pinkie
Aquarium Advice Activist
I still don't recommend urchins with puffers what so ever. I was looking for a solution to my minor algae problem in my semi-aggressive FOWLR tank and decided to try urchins. I first tried pincushion urchins. My dogface (who is still quite small at about 4-5") simply took his time and chewed down all of his spines. He made for a tasty snack in less than a day.
I then thought longspine urchins would be best, given the longer sharper spines and poison. Same thing, the Dogface had absolutely no problem eating him. I thought maybe it was because the urchin was too small, so I got a pretty massive longspine, who actually turned out to just be a bigger snack for the dogface. I actually went down the day after I got the big urchin and saw the Harlequin tusk with a pretty big chunk of the urchin in his mouth with full length spines sticking out of his mouth, which he decided to swallow. I thought he would be a gonner for sure, but 3 months later and he has no problems at all.
I do currently have a pencil urchin, which to my surprise hasn't been touched in the 2-3 months I've had him. However, I am expecting him to be toast in the near future which is why I am not getting any more. However, if he lasts for another few months and the other fish still have no interest in him, it may be a viable option.
I then thought longspine urchins would be best, given the longer sharper spines and poison. Same thing, the Dogface had absolutely no problem eating him. I thought maybe it was because the urchin was too small, so I got a pretty massive longspine, who actually turned out to just be a bigger snack for the dogface. I actually went down the day after I got the big urchin and saw the Harlequin tusk with a pretty big chunk of the urchin in his mouth with full length spines sticking out of his mouth, which he decided to swallow. I thought he would be a gonner for sure, but 3 months later and he has no problems at all.
I do currently have a pencil urchin, which to my surprise hasn't been touched in the 2-3 months I've had him. However, I am expecting him to be toast in the near future which is why I am not getting any more. However, if he lasts for another few months and the other fish still have no interest in him, it may be a viable option.