Free Urchins

Laura and Jim will be hosting the May meeting this Saturday the 12th and it will be the usual of food, drinks, raffle and fun.
 
Doors will be open at 6:00 pm for social talk and the meeting will start at 7:00.  Parking gets a little tight and the city says you can't park on 4th but there is a parking lot a block away.   Meeting is usually held in the backyard so feel free to bring your favorite lawn chair, weather permitting of course.

If you need address/directions, contact a club member.

Best if you park at Mini Mall (where the spaghetti establishment use to be)
 
You will get to see his new frag tank set up in the making.
 
Hope to see you there!

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[Robert M.]

I have 3 urchins that I am offering up for free. I recently upgraded my lights and I am now switching from all softies to sps. These guys like to move things around and I am concerned they will knock over newly placed frags.

One is a black longspine urchin that has spines that are about 8 inches across. It is the same as the one sold here: http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=497+530+591&pcatid=591. It eats several undesirable algae as well as meaty foods. I have had it for over a year and have really enjoyed it. I think it looks very cool and the kids like it a lot.

The other 2 are pink/purple and about 3 inches across. I don't know what they are for certain but they might be pincushion urchins. I have had them in my tank for about 2 years. They were hitchhikers on my live rock and about the size of a dime when I got them. I think these guys eat coraline algae and I am not sure what else. I would not recommend these guys for an acrylic tank.

Robert

[karen]

i would be interested in a couple, at least the black long spine.  Will it last in a 10gl for a few months?  I was kinda waiting till i got the larger tank set up before getting one.  Or could I put him in the fuge 3gl no rock in it, till i got the bigger tank going?  Im not sure how stable the rock is set up in the main 10gl.

[Robert M.]

I suppose it all depends on how much food you have in your tank. They seem to need a lot of area to roam around and graze for algae in mine. A 10 gallon seems a little small for these guys. The longspine would definitely dominate the tank. How long until you get your tank set up? I might be able to hold these guys for a little longer. I placed them in my 20 gallon sump and there is a lot of food for them in there. None of them have moved since I put them in there. They are all just munching on the chaeto.

[karen]

It may be a month or so,  We have to refinish the stand and do a clean up.  I may be picking up some lighting thursday.  How sensitive are they to water conditions? Will they handle a large tank with water and "construction" going on around them?  I have no live rock to get things going with, I do want a sand bed, and havent even thought about that aquizition yet.  We have to build on this tank as money allows, so it might be a slow process.
(they probally would not be good in the 10gl)

[Robert M.]

The urchins will not do well in a tank that is just set up and cycling. The high nitrate levels will cause the longspine to loose its spines and eventually die. It is best to add them to a tank that has already gone through the cycle process, which usually takes about a month. Even if you get very fresh live rock and sand you will inevitably go through some kind of cycle where the ammonia levels will spike.

It is best for you to give your tank some time before adding cleanup crew critters like urchins.