How to handle sea urchin?

andrew1028 · 10/22/2014, 11:00 AM

hi, im new to the saltwater hobby and i just got my very first clean up crew. im drip acclimating them right now. i was wondering how long do i have to acclimate short spined sea urchins, along with starfish, and how do i grab them?

Betta132 · 10/22/2014, 11:07 AM

Acclimate for a couple of hours.
Short spined urchins aren't very sharp. Just reach into the bag and carefully scoop one into your hand. Don't squeeze down and it shouldn't feel like anything more than a hairbrush.
What kind of starfish? Many of the more colorful species will starve in all but the oldest and largest aquariums.
Probably best to avoid taking starfish out of the water at all. If you drip acclimate properly, their bag should be full of mostly tank water. Pour water out of the bag (into a bucket, not the tank, that's dirty water) until the star is just barely covered. Then place the bag in the tank, turn it inside out, and let the star crawl off.

andrew1028 · 10/22/2014, 11:15 AM

well thank you for the advice. im drip acclimating all of my clean up crew and the starfish are 1 serpent sea star and a brittle sea star. also im acclimating some snails and hermits and a banded shrimp, pistol shrimp and fire shrimp. any advice for those? should i buy sea weed, thanks again!

Betta132 · 10/22/2014, 12:44 PM

I'd say maybe 1 hour for the snails and hermits, they're fairly hardy. Probably 2 hours for the rest.
Good, serpent and brittle stars are much more likely to survive. However, they may eat fish if not given enough food.
I suggest you look all your new critters up online to learn about them.
Also, research creatures BEFORE buying, in the future.

10/22/2014, 11:00 AM	#1
andrew1028 Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2014 Posts: 5	How to handle sea urchin? hi, im new to the saltwater hobby and i just got my very first clean up crew. im drip acclimating them right now. i was wondering how long do i have to acclimate short spined sea urchins, along with starfish, and how do i grab them?

10/22/2014, 11:07 AM	#2
Betta132 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2014 Posts: 2,239	Acclimate for a couple of hours. Short spined urchins aren't very sharp. Just reach into the bag and carefully scoop one into your hand. Don't squeeze down and it shouldn't feel like anything more than a hairbrush. What kind of starfish? Many of the more colorful species will starve in all but the oldest and largest aquariums. Probably best to avoid taking starfish out of the water at all. If you drip acclimate properly, their bag should be full of mostly tank water. Pour water out of the bag (into a bucket, not the tank, that's dirty water) until the star is just barely covered. Then place the bag in the tank, turn it inside out, and let the star crawl off. __________________ When you put an animal of any kind in a situation where it can no longer fend for itself, such as an aquarium, it's your job to care for it to the best of your ability. It's that simple.

10/22/2014, 12:44 PM	#4
Betta132 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2014 Posts: 2,239	I'd say maybe 1 hour for the snails and hermits, they're fairly hardy. Probably 2 hours for the rest. Good, serpent and brittle stars are much more likely to survive. However, they may eat fish if not given enough food. I suggest you look all your new critters up online to learn about them. Also, research creatures BEFORE buying, in the future. __________________ When you put an animal of any kind in a situation where it can no longer fend for itself, such as an aquarium, it's your job to care for it to the best of your ability. It's that simple.

10/22/2014, 11:15 AM	#3
andrew1028 Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2014 Posts: 5	well thank you for the advice. im drip acclimating all of my clean up crew and the starfish are 1 serpent sea star and a brittle sea star. also im acclimating some snails and hermits and a banded shrimp, pistol shrimp and fire shrimp. any advice for those? should i buy sea weed, thanks again!