Tuxedo Urchin any good?

lpsreefer · 11/07/2006, 10:37 PM

I was wondering if this urchin is any good at cleaning your sand bed. Itâ€™s the only kind available to me right now. My sand bed gets a little brown with the halides on and nothing to stir the sand. Will this urchin do a good job of keeping my sand bed nice and white? Or is it more of a novelty? I need something that does a pretty good job of cleaning up my sand while leaving my corals and clam alone. Thanks for your help, I have to make a decision in a few hours.

reefD · 11/07/2006, 10:38 PM

no! they stick to glass and rock as they love coraline algea. not a sand sifter at all.

reefD · 11/07/2006, 10:39 PM

wont benefit sand as a sifter at all. 4 sure! and does have a tendency to knock over and even carry corals around your tank.

lpsreefer · 11/07/2006, 10:46 PM

Wow! Thanks for the quick reply. What would be good plus leave my corals and clam alone? Thanks again for your help!

reefD · 11/07/2006, 10:49 PM

try cerith snails, or a cucmber that strictly sifts like a tiger tail. you could also consider crown counch wich digs deap into sand but are predatory and wmay eat your clam as they prey on other snails. i would use cerith and a cucumber. also i would stir my substrate daily if its needed by hand or stick. also try a fish like sleeper gobies. or bullet gobies. they mouth and spit substrate constantly in search of food. good sifters

reefD · 11/07/2006, 10:51 PM

these guys are great at sifting

http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/p...cfm?pCatId=213

lpsreefer · 11/07/2006, 11:17 PM

Hey thanks David, the fish idea is super! You're a big help!

One quick question, on the link it says care level is difficult. Are they really difficult?

reefD · 11/08/2006, 01:27 AM

as long as you have some small substrate (to sift)and as long as its not pesterd it should do well. they do sometimes eat mysis right out of the water column.but sometimes they are very timid and keep to a burrow that they make ....comming out for short periods to sift. thats when you need some live sand floura to help get him past this uncomfortable stage . eventually after a few weeks (as long as they are supplmenting with bugs and such) they acclamate and get bold. not that difficult. more like moderate care.

tkeracer619 · 11/08/2006, 01:35 AM

I have a long black spine urchin. They are cool, they do knock over corals, the will carry them around. I just glued my corals in place and no more problems of falling coral.

They hurt when you stab yourself with one and they poop out of their "eye".

Fun creature though. The ooh and ah effect is priceless. A lot of people have never seen one much less heard of them.

They do eat coraline. Depending on tank size it might not make such a huge difference.

I would get it, not for sand sifting but for the ooh and ahh plus some alien style entertainment.

11/07/2006, 10:37 PM	#1
lpsreefer Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 65	Tuxedo Urchin any good? I was wondering if this urchin is any good at cleaning your sand bed. Itâ€™s the only kind available to me right now. My sand bed gets a little brown with the halides on and nothing to stir the sand. Will this urchin do a good job of keeping my sand bed nice and white? Or is it more of a novelty? I need something that does a pretty good job of cleaning up my sand while leaving my corals and clam alone. Thanks for your help, I have to make a decision in a few hours.

11/07/2006, 10:38 PM	#2
reefD Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Schenectady,New York Posts: 4,968	no! they stick to glass and rock as they love coraline algea. not a sand sifter at all. __________________ DAVID Current Tank Info: it has four sides and a bottom...oh yeah and it has water in it. lol

11/07/2006, 10:39 PM	#3
reefD Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Schenectady,New York Posts: 4,968	wont benefit sand as a sifter at all. 4 sure! and does have a tendency to knock over and even carry corals around your tank. __________________ DAVID Current Tank Info: it has four sides and a bottom...oh yeah and it has water in it. lol

11/07/2006, 10:49 PM	#5
reefD Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Schenectady,New York Posts: 4,968	try cerith snails, or a cucmber that strictly sifts like a tiger tail. you could also consider crown counch wich digs deap into sand but are predatory and wmay eat your clam as they prey on other snails. i would use cerith and a cucumber. also i would stir my substrate daily if its needed by hand or stick. also try a fish like sleeper gobies. or bullet gobies. they mouth and spit substrate constantly in search of food. good sifters __________________ DAVID Current Tank Info: it has four sides and a bottom...oh yeah and it has water in it. lol

11/07/2006, 10:51 PM	#6
reefD Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Schenectady,New York Posts: 4,968	these guys are great at sifting http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/p...cfm?pCatId=213 __________________ DAVID Current Tank Info: it has four sides and a bottom...oh yeah and it has water in it. lol

11/07/2006, 10:46 PM	#4
lpsreefer Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 65	Wow! Thanks for the quick reply. What would be good plus leave my corals and clam alone? Thanks again for your help!

11/07/2006, 11:17 PM	#7
lpsreefer Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 65	Hey thanks David, the fish idea is super! You're a big help! One quick question, on the link it says care level is difficult. Are they really difficult?

11/08/2006, 01:27 AM	#8
reefD Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Schenectady,New York Posts: 4,968	as long as you have some small substrate (to sift)and as long as its not pesterd it should do well. they do sometimes eat mysis right out of the water column.but sometimes they are very timid and keep to a burrow that they make ....comming out for short periods to sift. thats when you need some live sand floura to help get him past this uncomfortable stage . eventually after a few weeks (as long as they are supplmenting with bugs and such) they acclamate and get bold. not that difficult. more like moderate care. __________________ DAVID Current Tank Info: it has four sides and a bottom...oh yeah and it has water in it. lol

11/08/2006, 01:35 AM	#9
tkeracer619 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Westminster, CO Posts: 17,289	I have a long black spine urchin. They are cool, they do knock over corals, the will carry them around. I just glued my corals in place and no more problems of falling coral. They hurt when you stab yourself with one and they poop out of their "eye". Fun creature though. The ooh and ah effect is priceless. A lot of people have never seen one much less heard of them. They do eat coraline. Depending on tank size it might not make such a huge difference. I would get it, not for sand sifting but for the ooh and ahh plus some alien style entertainment. __________________ Hobby Experience: 9200ish gallons, 26 skimmers, and a handful of Kent Scrapers. Current Tank: Vortech Powered 600G SPS Tank w/ 100gal frag tank & 100g Sump. RK2-RK10 Skimmer. ReefAngel. Radium 20k.