talkalot82 Posted November 9, 2010 Share Posted November 9, 2010 so I have had this 15 gallon tank set up for two years with nothing new put in this tank and yesterday while I was cleaning I noticed a small urchin. It is yellow with black body. It was so cool...I never had a urchin in that tank Ill poste picks when I get home.. it was so neat... PICS BELOW Hawaiian Rock Boring Sea Urchin is the breed.. they say they can go through steel if needed, and they live in rocks.. and as they grow the dig deeper into the rocks to make roodid you know sea urchins can live 100 yearsm. they are known to live where there is alot of current from waves crahing down and they say about 3 1/2 inches.. looked at them on the net...did you know sea urchins can live 100 years... thats a long time Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReeFit Posted November 9, 2010 Share Posted November 9, 2010 cool, i like urchins too, although i've not seen one with yellow in it before. some urchins can be very devastating though, but since its been in your tank for so long at least you think, its probably ok. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oxx155 Posted November 9, 2010 Share Posted November 9, 2010 I find Pencil Urchins all the time in my tank, they seem to come and go. Just noticed probably a 4" one in a crevice in the rocks the other day. Just makes you pay attention to where you put your hands. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
talkalot82 Posted November 9, 2010 Author Share Posted November 9, 2010 [ATTACH]9250[/ATTACH] [ATTACH]9251[/ATTACH] so here are the pics.. I have had sea urchins before in other tanks I havve a baby long spined and an adult long spined in another tank, but this is a first.. when I have never seen this type before. I also have a purple pin cushion I just bought for my new bow front that some one gave me, but this was a surprise.. i named it already sunshine. Though the yellow is most likely a juvienielle color.. But we shall see Oh and talk about sucks when you get poked. my long spine loves to say hello when I am in his tank. I dont know why, but he'll follow you around while cleaning... or just changing things. it took me about an hour and two helpers to get his needle out of my arm.. looked at it under my microscope and the tenacles are barbed... so they came out in pieces and It hurt for days... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReeFit Posted November 9, 2010 Share Posted November 9, 2010 i pick up my long spine urchins and throw them around the tank all the time because they love to be in the spot your tryin to work in, LOL. I have not had that bad of an experience before, but i have been stabbed a few times from not paying attention to where my hands were and its not the most pleasant feeling but i do like my urchins. I have 6 that i know of and i did have to get rid of one because it was plowing down all my zoas, i couldn't tell if it was actually eating them or if it just mowed them over to get to the coraline on the rock but it sure did like to go back to that same rock alot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oxx155 Posted November 9, 2010 Share Posted November 9, 2010 Looks like the standard pencil urchin that usually hitchhikes on live rock. I don't see them move to much in my tank, typically stay in one spot and just grow, but I guess I could be wrong. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
talkalot82 Posted November 9, 2010 Author Share Posted November 9, 2010 well I do know I have a possitive id on the urchin.. it is a rock boring urchin.. The pencil urchin has different spines.. I have a few different pencils in some of my other tanks... According to what I have read urchins just carry zoa, polyps, etc. on them as a disguise themselves from preditors.. They dont actually eat them... However what things do in the wild often differs in a reef aquarium enviroment. specially when you mix different species from different regoins of the world. that other wise would have never met. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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