Long spine sea urchin stinging fish?

R

RedComet89

Hey guys,

I recently bought a potters angel from a group buy. My fish was swimming around my tank when I left my house at 4, I came back at 7 and the fish is lying in the back corner taking short gasp of air. I also have a fairly large long spine sea urchin and was wondering if this has happenend to anyone. I also put the angel in a specimen containter inside the tank and saw that the fish was going into convulisons. I'm not sure if its the venom or not from the sea urchin.

Thanks
 
Unless you see a portion of a spine or at least a wound, I wouldn't suspect the urchin of being the cause of your angel's problem.
 
Matt, I hate to disagree with you, but I've never heard of LS urchins being a danger to fish. They can knock over unglued frags or precarious rockwork, but I've never heard of fish being at risk. Your hand? Definitely! (I just had a tip work its way up through part of my skin.)

I plan on moving one of my big guys to the 125g tank when it's set up so that I can hopefully breed banggai cardinals that spend their juvenile life in and among the spines of an urchin.
 
Ahh, but he says diademas are in the 'good' column. He relates the anecdote about a biologist stepping on one, but only the fire urchin does he mention as a danger to fish.
 
*nod* The one he lists as 'leave in the ocean' is the one that's endangered. Only now are disease resistant ones starting to show up.

If you read the top of that table it says "Table 1. Some of the sea urchins commonly or occasionally offered for sale to aquarists. Desirable species are good herbivores, but most will eat coralline algae as well as other less desirable algae."

Even their coraline grazing habits seem to have a beneficial effect- "When they eat coralline algae, the pattern of eating creates a variegated patterning of the algae that gives aquaria a natural look; such herbivory seems to stimulate the algal growth. "
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top