Quick Q on a black long spined urchin

Hey guys I have 2 black long spine urchins in my tank that a friend gave me when I bought some LR from him, I've been thinkin about selling them or trading them in if the lfs will let me but i'm just wondering whats the best way to get them out and into a bucket w/o harming them there pretty big and I accidentally dropped one while i was putting it into my tank I felt bad although it did recover I dont want to make that mistake again

 

here's a crappy iphone pic of one of em

 

Wow thats a huge urchin! How big is your tank? Could you get a small bucket in there to pick them up and put them in. I would use a new cleaned bucket.

You maybe able to ask the LFS for a bag they could go in, I did that once when I was getting rid of a bigger hippo tang

 

yeah thanks haha thats the smaller one:LolLolLol the bigger one has some spines that are around 8-9 inches long, there in a 55 gal right now they came from my friends 75

 

A bag would need to be very thick gauge polythene or double or triple bagged might do it
a bucket would be a better option

those spines make short work of standard guage polythene bags (Yes I have smiled as new LFS employees realise that much of the water they put in the bag is now on its way down their trousers and on to the floor)

take care when handling, those spines are as sharp as they look
I have used a large plastic jug, waited for urchin to be in an easy area from which to capture it, so close to the tank front glass is ideal, capture in the cup and then transfer to a larger volume of water in a bucket

Steve

 

One of those 1/2 pint size paint buckets with holes in the bottom so the water can drain.

 

4l ice cream bucket ?

I use those for all kinds of misc needs be it cat, dog, fish or stuff in the garage.. Of course the garage ones stay in the garage or get tossed when finished lol..

 

haha that would be comical to watch ;D thanks for the advice oh and my friend got stung as he was cleaning the tank by one of these so I def know they are sharp thanks for the help guys I guess ill just have to try and find a small bucket with a big opening lol

 

I have a very large one also, stung me many times as my tank is black background- now he avoids me when my arms are in the tank- I think he feels bad for me- the stickers can sometimes be quite painful. I have found the best way to remove him is to use a large plastic cooking spoon with the holes in it, scoop him up from what would be his lower section and put him in a clean bucket with enough of your tanks water to keep him alive. To bad you have to be rid of him- great algae cleaner. BTW, you can use the "spoon" for cleaning your sand too.