Urchin vs GHA

[JHSteepat]

So after 6 months or so of dealing with GHA, I broke down and got some fluconazole.

I am unable to establish a turf scrubber to any large extent, and every rock on the tank is covered by algae. Can’t seem to keep snails and hermits cant keep up. Tomini tang can’t keep up either.

Was at LFS and saw a tuxedo urchin and decided before I tried the chemical approach.

I think I need more of these guys. Sorry, don’t have an orange lens, but I see clean rock.

 

[tzabor10]

Urchins are fascinating

 

[JustAnotherNanoTank]

They’re amazing at mowing it down.

They also eat coralline algae.

They might pick up one of your corals and walk around with it like a hat.

If they pick up a coral that is deadly to others and walks around with it. That can be bad.

Other than that, awesome little buggers.

 

[JustAnotherNanoTank]

In fact, may I recommend a fantastic hat for your new friend? (They like having something as cover for protection.)

I like the plunger one!

 

[Reefering1]

I would give him a few months before adding too many and then they starve. Manually remove as much as you can every week to help him out in the beginning

 

[RedReefer]

What kind of rock did you use?

 

[JHSteepat]

Marco is what the urchin currently is resting on. Though TBS live rock is on the lower left (still half covered in the algae, and half cleaned off by the urchin). I got about ten pounds of tbs rock to seed the tank and the rest is Marco (probably close to 100 lbs in the 4’x2’x 21” tank. It may have seeded the tank, but I still got TONS of algae.

Also got tbs live sand. I had a cool worm spawning event a couple of nights ago fwiw.

Now for the valonia…..

 

[JHSteepat]

I would give him a few months before adding too many and then they starve. Manually remove as much as you can every week to help him out in the beginning

Good suggestion. Probably should limit the urchins to 2 or maybe 3. It is still less than half grown and is eating so much.

 

[JHSteepat]

Keeping an eye on his collection. Has sand from getting droppen in sand by accident. I removed a hermit already. Probably will get it a hat.

I am not worrying much about the coralline, especially if I don’t get too many of them. It is growing well where the GHA hasn’t taken hold and it eventually gets to be a nuisance.

 

[Reefering1]

What size tank is this?

 

[JHSteepat]

What size tank is this?

It’s a Waterbox Infinia 150.4, display is about 115g I believe. Tank is 48” x 24” x 21” or so

 

[Reefering1]

It’s a Waterbox Infinia 150.4, display is about 115g I believe. Tank is 48” x 24” x 21” or so

I wouldn't feel bad about adding a 2nd urchin to that size tank..