Urchins

[mcguire6799]

I am looking at getting an urchin for my tank. I have been told a tuxedo urchin and a royal urchin would be good matches. Are they the same thing by different names? Would they eat green hair algae? Also if they run out of gha what will they need fed?

 

[Bifferwine]

They are the same animal (blue color). They make a great addition, as do the similar looking halloween urching (orange color). They don't usually eat hair algae, but they do eat coralline and film algae off the rocks. They will normally have no problem finding food scavenging, but will happily eat algae sheets if they run out of other food. The short spine urchin is also a good choice.

 

[mcguire6799]

What would you recommend to do? I just recently added leather finger and green star polyp to make tank.

 

[FishyReef]

I'd personally recommend the hairy pincushion over the short-spined pincushion. Hairy pincushions are reef-safe, while the short-spined are "with caution" - and my purple short-spined is the one that is now on its way to urchin jail for eating my expensive coral!

 

[mcguire6799]

Is that the tuxedo or no?