is my sea urchin dying?

Discussion in 'ASAP' started by maxxtk, Jun 2, 2010.

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  1. maxxtk

    maxxtk Spaghetti Worm

    Joined:
    Apr 8, 2010
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    Location:
    Tel Aviv, Israel
    i have this black sea urchin for few months now. he was doing just fine. i notice he slowed down a little bit in the last week and now it seems like his spikes are falling off. his "legs" and spikes are still moving but he doesn't look good at all. i think the word squashed will be good to describe him.
    i'm adding a picture so you can understand what i'm talking about.
    please help me save Saron (or put him out of his misery...:cry:).

    [​IMG]
     
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  3. Dr. Bergeron

    Dr. Bergeron Peppermint Shrimp

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    Location:
    Lake Worth, FL
    From another site:

    "The urchin is dead or dying! Take it out, if not sure its dead, throw it in freezer as it is most humane way to euthanize it. Check your nitrates! 90% of the time urchins shed their spines due to high or elevated nitrates. They do not, like most invertebres, do well in elevated nitrate levels. If all his spines are gone, most likely he is dead from high nitrate concentration. you should of taken him out when first sign of spine loss happened. I am sorry for your loss, I am a fan of urchins and have had a couple. My first black sea urchin lost his spines and died, I later realized (too late!) that my nitrate was at 35-40ppm. It was when I first started with a 20 gal mini reef. That is why testing at least once a week is so important, sometimes 2 or 3 times if you notice any slight changes like water clarity, algea blooms, heavy fish breathing, corals closing up, invertebres dying, ect. Good luck in the future. "
     
  4. baugherb

    baugherb Giant Squid

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    sorry to say, but he looks like he's on his way out......
     
  5. maxxtk

    maxxtk Spaghetti Worm

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    thanks for the info. nitrate is a little bit high - about 10ppm, all the fish in my tank are doing fine, so is my clam and sea cucumber. only the urchin is dying :(
    i'm doing a water change. do you think i'll be able to save him?
     
  6. Linesider

    Linesider Plankton

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    Miami
    if there has been a change in salinity it would cause the spike to fall off also.
     
  7. Crimson Ghost

    Crimson Ghost Blue Ringed Angel

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    Aside from the comments above the only other thing that comes to mind is starvation. Your tank looks somewhat new in the picture, I do not see any coralline and you have super fine sand.

    Urchins feed on coralline algae and require calcium carbonate strengthen and grow the spines. You can try putting some sheet algae near it or under it and see if he eats – but it does appear rather far gone in your picture.
     
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  9. haloist

    haloist Skunk Shrimp

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    your urchin definitely looks stressed, but it's always possible to save it. i would second those advices above in watching your nitrate levels. Water changes are also a good idea. Good luck!
     
  10. maxxtk

    maxxtk Spaghetti Worm

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    Location:
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    My urchin passed away today :cry:
    i'm not sure what it was, maybe the nitrates (i measured around 10 ppm last night). my salinity is stable and i do have some good algae in the tank :sigh:

    RIP Saron.