wondering, can anyone share their experiances with the various pencin urchins?
I have one, and its eating my purple coraline, which i dont have a problem with because it grows back. But i am worried it may eat favites or encrusting corals.
Any stories you have had happen to you or have heard would be appreciated.
;D

 

I have a black pencil urchin. Great at keeping algae under control. Eats coraline and knocks down coral that is not secured well.
other than that i love them.

 

cool thank for the reply. Doea your urchin take bites out of the rocks, leaving behind little pieces?

 

Yes they break off pieces of live rock and coralline algae with their mouth called Aristotle's latern. The pencil urchin is however the least aggressive in terms of keeping algae under wraps. They are also known to corner shrimp, small fish which they will consume so keep that in mind. You would be better off with a diadema(black long-spined urchin.

 

a Sad day

Last night my urchin found 2 tasty morsels, namely my two little purple

mushrooms. he must have gobbled them up sometime in the night as he was

cruising their rock. I think it was because they were so small that he ate

them, but everyone beware of pencil urchins around baby mushrooms.

 

I have a pincushion urchie, and he is a pain, he eats all my purple stuff, and wears my baby polyps like hats-
i keep going and yanking then off of him and placing them back on the floor, but he goes straight back to them, especially my blue one- I always wash my hands really good before and after touching this guy- i just get skeeved out by the tingling sensation from touching him- anybody think this is wierd?
are my polyps safe?
sometimes this urchie goes up to the top of the tank like he's going to make an escape- then i really worry about his hats. i mean my polyps. I heard they were peaceful- but i find him to be full of hyjinks.

 

For the most part, I would not consider any Urchin reef safe...They are quite the bulldozers as well. I have seen them work in some tanks, and not work in others but I just wouldnt risk it myself. I already have a problem with my Turbo snails. They have quadrupled in size since they have been in the tank and when they come out at night they are like bulldozers..LOL

 

Funny you picked up on the 'hats.'

My 'Mexican Land Mine' short pin urchin wore them all the time. Fortunately mine were not my polyps but macro algae most of the time.

I never saw it damage corals directly but it did irritate them occasionally and would knock over anything that wasn't glued down.

They are definitely full of hi jinx like you say. I rather enjoyed watching mine most of the time.