# Who Gets the Urchin Bug :)



## gklaw (May 31, 2010)

So Anthony got the wrasse bug, now I get the urchin bug. I won't have to worry about mine jumping out of the tank - I hope. Here are the collection thus far.


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## TomC (Apr 21, 2010)

Great pictures. I like the last one.


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## Momobobo (Sep 28, 2010)

Gorgeous, definately something on my list to keep if I ever go salt water, hard to keep compared to the livestock?


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## monkE (Aug 4, 2010)

very cool stuff


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## gklaw (May 31, 2010)

Momobobo said:


> Gorgeous, definately something on my list to keep if I ever go salt water, hard to keep compared to the livestock?


I only tried it once before and that lasted for one week. I am a bit more careful this time around - dripping them 2-4 hours to climatize. The 1st and 4th have been there since Dec 26/27.

The purple-green one was picked up today at JL - thanks to Peter Jones for alerting me to it and letting me have it


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## target (Apr 21, 2010)

very cool. I have heard they move around a lot and can disrupt other corals.


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## InfraredDream (Jun 24, 2010)

These are gorgeous! Thanks for sharing, great pictures! How you keep stuff like that? I am so clueless... Do you feed them anything specific and all that? Off to read about it. Too curious!


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## gklaw (May 31, 2010)

target said:


> very cool. I have heard they move around a lot and can disrupt other corals.


The do knock off the little loss piece but not way they could move those attached to a decent sized rock. #1 and #2 also have sticky tentacles that tend to pick up loose pieces. #4 actaully traverse the glass surface as well, cleaning algae I hope.

They are great grazers but chew right down to bare rock - i.e they tends to consume the priced purple coralline. That's just a price I have to pay for these guys for now


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## InfraredDream (Jun 24, 2010)

WOW, probably fascinating to watch...


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## thefishwife (Apr 21, 2010)

Those are really beautiful! Are they all like an algae clean up?


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## gklaw (May 31, 2010)

thefishwife said:


> Those are really beautiful! Are they all like an algae clean up?


Yes ! When they are done, you see white bare rock


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## SeaHorse_Fanatic (Apr 22, 2010)

Its one of the reasons I prefer my wrasses to urchins. That and the bulldozer effect most of them have with my unattached corals and frags. I like the long-spined but Irene doesn't. If the water conditions are not pristine, they start dropping their spines all over the place and it gets very prickly for sticking your hands into the tank. I would still like to keep a long-spined with a breeding pair of Bangaii cardinals just to see the symbiotic relationship between the baby Bangaiis and the urchin (babies hide in the spines for protection against predators). One of the cooler symbiotic relationships and far less well known or seen than the "Nemo/anemone" one.


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## Chappy (Apr 21, 2010)

Great pics, Gordon - they look AWESOME! The quills on that third one look just like an African pygmy hedgehog - no kidding. Hope your collection continues to grow and you keep sharing pics with us. They really are unique.


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## Ursus sapien (Apr 21, 2010)

inverts rock! great shots, Gordon.


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## gklaw (May 31, 2010)

SeaHorse_Fanatic said:


> Its one of the reasons I prefer my wrasses


I love wrasses too  The variety of colour and patterns are stunning. I can visualize your 165g filled with a great collection. I am just too lazy for anything that needs special care and food. Breeding cardinal is on my long list as well. Good to know the symbiosis. When I find another space for just one more tank (actually 2, #14 under research right now) and another life.


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## H5N1 (Apr 27, 2010)

Very nice collection Gordon!

This is the only one I got so far


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## gklaw (May 31, 2010)

Haha very funny. Like do see it do some doggies paddle in my tank.


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## Aaron27 (Sep 15, 2010)

I had one of the Blue Tuxedo urchins, but it only lasted about 7-10 days. Perhaps I didn't run my drip for long enough?

It started losing it's spines, and then fell off the rock one day and was upside down. Within about 5 seconds my cleaner shrimp was pulling all the guts out the hole they have on the bottom. It was like that scene from Braveheart where seemingly endless intestines get ripped out... Then the ball of a shell was left for days after that, before I took it out.


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## gklaw (May 31, 2010)

I first one lasted way less than that. Knock on wood, the new ones are doing good. May be there is still enough algae after the sea hare.


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## Keri (Aug 2, 2010)

I love urchins! Yours are very pretty. 
I had one for a few years and it was so funny, that thing destroyed more algae clips than I care to think about but it was worth it to watch him wear them around like hats.

Sure they eat coraline but it's worth it, mine mowed thru most algaes as well. It would take food from my hand and was fun to watch.

Urchins do a lot better when drip acclimated for a Super long time and I think many ppl lose them early when they think a half hour or even an hour is enough


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## gklaw (May 31, 2010)

*New Bug and New Friend*


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## Diztrbd1 (Apr 21, 2010)

WOW awesome photo's ! Didn't realize there was so many different kinds. Very cool!


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## gklaw (May 31, 2010)

*Tribute to the King ?*

Thought this is an interesting gathering of the invertebrates. Too bad the cleaner shrimp is party shy


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## rich16 (Mar 25, 2011)

Absolutely gorgeous pictures. So interesting, another thing I know nothing about...yet...


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