Do longspined Black Urchins Eat Coral?

[Dr_Fishenstein]

I have a huge black long-spine Urchin in my 125G. The tank is almost a year old and I decided to put some corals into it finally. I have seen the Urchin in question, crawling really close to the corals and wonder if he’s going to get the urge to munch on them? If anyone can tell me if they have heard or seen any instances of urchins eating corals, it would be much appreciated.

Jon & Steph
Orlando, FL

[phoenix]

They do not eat corals but may knock over corals especially frags

[iamwhatiam52]

I am sure there there are some individual differences, but mine does not as a rule eat coral. On occasion, it will however scrape a nasty gash into one.

[sandry75]

Hey Dr. F.....,
I have one in my small 36gal reef. He is constantly squeezing in between my corals but does not seem to both them (too much). Makes me nervous sometimes though?
Sandry75

[matter1331]

the only thing i've really seen them eat a lot of is coraline algae, but in that size tank you shouldn't have any problems.

[Dr_Fishenstein]

Yeah, I guess hes just making me nervous. He tends to knock over my yellow gegorian. I had a very bad experince with a chocolate chip cookie star, and knowing Urchins are a kind of Echionoderm...ugh it just makes me nervous.

Jon & Steph
Orlando, FL

[topQuark]

I have two back long-spine sea urchins in my 75 gallon aquarium and I HAVE seen one munch on my Kenya Tree corals on several occasions.

The urchins have been in my aquarium for about one year now... the Kenya Tree corals longer... the urchins never ate the trees before and this seems to have just started recently. I'm guessing that the urchins have not been target fed enough, so I am trying to feed them dried sea-weed more religiously in the hope that they will stop eating the trees.

I have over a dozen Kenya trees in my aquarium and quite a number of the "baby" trees have been stripped bare!

[Dr_Fishenstein]

YIKES! That sounds horrid. I have been target feeding my Urchin lately, he...er....it seems to like brown seaweed. I just run it of one o fhis spines and he picks it off and takes it right to his mouth! Its a cool process to watch, takes him a while to eat it all though.

[greenbean36191]

It's not necessarily that they haven't been fed enough, but not enough of the right stuff. People usually try to feed them with algae alone. Almost all urchins need some meat in their diet too, so if you don't give it to them then they'll eat what they can find. Try a little peice of shrimp every month or so and it shouldn't be a problem.

[SunnyRnbowHeart]

Originally Posted by Dr_Fishenstein

I have a huge black long-spine Urchin in my 125G. The tank is almost a year old and I decided to put some corals into it finally. I have seen the Urchin in question, crawling really close to the corals and wonder if he’s going to get the urge to munch on them? If anyone can tell me if they have heard or seen any instances of urchins eating corals, it would be much appreciated.

Jon & Steph
Orlando, FL

Sea urchins destroy coral. To help repopulate the coral I would feed black sea urchins to the marine life (calling it my "aqua buffet") and within 3 years the nearly dead corals were once again flourishing.

[SunnyRnbowHeart]

Originally Posted by phoenix

They do not eat corals but may knock over corals especially frags

=====================================================
On Oahu I made it my personal mission to revivify the coral. I would distribute black sea urchins, which were killing the coral by feeding on it, to the ocean "boys and girls" in what I termed my "aqua buffet". It was a beautiful sight: all different colored sizes and shapes of the dear little fish would swarm me to feed on the urchins, sometimes even before I could remove them from my diver's knife. After 3 years the same corals which had been almost dead came back to life. I felt very honored.

[Joe Pusdesris]

The only coral I have found mine to eat are green button polyps.

[colesreef]

Icaught mine eating a candy cane coral..2 days later he came back and ate another. took him back to my store.

[Joe Pusdesris]

Note that although I have seen them eat coral, I think that they are completely worth it. If you don't have or don't care about coral they have an appetite for, then they are the single best herbivores you can have in your tank. In my opinion.

[CuttleKid]

I had a longspine urchin started eating my acans and one acro.....

[mannysmusic]

yep, i think mine just eat my small acan. frag plug is wiped clean! Dangit!

[zland1]

My jumbo long spine started to eat my Leather Coral, Glove Polyp and Kenya Tree Coral I think it was because there just wasn't enough algae to eat in the tank, he's in my sump now eating Chaeto.

[hessfish125]

I purchased some rock from my lfs and a few days later discovered I had a black sea urchin. 4 months later it is eating a lot of my coralline algae. Some have said they think the urchin is worth it. Why? My aged rock is now almost white again. Is there something I should be feeding it to stop it eating so much coralline? Or should I remove it?

[arnoldrew]

Originally Posted by hessfish125

I purchased some rock from my lfs and a few days later discovered I had a black sea urchin. 4 months later it is eating a lot of my coralline algae. Some have said they think the urchin is worth it. Why? My aged rock is now almost white again. Is there something I should be feeding it to stop it eating so much coralline? Or should I remove it?

I have a couple of pencil urchins who eat all types of algae, including coralline. I'm not sure why people find it so desirable/are so desperate to get and keep it. My biggest issue with them is the bulldozing of my frags and frag rocks. That just means I need to reach in the tank to upright them more often.

[Calappidae]

Originally Posted by arnoldrew

I have a couple of pencil urchins who eat all types of algae, including coralline. I'm not sure why people find it so desirable/are so desperate to get and keep it. My biggest issue with them is the bulldozing of my frags and frag rocks. That just means I need to reach in the tank to upright them more often.

People like them mostly because there is no fear of getting stung or carrying around snails and corals.

[arnoldrew]

Originally Posted by Calappidae

People like them mostly because there is no fear of getting stung or carrying around snails and corals.

No, I was talking about the coralline algae. I don't know what the big deal about it is. I like my urchins and don't mind that they eat it.

[Calappidae]

Originally Posted by arnoldrew

No, I was talking about the coralline algae. I don't know what the big deal about it is. I like my urchins and don't mind that they eat it.

My bad,

But coraline I believe helps choke out any other nuisance algae and also is is a good sign about the health of your system. Its more for peace of mind for those with SPS reefs and such but isn't really that important.

http://www.algone.com/articles/saltw...oralline-algae

[JDT Reef]

When my long spine urchin was small, it was a model citizen. However, as it got larger, it would eat lines out of my chalices... even when it finished feeding on dried seaweed. Off to the LFS it went.

[JVU]

I realize this is a long-dormant thread, but just wanted to add that I've had a long spined urchin for several years, when he was young/small he was fine around my mixed reef, actually didn't knock things over even. He also kept the algae and coraline algae in check.

Now for the past 2 years or so he's full grown and is occasionally but definitely eating my hard coral, mainly some pink acropora. I'm not just assuming, I've seen him munching away on it and lots of tips eaten off. I don't think he targets it, I think he just munches away indiscriminately wherever he finds himself.

I've had him for so long, I'm feeling conflicted (for a couple years now!) whether to keep him and take the hit on my acros vs unload him with my LFS.

[thewedge]

I think my long spine black urchin is eating my acans. Something has been nibbling them, at any rate. Yesterday I saw him on top of one ans when I pushed him off, I saw that one of the heads was completely gone. So far, I have no direct proof, though. Only other things I have are a couple melanarus wrasses, a clown, a lawnmower blenny, pj cardinal and longnose hawkfish. Along with the normal assortment of snails and hermits and a serpent star.