Urchin question for Puffy

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Snowboss4492
 
Posts: 2098
Joined: Sun Jan 27, 2008 11:24 pm

Urchin question for Puffy

by Snowboss4492

ok ok ok - - so heres a new post

i have a long spine urchin "Thor" and when i got him about a month ago his spins were all out and waiving around like a mad man

over the past couple weeks ive noticed he holds them in buches and kinda resembles a star fish shape

he moves about cleaning the rocks and is out in the light and seems very happy with his environment accept for the funny way he holds his spines

any ideas? normal behavior? i do have a lot of water movement, maybe he's lessening his surface area to deal with the current so he don't get blown all over the tank?

or is he just retarded..............lol

Boss


Peterkarig3210
 
Posts: 1980
Joined: Wed Oct 24, 2007 3:04 am

by Peterkarig3210

Geeee. That would be a cool trick if that's what's going on. Doesn't it eat coral? Or is this a non- coral tank?


Snowboss4492
 
Posts: 2098
Joined: Sun Jan 27, 2008 11:24 pm

by Snowboss4492

non coral tank . . . but of all the urchins in the urchin family, the long spine is the most "reefsafe" and i use that term cautiously, probably polyps would be victims and other close to the rock growing corals - -but it shouldn't bother larger, taller corals like toadstools, leathers akons etc

he does like coraline algae though, it's like candy to him - - so there is a trade for holy shit pristine rocks

all in all very interesting creature for sure - -his body is a little smaller than a regular marshmellow and his longets spines are prolly 4 - 5 inches, he's all black with some white bands on the spines but if you hit him with a good flashlight or when he gets to the top parts of the tank in the PC lighting he has the most beautiful irradesent [sp] blue under all his spines - -i can't get a good enough shot of him to show that yet

Boss


puffedupseagull
 
Posts: 623
Joined: Tue Mar 11, 2008 8:38 am

by puffedupseagull

Spastic Urchin is my call LOL
Thanks for the post BOSS


Barnsey9276
 
Posts: 12
Joined: Tue Apr 21, 2009 6:53 pm

by Barnsey9276

Well i reckon your talking about a Diadema (spelling cant be arsed) Urchin.
As for reef safe forget it lol,i bought one about 6 years ago and whilst it was a good algae grazer it also developed a costly taste for Acroporas,especially ones that cost £100 plus.
In the end its main body was the size of a tennis ball with its spines stretching out a good 8-10 inches all round.
Given the right ammount of food they grow real fast.
They will and do happily eat calcareous algae too which can be a pain too.
In the end i donated him to my favourite LFS's 500 Gal display tank.

As for the strange spine behaviour of yours mine would do that if it felt a bit threatened,im wondering if something in your tank is picking at it,triggers and puffers certainly would have a bite or 2.


Snowboss4492
 
Posts: 2098
Joined: Sun Jan 27, 2008 11:24 pm

by Snowboss4492

good thoughts Barnsey - -i only have 2 true perc clowns, some margarita snails, nasarious snails and a few red leg hermits............so he pretty much has the run of the tank as he's the only gladiator in there with weapons, lol

i did accidently hit him with the mag float today and man his spines went full out and waiving around like crazy and i couldn't believe how fast he is .........man he scooted across the bottom of the tank and right up the rock structure to get away from the float

Boss

Urchin question for Puffy

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