Blue Tuxedo Urchin

WatchinFish

WatchinFish

Member
ok as of yesterday i upgrated my cleaning crew with 6 hermit crabs and 1 tuxedo urchin. does anyone else have a tuxedo urchin that can share their experiences? i heard they eat coraline algie but i wonder how much damage one little guy can do. is there more plusses or problems with the urchin?

oh and its so funny how everything gets stuck on his back. everywere he goes he picks up little rocks.lol.

i will try and post up some pics later on this week in my chronicle.
 
framerguy

framerguy

Well-Known Member
I haven't had a Tuxedo but have had several other kinds and have had little problem other than them knocking things over. I don't think one could decimate the coraline all by itself. They are in the echinoderm family and have the same water quality issues as starfish so be careful with water parameter fluctuations of any kind, particularly salinity and temperature. The tuxedo trait of picking up objects is an indicater of it's health, if it picks up objects it is healthy, if it stops it's not.
 
Anselth

Anselth

Well-Known Member
I have a blue tuxedo. I've never had any issues with it knocking anything over, and it definitely won't decimate your coraline in a 135. One of the things about urchins is that by eating the coraline, they will help to spread it by releasing the spores. Make sure anything you don't want to wander off is attached to the rock, however. Mine has been known to grab coral frags from time to time.
 
Stacef

Stacef

Well-Known Member
I have a BTU, I love him! He does such a great job keeping the tank clean. He doesn't knock much over, but does have a tendancy to pick up my frags and carry them around. I often have to take them off of his back, and resecure them down. Other than that, he is a growing machine and very neat to watch. Oh yeah, and he like to carry the thermometer around a lot too.

Here is mine about a week ago with an few empty herm shells
Corals12004.jpg
 
djbacon

djbacon

Member
I ALMOST bought one of these last night but fear for the many small frags in my 14g. Think my tank might be too small for one of these. SO cool though !!!
 
WatchinFish

WatchinFish

Member
Stacef said:
I have a BTU, I love him! He does such a great job keeping the tank clean. He doesn't knock much over, but does have a tendancy to pick up my frags and carry them around. I often have to take them off of his back, and resecure them down. Other than that, he is a growing machine and very neat to watch. Oh yeah, and he like to carry the thermometer around a lot too.

Here is mine about a week ago with an few empty herm shells
Corals12004.jpg
Click to expand...

:LOL: that cracks me up. cant wait to see the trouble mine gets himself into.
i dont have any frags yet but i will make sure that they are to big for him to pick up
 
Anselth

Anselth

Well-Known Member
Yeah, there's a picture in my 70 gallon chronicle of mine carrying around a suction cup "shield" while wearing a chaeto 'fro. They're really fun to watch.
 
CATALYST

CATALYST

Well-Known Member
I have one in my aquapod. He ate my yellow polyps...no big loss. Pretty much keeps to himself. Sometimes he comes to the top of the water and sits upside down. I give him some nori, about 1' square. He stays at the top of the water and eats the whole thing then it's back to business.
 
Stacef

Stacef

Well-Known Member
Not a very good picture, but here is a pic of mine carrying the thermometer around. Don't mind the algae, I made the mistake of dosing Marine snow, and battled a MAJOR algae breakout..He likes to pick the thermometer up, go to th OPPOSITE side of the tank, and drop it, it's so funny watch.

Corals1006.jpg


The next day I came home to him carrying this guy AND two zoa frags around, he likes to show off how strong he is....
Corals006.jpg
 
Techno-Vicki

Techno-Vicki

Well-Known Member
I have had one for about a year now. He started out about the size of a dime and was a stowaway. I love him. He is "Frenchie" because he continues to wear his rubber suction hat. He has worn the hat for several months now. Here is a recent picture with Frenchie with a shoot off the blue xenia. Always looking to dress up:)
 

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Anselth

Anselth

Well-Known Member
I caught mine today trying to walk off with a frag on a reef disk. he didn't have a really good grip on it, though.
 
Techno-Vicki

Techno-Vicki

Well-Known Member
As far as coraline, I haven't had any in my tank because of the 'other' urchin I have (also a hitcher). I have never had any hair algae either, and I am pretty sure it has to do with one or both of the urchins. Jack and I were discussing the hair algae issue just a couple of days ago.
 
DAHansen

DAHansen

Member
My Tuxedo Urchin keeps absconding with Cerith Snails... Every other day I have to take snails away from him. I think I should throw in some small empty shells for him to play with.
 
WatchinFish

WatchinFish

Member
DAHansen said:
My Tuxedo Urchin keeps absconding with Cerith Snails... Every other day I have to take snails away from him. I think I should throw in some small empty shells for him to play with.
Click to expand...

i was thinking of makeing a little plastic top hat for him.lol can you imagine seeing that. a tuxedo and a top hat:laughroll
 
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