Anybody want an urchin?

[FishyReef]

Came back from the weekend and my purple short-spined urchin has pretty much eaten over half of my Australomussa! I was afraid this was going to happen - he munched a small spot last week and seems to have developed a taste for this coral. I've got to go buy strawberries at lunch and put a strawberry basket over. I don't know if I can save it or not - this will be a good test to see just how hardy this coral is!

 

[FishyReef]

What do you guys think about coral dips and medications that supposedly stop further tissue degredation to already damaged corals? Are they worth it or do they cause more problems?

 

[little_fish]

I think it would be a good idea to pull him out and do a dip, it will help prevent brown jelly disease from setting in. LPS corals are really tough, chances are good that he will bounce back if the mouth is undamaged.

 

[Smitty]

That sucks...I hope he pulls thru, good luck with him.

 

[FishyReef]

Okay, thanks guys! I'll order some dip asap and see what I can do. I'm hoping it pulls through too. I'm going to take some pics and post them, it's really amazing how quickly the urchin decimated this coral!

 

[FishyReef]

Grocery store doesn't have any strawberries in baskets (or anything else in something similar to a plastic basket), they are all in plastic containers. Any other suggestions?

 

[chichimom79]

I hope your coral pulls through. That's rough :(
Could you put one of those clear breeder baskets over the coral?

 

[andysgirl8800]

*LOL* you have the urchin I was looking for, I think. If you remove the urchin from your system, the coral should pull through. Try to minimize any further stress to the coral.

 

[FishyReef]

I hope your coral pulls through. That's rough :(
Could you put one of those clear breeder baskets over the coral?

That's exactly what I ended up getting - went to my LFS after work and bought a contraption that is basically a frame with netting over it for breeding. Also bought a coral dip and am going to dip the coral and then protect it with the basket. I am hopeful it will grow back, time will tell!

 

[FishyReef]

*LOL* you have the urchin I was looking for, I think. If you remove the urchin from your system, the coral should pull through. Try to minimize any further stress to the coral.

Would you like him? ;)

 

[andysgirl8800]

have you got a pic?

 

[FishyReef]

Purple Short-spined Pincushion Urchin | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

Next to its yummy (now decimated) snack

 

[andysgirl8800]

wow, he had a real tasty treat right there! I was looking for one of these fellas...

 

[FishyReef]

wow, he had a real tasty treat right there! I was looking for one of these fellas...

Ooooo, love those colors!!!

 

[andysgirl8800]

He was beautiful! Until he french kissed my return pump. :(

 

[FishyReef]

He was beautiful! Until he french kissed my return pump. :(

Yikes!! :(

 

[FishyReef]

Here's a picture of the damage to the coral, along with a before picture from a week and a half ago:

Before:



After:

 

[FishyReef]

Dipped the coral over lunch and now have it covered with a netted breeding cage. Had to weight the breeding cage down with rubble so that it wouldn't float, and I had to move it to a brighter area of the tank due to the size of the breeding cage. I'm hoping that with the net over it PAR will be about the same as its last location. It didn't seem to like the dip very much and the part that still had a nice fleshy covering has receded - hopefully it will rebound now that its settled in the tank again. Anyhow here are some pics - I'll be adding new pics as time goes on to track its recovery progress!

 

[chichimom79]

I really hope it recovers for you. That is heartbreaking. Good luck.

 

[FishyReef]

I really hope it recovers for you. That is heartbreaking. Good luck.

Thanks, Angie. It really is heartbreaking looking at the before and after shots, just makes me sick :( But I am hopeful that it will come back. If it does, there are going to be some awesome comeback pictures over the next few months!