Long Spine Sea Urchin
Printed From: Utah Reefs
Category: Specialized Discussion
Forum Name: Invertebrates
Forum Description: This is the place to ask questions about invertebrates.
URL: http://www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=44682
Printed Date: May 13 2025 at 12:20am
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 12.03 - http://www.webwizforums.com
Topic: Long Spine Sea Urchin
Posted By: SGH360
Subject: Long Spine Sea Urchin
Date Posted: November 12 2010 at 11:24pm
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I was wondering how to feed this guy? What are some methods
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Replies:
Posted By: Luckedout
Date Posted: November 13 2010 at 1:16am
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They're mostly algae eaters. They're herbivores and they'll eat just about anything they roll over that fits that diet... even some coral polyps. You could stick some nori in it's path and it'll thank you for it I'm sure.
------------- -Ben 90g Mixed reef www.body-balancechiropractic.com |
Posted By: Mark Peterson
Date Posted: November 13 2010 at 9:02am
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The best answer is to allow the tank to grow enough of the food it needs. Supplemental feeding is hit and miss for Urchins. Did you attend the presentation about this at the MWRF?
------------- Reefkeeping Tips, & quick, easy setup tricks: www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=9244 Pay it forward - become a paid WMAS member 
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Posted By: SGH360
Date Posted: November 13 2010 at 10:42am
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nope, i wish i had
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Posted By: Mark Peterson
Date Posted: November 13 2010 at 9:58pm
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They feed with five very sharp and very strong teeth plates that scrape
coralline algae and other organic material off the LR and other
surfaces. I had never heard the name before that I can remember, but we
learned at the MWRF that the scraping teeth unit is called Aristotles
Lantern. So with that being their main food and their way of eating it, they have trouble with anything else. There was an experiment done once where Diadema Urchins were fed only Caulerpa. They died within a few months. The same thing may happen if the only food is Nori, though I found a link where one hobbyist successfully feeds Organic Romaine Lettuce. http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/2/22/112152/903/835/461894 - http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/2/22/112152/903/835/461894 I wish you the best of luck, but if the Urchin at first seems to be running all over the tank trying to find some food, I would suggest you give it to someone that has the proper food. Especially if starts to look lazy and doesn't move much, at that point it's almost too late to put it in a tank with Coralline Algae, because then it may be too weak to eat and it will soon die. In the wild, most Urchins only travel a foot or two from their home, eating the coralline and other algae that grew since they last ventured out. In these pics the white trail/area is where the Urchin ate within the last few days.   ------------- Reefkeeping Tips, & quick, easy setup tricks: www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=9244 Pay it forward - become a paid WMAS member
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Posted By: davser
Date Posted: November 13 2010 at 11:24pm
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i feed mine once a week nori algae and he always eats what ever the amount i give him and he also eats what ever algae he can eat of the tank walls and he doesnt wipe it all of at once like some people say but he does eat a lot they really are really fun to watch if you want you can come by my house some day and watch him eat i might even be looking into selling him ------------- It's not about what you know but about who you know |
Posted By: Crazy Tarzan
Date Posted: November 14 2010 at 12:29am
I loved my long spine urchin--until he outgrew my tank. When I got it it was the diameter of a quarter, and had barely any spines. When I sold it it was past the size of a silver dollar, and had spines up to 6/7 inches long. Some pics of it (and it's mouth).   ------------- Was that in there yesterday? Casper--WY windier than ? Down to a 20, soon to double or nothing |
Posted By: vadryn
Date Posted: November 16 2010 at 5:43pm
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I have one and he's been alive in my tank for a year or so. He started out with really long spines that progressively got shorter. I thought they just kept breaking off because I have lots of rock work, but then I found my calcium was really low and suspect he couldn't grow back the spines that broke because of that.
I have not done any supplemental feeding for it at all. I still have tons of coraline on my rock and back 3 walls so I doubt he's starving for lack of food.
The funniest thing I've seen in a long time was when it wandered over the bluespot jawfish's den. The poor little OCD guy was freaked out at having his entrance blocked!
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