Pencil Urchin reef safe

[Blujaw]

:confused: bought a pencil urchin as LFS said they were ideal for keeping live rock free from excessive coraline (reducing the live rock use) noticed today that they are moderate reef safe but my monkey sea squirts are now gone (potential food for pencil) and when they die they are highly toxic so need to remove them but if they die behind the rocks 1'm in trouble any advice welcome (keep or remove) also have a sea cucumber (pink) reef safe?:bowdown:

[Tangman]

Hi if you do a search on the google you will see its only reef safe with care as it can decimate a tank of all life. In the wild they are known to strip areas of everything, and in parts Otters have been introduced to get rid of them. So for me i would take it back to your LFS and get a refund. Macca is the expert and maybe he can advise you what you want, i had a pin cushion one but it kept moving all the rocks and toppling corals off HTH Twiggy:D:D.

[Macca]

what is reef safe???

pencil urchins will eat any sessile invert i.e sponges, squirts etc

cucumbers will eat small fauna in your sand bed.

Sand sea cucumbers usually belong to the holothuria family. These guys can eject their inner organs so can be poisonous to fish. Sticky substance that is like super glue to touch.

More dangerous are the colochirus species and sea apples bud.

[Blujaw]

Thanks Macca / Tangman
have managed to remove the Pencil Urchin \9what a job that was stuck like superglue) will ring LFS tommorow and take it back. Have put it in the change tank with the Kole tang (removed for bullying) next time i see the cucumber i wil remove that as well (it was never 1 of my fav's anyway) thanks for the advice guy's:)