Reef Discussion
To quote from http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2003-11/rs/index.php
From a quick search it appears that they are susceptable to high nitrate levels ?
Only things I can think to suggest is to make sure your water quality is top notch - so if you need to, do a big water change... but do it very carefully. Sea urchins are more sensitive to rapid temperature and salinity changes than corals or fish. Make sure you match your salinity and temperature when adding the new water and make any changes to the temp or salinity slowly after that. I would suggest slightly lowering your salinity to 1.022 to 'hydrate' the urchin and reduce the amount of energy he is using on basic cell function.
Check all your equipment to make sure its in good working order (ie. you're looking for signs of rust).
Other thing to do is to get a piece of meaty food (pulverised and frozen into a little block so its easy to use) and place it under him where his mouth parts are. I used to 'hand feed' my urchins this way when I had them in a 28 litre. When you pick him up, do it slowly and gently and try to avoid picking him up when he is in full locomation with all of his feet out and suctioning, as you could accidentally damage a few of his feet if he grips on. Do you know what he has been eating all this time?
Check all your equipment to make sure its in good working order (ie. you're looking for signs of rust).
Other thing to do is to get a piece of meaty food (pulverised and frozen into a little block so its easy to use) and place it under him where his mouth parts are. I used to 'hand feed' my urchins this way when I had them in a 28 litre. When you pick him up, do it slowly and gently and try to avoid picking him up when he is in full locomation with all of his feet out and suctioning, as you could accidentally damage a few of his feet if he grips on. Do you know what he has been eating all this time?
Hey everyone. Thank you for all your comments. I didn't realise they were up as I had no notices of them.
I don't think it could be the water quality because in my last tank I could not keep anything but the urchin lived on. No sure the exact variety of urchin it is but it is black body with short spines (3-5 cm) and around each spine is a little white / purple ring.
There doesn't seem to be any gaps in the spikes, like what was lost has a new one. He moved his spines a fair bit when I tried the meaty food.
It is looking a little better.
I will keep you posted
I don't think it could be the water quality because in my last tank I could not keep anything but the urchin lived on. No sure the exact variety of urchin it is but it is black body with short spines (3-5 cm) and around each spine is a little white / purple ring.
There doesn't seem to be any gaps in the spikes, like what was lost has a new one. He moved his spines a fair bit when I tried the meaty food.
It is looking a little better.
I will keep you posted
One of mine was miserable no matter what I did until I started putting small quantities of (unflavoured) nori in, on a clip near the bottom.
Sometimes it would ignore the nori & I would throw it out after a couple of days & replace it. Other times it would devour it. I came to the the conclusion (not very scientifically) that nori is a poor primary food but a good supplementary item if changed out regularly. They take it when they need it, much like a dog eating grass.
I had similar experiences with rabbitfish.
Sometimes it would ignore the nori & I would throw it out after a couple of days & replace it. Other times it would devour it. I came to the the conclusion (not very scientifically) that nori is a poor primary food but a good supplementary item if changed out regularly. They take it when they need it, much like a dog eating grass.
I had similar experiences with rabbitfish.
Good to hear its looking a little better, I'd keep up the feeding with meaty foods once or twice a week - sounds like it still has a good appetite. Getting an ID would be helpful, I know exactly what yours looks like from your description but dont know the name of it.
You can email me ian3145@iinet.net.au & I'll post it here for you if you like @Felicity goodall .
I cannot find an id for this urchin.
Felicity, I know this is a really difficult one to answer but are you sure it lost its spikes as opposed to breaking them? Is there any evidence of spike stubs where they may have broken?
In the video I think I can see where spikes are missing but at that resolution and with my eyes, I can't tell if there are stubs.
I've got to say that visually it seems to have no obvious serious issues but it's only a brief snapshot.
Maybe @Dr. Schell could help?
Felicity, I know this is a really difficult one to answer but are you sure it lost its spikes as opposed to breaking them? Is there any evidence of spike stubs where they may have broken?
In the video I think I can see where spikes are missing but at that resolution and with my eyes, I can't tell if there are stubs.
I've got to say that visually it seems to have no obvious serious issues but it's only a brief snapshot.
Maybe @Dr. Schell could help?
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Hello @Felicity goodall,
Click on "Upload Files" next to the post reply button. This will allow you to post pics.
Thanks.
Hello @Ian3145,
Actually the uploader supports all major video files to be uploaded to the server. wmv, mov, avi, etc are all supported and will upload.
Thanks.
from a mobile device?
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