unclenedsfishfactory.com

Just noticed that my urchin has shrunkin and lost some of its spines, I made a guess that it was do to my water quality so I did a 30% water change last night to be safe.

The only guess I have as to what messed up my water was I may have overdosed the live rock supplement I put in over the weekend. Does anyone know any other reason for this, or was that the cause?

if you mean kalkwasser,
yes it is very strong...
...in fact, DO NOT GET THE DUST IN YOUR EYES OR THROAT...
AND: KEEP AWAY FROM CHILDREN.
It helps grow purple corraline algae, which is beneficial.

We usually suggest 1 teaspoon of dry kalkwasser
in a 1 gallon FRESHWATER bottle...
this makes the kalkwaser solution.

shake very well

let settle overnight

THEN add a very small ammount of the clarified solution to the tank water

say 1 ounce of kalkwasser solution
to 10 gallons of water

if you know you can't be trusted to take it easy with these strong chemicals
then get
Kent Liquid Calcium
and just add it by the drop
according to the directions

a $20 jar of dry Kalkwasser mix
should last about a year for most hobbyists

as you get more experience, you may want to add more
depending on conditions

...in general,
NEVER add anything to your tank
unless you are sure you know what you are adding
and what it is supposed to do

________________
another thing that can injure or kill inverts
is HEAT
75 degrees F. is best
over 83 degrees F. is dangerous

I, too, would be inclined to suspect heat. Urchins and inverts in general are more likely to get stressed/killed when the temp spikes. If you run hot lights and/or have no AC you will see the temp climb during the summer months.

Urchins and other inverts are also more sensitive than fish to toxins and heavy metals (copper, etc.). Are other invertebrates showing signs of stress (dying)? Look specifically at the snails. Water change plus polyfilter and fresh carbon are needed if other inverts start to drop off.

How long have you had the animal, I suspect that many urchins are so algae dependant that they starve to death when they are added as a novelty and not for control of an algae problem. Even if you have algae, the particular variety may not provide what the animal needs.

Unfortunatly, urchins that are losing their spines are generally not long for this world. Do be sure to monitor him and pull him out before he begins to decompose.

Good luck.