Tuxedo Urchin

[Hawkeye]

New arrival:

It's been fantastically eating algae everywhere. It has also hilariously been grabbbing little pepples and placing them on it's back. The frag discs are too heavy and while it moves them - it doesn't take them.

However with the recent new nest of clownfish eggs, I've decided for my own sanity to remove the urchin to the coralline encrusted sump for now. Maybe it can clean that area up so i can finally see what's in that area (instead of just a sheet of pink).

 

[beerfish]

Nice! I have one of them and they're awesome. Every few days he's collected something new on his back.

 

[SWITCH420]

i want one but dont need him knocking down corals ans stuff. i have a dam damsel who is always knocking stuff over

 

[Daggnabit]

I was thinking about getting one of these guys for my 24g Aquapod. Still trying to determine if my tank is too small for one. How did the urchin do cleaning up the algae?

 

[Baxreefs]

I had a diadema long spine urchin for years that had HH'd in on my TBS live rock. He was a bull dozer.

I now have two tuxedos and they are great! Eat tons of algae, very attractive and much smaller. They really stay mostly to the glass too.

 

[JRWOHLER]

I was thinking about getting one of these guys for my 24g Aquapod. Still trying to determine if my tank is too small for one. How did the urchin do cleaning up the algae?

I had one in my 24G did well ... lost it when I moved it to 120G so go figure...think it was the lack of algae that did it in.

 

[Tazmaniancowboy]

I'd like to get a tuxedo. I love the way they look, but hate the way they knock over corals and would be afraid that it would eat my stonies. My brother's urchin chewed right across one of his monticaps and killed that path. Wasn't a tuxedo, but something to watch out for.

Taz

 

[JRWOHLER]

Tuxedo's are strickly algae eaters...safe for that but they will "collect" things.

 

[Hawkeye]

the tuxedo I have is great. I didn't trust it with the clownfish eggs so I moved it to my corraline covered sump...where it carved a path and surprise I can see the bottom of my sump again (instead of just a pink wall). It's now back in the main display doing it's thing. Frag discs are typically moved slightly but not taken for coverage. Overall I love it.

 

[Hawkeye]

i forgot to mention - the pincushion urchins from our last GB were butt-ugly. If you decide on going this route -definitely make sure it is a "blue tuxedo" or view it first at the LFS!