Rock Boring Urcins

[Ron Reefman]

Has anybody here ever kept a rock boring urchin?

I brought one home from a snorkel trip to the Florida Keys last summer. I had kind of given up on urchins because they always seem to mess with my smaller coral frags. I don't glue mine down. I have holes drilled in the rock so the frag plug just fits in. Anyway, this rock boring urchin moved around some and the disappeared, well, to be honest, I really didn't search too hard for it. Yesterday I was watching my mantis shrimp run around after food and happened to see the urchin tucked into a hole on the bottom side of a shelf that is about 3 or 4 inches off the sand.

 

[ilikefish69]

I am so jealous of your snorkeling adventures

 

[Ron Reefman]

I am so jealous of your snorkeling adventures

Well, maybe when you retire, you too can move to Florida and enjoy the snorkeling! (just teasing) I'll be 74 next month and I expect to do at least 3 snorkel trips this summer. That's besides a hiking trip to Bryce Canyon & Zion, a photography trip to Yellowstone and a hot air balloon ride and total eclipse in Albuquerque!

The truth is, it's the snorkeling that keeps me involved in the aquarium hobby. I've been through about 10 different tanks over the last 25 years and all but the very first 30g tank had sumps or sumps and refugiums. I now have a 40g breeder aio and a DIY 40g cube aio tanks. And I only have 2 fish. But I'm finding the aio tanks much easier to care for.

The 40g breeder has 2 clowns, a mantis shrimp, a sea cucumber and a few corals. This summer it's likely to get some additions that most people wouldn't want, like an upside down jellyfish, a small fire worm and possibly other critters I can collect.

The 40g cube I built myself. It has no fish, 1 sea star, a few snails and hermit crabs and lots of relatively new corals and anemones.

Close ups of the rocks with the most coral.

 

[fishguy242]

My exp with the rock borer, tend to be nocturnal,will eat coralline off rock, algae too,
never had any problems to make me remove.
Enjoy your summer Ron...

 

[Ron Reefman]

My exp with the rock borer, tend to be nocturnal,will eat coralline off rock, algae too,
never had any problems to make me remove.
Enjoy your summer Ron...

I'll do my best. And I'll probably post photos in the lounge!

 

[ManWithAClam]

i have a rock boring urchin, and like fishguy said, they are indeed nocturnal, they also do the best job in cleaning rocks, he will literally leave a trail of perfectly white rock, another upside is they won't pick up coral frags like the tuxedos do.

 

[cpoynter]

I’ve kept rock boring urchins (that I collected in the keys). They did eat algae, and left teeth marks on any plastic pieces they ate from. I ended up giving them away when I took that tank down and they’re still alive and well in a friend’s tank.
They seem to be hardier than the pincushion urchins, but aren’t as showy.
I'm headed to Key West at the end of the month, and if the weather cooperates, I’ll do some collecting at the horseshoe (my FFL just arrived in the mail!).

 

[happyhourhero]

I have one that came in on a gulf live rock order. I cleaned the rocks with a toothbrush and somehow missed the urchin. I first saw it and it was about the size of a nickel. It doesn’t move anything around and is a great cleaner. Usually hides during the day.

 

[ilikefish69]

Well, maybe when you retire, you too can move to Florida and enjoy the snorkeling! (just teasing) I'll be 74 next month and I expect to do at least 3 snorkel trips this summer. That's besides a hiking trip to Bryce Canyon & Zion, a photography trip to Yellowstone and a hot air balloon ride and total eclipse in Albuquerque!

The truth is, it's the snorkeling that keeps me involved in the aquarium hobby. I've been through about 10 different tanks over the last 25 years and all but the very first 30g tank had sumps or sumps and refugiums. I now have a 40g breeder aio and a DIY 40g cube aio tanks. And I only have 2 fish. But I'm finding the aio tanks much easier to care for.

The 40g breeder has 2 clowns, a mantis shrimp, a sea cucumber and a few corals. This summer it's likely to get some additions that most people wouldn't want, like an upside down jellyfish, a small fire worm and possibly other critters I can collect.

View attachment 3065231

The 40g cube I built myself. It has no fish, 1 sea star, a few snails and hermit crabs and lots of relatively new corals and anemones.

View attachment 3065230

Close ups of the rocks with the most coral.
View attachment 3065232
View attachment 3065238

absolutely gorgeous tank. I am trying to talk my wife into a snorkeling trip this summer. Florida is where I'd like to go. Hope to see one of the baby octopus, and a shark. Not a big one but like meduium sized. I might be contacting you in a couple months to get the scoop on the best snorkelling spots in FL

 

[Ron Reefman]

absolutely gorgeous tank. I am trying to talk my wife into a snorkeling trip this summer. Florida is where I'd like to go. Hope to see one of the baby octopus, and a shark. Not a big one but like meduium sized. I might be contacting you in a couple months to get the scoop on the best snorkelling spots in FL

Thanks, the tanks are starting to grow out and look better every month.

If you want to do a snorkeling vacation here in Florida, the best time of year is May and June, before the rainy season and hurricane season get started. July thru Sept are just fine, as long as your snorkel schedule is flexible due to common early morning or afternoon thunderstorms. They happen 33% of the days. Hurricanes are totally unpredictable, but September is the month that gets more hurricanes than any other. But there is lots of advance notice to hurricanes, so it's easy to get out of the way... if you pay attention.

Feel free to email me if you want to discuss it more. My email is: ([email protected]) I'm happy to share any info I can, places to stay, restaurants, snorkel sites off the beach, snorkel sites by charter boats, things to do if the weather gets in the way, and anything else. BTW, motel/hotel reservations can get quite hard to come by, so planing ahead by at least 30 days, 60 days is better. And there are lobster seasons you really want to avoid as the Keys get packed with people and boats!

Small octopus aren't very common. I'd say we see one every 10 to 20 snorkels. They are the masters of camouflage and really super easy to miss. Even when we see one, it's amazing how well they can blend into the surroundings.

Sharks are a bit more common than octopus. We see smaller ones, usually nurse sharks, occasionally when we snorkel shallows (like off the beach). They are almost harmless unless really harassed. We've seen bigger and different ones a bit more often on deeper water, charter boat snorkels out at the big reefs. They are fun to see, but we try to keep our distance once we've spotted one.

There are really 2 different kinds of snorkeling IMHO. Most people (without aquariums) want to go out to the big reefs and see the big corals and lots of tropical fish. And those are very cool to do. But they are in preserves and you are not allowed to touch anything! Then there is the shallow water, off the beach, get more involved, feel free to handle stuff; snorkels. There isn't much stone coral at all, some zoas if you are in the right place and a bit lucky. But there are lots and lots of gorgonians, big and small sponges of all colors, and lots of small critters if you know how to look. We find lots of different kinds of snails and crabs, occasionally a small mantis shrimp, sea cucumbers, sea stars, feather dusters, urchins, upside down jellyfish, tunicates, chitons, fire worms, spaghetti worms, small clams, moray eels and more. Some spots will even have quite a few juvenile tropical fish.

Sound like fun? Feel free to contact me.

Ron