Pin cushion urchin

I put a pin cushion urchin in my reef tank and it seems to pick up everything on its spines! It looks strange moving around with bits of rubble , snails, hermit crabs stuck on it! Is it killing my snails & hermits? I don't think its spine can penetrate the snail shells, etc.
Please let me know if anyone has any experience with pin cushion urchins.I know it eats algae and can move rock...
I read wher it is reef safe, but I'm beginning to wonder as it can move faster than snails!

Thanks, Wayne:-/ :-/ :-/

 

Urchins such as the Pin cushion and tuxedo will pick up shells etc. with which they use for camouflage and added protection. Urchins as a whole eat algae, however they are opportunistic feeders and may focus on corals! They have sharp spines which may pose a problem if you have anemones and abundant coral in your tank.
Their spines are venomous in most cases, though some species contain venomous tubed feet and not spines! At any rate they will consume numerous amounts of coralline algae as well as micro and macro algae! But again be aware of their ability to knock things over and eat coral and possibly trap and capture fish.
They are pretty interesting and the fact that they are different, they add a different dimension to your tank! The huge size attained by most urchins make them a poor reef addition especially in the long run IMO!

 

i agree with CR, my petshop rents them when people have algae problems. They has very small ones that clean a whole lot, but i would only use them if a had no corals, just live rock, and either way, expect them to move your rocks as they eat the algae.

 

I find they are very helpful in a larger tank. They really do a good job at cleaning up algae and while they might eat your coralline, it will help it spread as well. Unfortunately there's nothing you can do about them picking things up along the way. I currently have one in my 180 with a small colony of zoos on it's back.

LOL renting them out. That's not a bad idea. I wonder what the rate is and what happens if the renter kills it.

 

Why not just move it to your 125 ??? I had a feeling it should not have gone in your reef.

 

Ugh, the damn thing just picked up a small frag of pink zoos I had on my sand bed now too. I'll have to snap a pick later.

 

Finally got around to taking a picture of mine.

 

Well, at least it's got some fashion sense and the shoes match the purse and the earrings