Diadema urchin getting to big!!

peehair · 02/16/2006, 09:26 PM

I have a 90g and when i put my urchin in there he had a 2" raidus but now he's 4.5" radius. will he stop growing soon??

What if i trimmed down his spikes??

reefD · 02/16/2006, 09:30 PM

very common issue! ok without condoning the cruelty of doing this .....urchines recover very well from incidents that cause them to lose large areas of spines. but this will not make him stop getting big and being a proplem. trade him in at your lfs or give him away to a friend or to the lfs. better yet post it someplace on reefcentral.

npaden · 02/16/2006, 10:22 PM

They can get REALLY big. I don't know about trimming down the spikes, that doesn't sound all that good for it and they will just grow back anyway.

reefshadow · 02/17/2006, 01:17 AM

Mine got to be about the size of a basketball and began eating the margins of some sps corals- oxypora, montipora and porites. Apparently this isn't as uncommon as I thought. I gave it back to my lfs.

02/16/2006, 09:26 PM	#1
peehair Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Ottawa, ON Posts: 81	Diadema urchin getting to big!! I have a 90g and when i put my urchin in there he had a 2" raidus but now he's 4.5" radius. will he stop growing soon?? What if i trimmed down his spikes??

02/16/2006, 09:30 PM	#2
reefD Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Schenectady,New York Posts: 4,968	very common issue! ok without condoning the cruelty of doing this .....urchines recover very well from incidents that cause them to lose large areas of spines. but this will not make him stop getting big and being a proplem. trade him in at your lfs or give him away to a friend or to the lfs. better yet post it someplace on reefcentral. __________________ DAVID Current Tank Info: it has four sides and a bottom...oh yeah and it has water in it. lol

02/16/2006, 10:22 PM	#3
npaden Registered Member Join Date: Oct 1999 Location: Lubbock, Texas Posts: 2,511	They can get REALLY big. I don't know about trimming down the spikes, that doesn't sound all that good for it and they will just grow back anyway. __________________ Check out the Lubbock Reef Club! Maximize Flow, Minimize Velocity! Always get a second opinion (and a 3rd, 4th, etc...) Current Tank Info: 415G 10' display tank w/ 135G refugium/sump New Shed/Greenhouse w/ 1,100g refugium, 100g mangrove tank, 150g sump Several 25g clown growout tanks and 10g hatchout tanks

02/17/2006, 01:17 AM	#4
reefshadow Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Central Washington Posts: 1,786	Mine got to be about the size of a basketball and began eating the margins of some sps corals- oxypora, montipora and porites. Apparently this isn't as uncommon as I thought. I gave it back to my lfs. __________________ All Your Coral Are Belong To Us Current Tank Info: 30 Deep Blue shallow mixed rimless, MP10, Ecoxotic LED's, SCA 301 skimmer.