Pincushion Urchin / Algae

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KSum89

Aquarium Advice Freak
Joined
Apr 28, 2011
Messages
280
Location
Murfreesboro, TN
Should i keep this urchin or put him in my smaller 17 gallon? I had a small purple rock full of coralline algae on it, i dropped it in my tank and not even 2 hours later i see my urchin right beside it and the rock is paper towel white.. I wanted all my rocks to have algae, but it he clears it out like that..should i be worried? :huh:
 
I definitely wouldn't be worried. You have to keep enough food for him though. There may not be enough to eat in the 17g.
 
He is in my 55 gallon right now, what do i need to feed him so he wont eat all my corraline algae?
 
I think he is gonna munch it anyway , u can maybe the dried algae sheets . I have a blue globular urchin and he munches on coraline , but not at the speed it's growing 0_0 .
 
Should i keep the urchin or donate him to my lfs? It came in small hitchiking on a piece of live rock. If all they do is eat algae.. I dont see benefits..
 
How do you not see benefits? You just said they eat algae. That's the exact reason people buy snails........
 
KSum89 said:
Should i keep the urchin or donate him to my lfs? It came in small hitchiking on a piece of live rock. If all they do is eat algae.. I dont see benefits..

If your not fond of him , I'd donate , the one I got is rather nice to watch and completely reef safe . Plus snails and hermits and take care of algae with a lil less impact to your coraline
 
crister13 said:
How do you not see benefits? You just said they eat algae. That's the exact reason people buy snails........

Why would i want my purple corraline algae to get eaten? I dont have ang nusisane algaes.. Plus i dont they ate any other kind.
 
crister13 said:
How do you not see benefits? You just said they eat algae. That's the exact reason people buy snails........

Double post.. Sorry


But i thought people buy snails to sift the sand and to eat loose food the sand collects..
 
KSum89 said:
Double post.. Sorry

But i thought people buy snails to sift the sand and to eat loose food the sand collects..

Narassis snails will sift the sand and are more meat eaters, mine like mysis and saw one eating a dead turbo, also fun to watch come out of the sand. Turbo's will eat algae like no tomorrow , as well as some other snails. Snails will also eat coraline however , I had to move one cause he just munched on the one rock 0_0. I just picked a gigantic turbo today , I can see his " bite " marks in the algae on the glass ^_^
 
KSum89 said:
Why would i want my purple corraline algae to get eaten? I dont have ang nusisane algaes.. Plus i dont they ate any other kind.

Also eating coraline is not exactly all bad... I have to remove coraline from my power heads it grows so much >_< . Coraline is not the only nitrifying bacteria / algae in your tank .... Just the best looking
 
Most snails eat algae. If you have no bad algae, or your not willing to feed him, give him to the lfs. Coralline usually sones t grow too fast, and he would eat faster than it would grow. I actually hate coralline algae. It gets on the front of my glass and it's hard to get off, also it can almost break pumps.
 
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