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**TheOldSalt** · 05-04-2005, 11:16 AM

Urchins have more "cons" than "pros," but they are interesting.

Some will strip away all the brown and green algae without touching your coralline, so that's good, but some will do the reverse.

Some are mildly irritating or even toxic, but most aren't. Some are brittle, some aren't. Some will chew through yur rocks, some won't. Some can even chew through the GLASS!

One thing they almost all have in common, though, is the fact that their hydraulic systems make them ridiculously strong. This makes them into little bulldozers in your tank, causing rockslides if you don't have your rocks anchored together. That's the main reason I quit keeping them, despite my otherwise liking them.

They'd be interesting and safe in a tank with eels, but just be sure to watch for any of the things I mentioned.

05-04-2005, 11:16 AM	#13
TheOldSalt Darth Ichthyos Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 4,354	Re: FOWLR complete setup Urchins have more "cons" than "pros," but they are interesting. Some will strip away all the brown and green algae without touching your coralline, so that's good, but some will do the reverse. Some are mildly irritating or even toxic, but most aren't. Some are brittle, some aren't. Some will chew through yur rocks, some won't. Some can even chew through the GLASS! One thing they almost all have in common, though, is the fact that their hydraulic systems make them ridiculously strong. This makes them into little bulldozers in your tank, causing rockslides if you don't have your rocks anchored together. That's the main reason I quit keeping them, despite my otherwise liking them. They'd be interesting and safe in a tank with eels, but just be sure to watch for any of the things I mentioned.