Pink Pin Cushion Urchin, REEF safe?

[mrg02d]

Hello all,
I was browsing the net and found a place claiming that the Pink Pin Cushion Urchin is reef safe. Is this true? Id love one for my tank if they eat that brown film algae off the sides of the tank! I was under the impression that they are not reef safe and eat corals as well.

Should I get one? $7.00, 20g reef tank. Pretty clean tank aside from regular brown film algae in the sides. I have SPS, LPS, and softies.

Thanks!
Matt

 

[Prinzessin]

I believe they are reef safe, I've seen some pin cushion urchins in reef tanks and I've thought about getting one.

 

[0o.Kelsey.o0]

pincushion urchins should all be very reef safe i believe. I have two that i have never had troubles with. Try to get a very small one if possible though...they grow pretty quickly if they have enough food

 

[thincat]

I have seen pictures of an acrylic tank that got pretty chewed up by a pin cushion urchin, but I have two urchins in my DT and two in my sump with no problems.

 

[0o.Kelsey.o0]

Oh yes having a urchin in acrylic is a big no no! They have a circle of teeth that they use to grab algae off the rock and glass. These teeth will gnaw right into the acrylic. The only urchin i have ever returned was a pencil urchin we had in our first tank. It was bigger and its teeth would take chunks out of the live rock leaving a white trail behind it....it was eating all of our nice coralline algae so we returned him. He never came close to any corals though

 

[thincat]

I kind ou like it when my urchin scrapes it's way through my LR leaving that white trail on the rock. As we get more and more coralline on our rocks IMO this blocks air and food for the bacteria in our rocks. Lack of air and food leads to part of our bacteria dying off.
PS: I got rid of my pencil urchin because it knocked everything over in the thank.

 

[mrg02d]

Ahhhhh.....Sigh...I have an acrylic tank. Looks terrible too after using the magnetic scrapers on it. (Meant for acrylic, but tend to scratch anyways). But having a critter actively doing it would be horrible.

Well thats a big no no. I am considering getting a new tank and staying away from magnetic scrapers, so the urchin is out. :-(

Thanks guys, saved me big time!
Matt