Spiny black urchin

[Keysman]

Hi dose anyone know what the min tank size is for a spiny black urchin full grown

[thincat]

Well I did some googling and Diver Dan of live aquaria says min 20g If you are intending to have a reef setup be aware that they may not eat you corals, but they will knock your frags over.

[Keysman]

Cool I've got a 55 gallon tank with an out break of brown alge diatoms I think will this urchin eat this alge

[joy13]

Before buying it what are you going to feed it after the diatoms are gone? Do you have a glass tank some urchins can scratch acrylic tanks. Also the spines are about like a bee sting.

Usually diatoms are present in a newly set up tank, if your tank is over 3 months old you might want to figure out what is causing them.

[austinsdad]

Moved the thread since this doesn't qualify for a profile..

Diatoms are a temporary thing in a new tank. It'll go away on its own.

[Keysman]

Joy 13 spiny black urchins can also be fead dried seaweed my tank is new and glass which leads me to my question what size tank can they be hosed in full size and do they eat diatoms algea

[Keysman]

And joy I've got a poison puffer in my tank and plan on getting a lion fish so the black urchin will fit right in

[thincat]

Originally Posted by Keysman

Joy 13 spiny black urchins can also be fead dried seaweed my tank is new and glass which leads me to my question what size tank can they be hosed in full size and do they eat diatoms algea

Here is a picture of my urchin eating kelp.

[Keysman]

Tincat what urchin is that he looks cool and how big is your tank

[joy13]

I know most will eat macro algae as well, that is why I was wondering what they planned to feed it. My friend that enjoys using my tanks as a dumping ground tried to give me his and after researching I knew that my macros were on their menu so I found another home for them.

[nxb161]

Just beware that they black spiny urchin will grow faster than you think. I had one, and got him because he was cool, not to take care of algae, so he just ate whatever, never supplemented him. I brought mine back to my LFS because his spikes were 5" long themselves, and it was hard to get my hands in the tank in any area it was in. I was stuck once, and that was enough those spikes hurt. I couldn't believe how quickly it pointed those spikes toward my hand.... By the way, def. not an anti urchin post, just a warning about the black spiny in a smaller tank. I could see myself getting one in a 125G +. I have a tiny tuxedo in tank (which is growing a lot slower than the black did) and a bigger collector urchin in my other tank. If I find a small pencil urchin, i plan on getting that for my 20G since it is currently urchinless.

[Keysman]

What urchin could you put in with a medium size lion fish and a puffer

[thincat]

Originally Posted by Keysman

Tincat what urchin is that he looks cool and how big is your tank

I really don't know the name, It is eating an Asian seaweed called "Fueru Wakame". It is found in the Asians section of most supermarkets. This urchin came in as a hitchhiker at about the size of a pencil eraser. It is now the size, I would say, of a tennis ball.