Pincushion urchin 'shredded' my mushroom up

[Rick's Reviews]

I walked past my aquriam during blue light setting and noticed this very strange illumonasent looking string thing, upon closer inspection I noticed my pin cushion urchin had removed my mushroom frag plug from a hole in my aquascape 'which has been there for a couple of months' and stretched out my mushroom to a thin slither, first thing I did was grip frag plug with pliers and gently removed from urchins grasp with a spoon and placed plug in my frag rack.

I'll add pics (under blues obviously not best quality) yellow is urchin, red is stretched out mushroom

Anyone else had this problem or similar with urchins

 

[KrisReef]

I have not had this kind of issue with urchins. When I read that they can chew through the wires on a heater or that they will reorganize the frags from off the reefscape I decided that I liked algae better than urchins and so I have never let one demonstarte their amazing strength and will power for reorganizing a tank according to their own liking.

 

[Rick's Reviews]

thank you, I was not aware of the capabilities of 'chewing through' cables/wires, I will look more into that.
It is providing great cleaning services to my aquascape although it's starting to be a bit of a pain.
this morning he had a snail and it's starting to frag my other corals for me (pictures) some how it grabbed a single firework clove polyp head lol

 

[Rick's Reviews]

Do you think I should place on sandbed so it can grab more shells/ bits of shells/ pieces to help it camouflage

 

[Alexopora]

Do you think I should place on sandbed so it can grab more shells/ bits of shells/ pieces to help it camouflage

That may help as they have a special affinity for shells. They’ll pick up any even if there’s an inhabitant inside (hermits). Mine used to frag and carry xenia, clove polyps, gsp, brown star polyps, zoas basically nearly any softie but sps/lps, no. Unless if you happen to have broken pieces of sps lying around.

 

[DeniseAndy]

They will carry almost anything to protect themselves. Try a hat and see if it avoids your frags. They are what they are. Love them or hate them. I love them.

 

[Rick's Reviews]

It was surprisingly easy to remove snail from grasp of urchin (I just used back of spoon) which I thought was weird as mushrooms footings/ grasp are really strong, so the fact it tore my mushroom in half...
I thought mushroom would of resisted better.

Firework clove polyp was also easy to take from urchin, so this is my 1st frag lol

 

[kevgib67]

I’ve had my tuxedo urchin for 9 months and although it has taken a zoa frag, mushroom and my sinularia for a ride around the tank none were harmed. That was in the first few months and hasn’t happened since early spring since it has covered itself with rock rubble and empty shells. Seems content

 

[ilikefish69]

I have a green hairy mushroom that just lives on my urchin. Has been wearing it for 2 months. Green hairy mushroom is happy. Urchin is happy. They are hilarios

the Duncan was however too heavy. He did try though

 

[Rick's Reviews]

It's only been recent but it also taken my thermometer for a ride, it's definitely great at fragging, clove polyp easily