Maretia Planulata (Heart Sea Urchin)

Source reeflex.net

QUICK STATS

• Minimum Tank Size: 22 gal (~ 100L)
  
• Care Level: satisfying
  
• Water Conditions: 75.2 °F - 82.4 °F (24°C - 28°C)
  
• Max. Size: up to 6 cm
  
• Diet: food specialist
  
• Origin: Indo Pazifik, West Pazifik
  
• Insert Date: 4 june 2010
  

Whitish irregular urchin, with blotches of brown pygment at the edge. Also the flower like drawing formed by the pores of the aquiferous system is brown. A series of elongate spines, quite ruffled, are directed backward. 6 cm

We ordered an Urchin at Romberg, the store where we buy most of our aquarium stuff. We hope to get a call soon.

They didnt call yet but the salesperson found one in the aquarium. It is quite bigger then the previous one we had.

Friday we got the new Urchin, of course we haven’t seen him since that time (disappeared under the sand), but we made some pictures when we put him in.

The Urchin is doing a great job cleaning the sand. You can really see where he has been.

Since 3 months we have a new Heart Sea Urchin, our first one died probably because of the bacterial infection, so after the rebuild and controlling the second plague we decided to get a new one. He didn’t show himself during the photo session, but we have seen him against the window underneath the sand couple of times already, so he is still alive.

The urchin is acting rather strange. Yesterday he lay on his back for the biggest part of the evening. I fished him up with a net and moved and reversed him on a spot with more sand. He started moving immidiatly but this morning he was still above the sand.

He had a weird spot on his rear, which I found out this morning, wasn’t a spot but a hole. He has now lost all of his hairs and the cleaner shrimp was already busy with him, so it is officially over now for him. Cause of death is unknown, but my guess is that it has something to do with the Cyano Bacteria covering the sand now creating air pockets as well. This was also the situation when the previous urchin died, so it might be related.