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Home > Marine Inverts & Plants > Urchins > Purple Short Spine Pincushion Urchin
Purple Short Spine Pincushion Urchin (Pseudoboletia sp.)
Purple Short Spine Pincushion Urchin
Please Note: Due to variations within species, your item may not look identical to the image provided. Approximate size range may also vary between individual specimen.
Please Note: Due to variations within species, your item may not look identical to the image provided. Approximate size range may also vary between individual specimen.
Purple Short Spine Pincushion Urchin (Pseudoboletia sp.)
Additional locales and sizes may be available!
Additional locales and sizes may be available!

Quick Stats

Care Level Easy
Temperament Semi-aggressive
Color Form Black, Pink, Purple
Diet Herbivore
Reef Compatible With Caution
Water Conditions 72-78° F, dKH 8-12, pH 8.1-8.4, sg 1.023-1.025
Max. Size 4"
Family Temnopleuridae
Supplements Calcium, Trace Elements
Minimum Tank Size 20 gallons
Compatibility View Chart
What do these Quick Stats mean? Click here for more information
Care Level Easy
Temperament Semi-aggressive
Color Form Black, Pink, Purple
Diet Herbivore
Reef Compatible With Caution
Water Conditions 72-78° F, dKH 8-12, pH 8.1-8.4, sg 1.023-1.025
Max. Size 4"
Family Temnopleuridae
Supplements Calcium, Trace Elements
Minimum Tank Size 20 gallons
Compatibility View Chart
What do these Quick Stats mean? Click here for more information

Overview

Looking for a striking and easy-to-care-for addition to your cleanup crew? The Purple Short Spine Pincushion Urchin will scavenge over rock and substrate for bits of food and algae to eat while adding interest to your home aquarium.

Pincushion Urchins have oval or round bodies covered with hundreds of uniform spines. Though the spines are short, they are still sharp, and can puncture skin. During the day, it will hide among the rocks, in crevices, or under plants in a sandy substrate. At night, it will emerge to graze on the algae present in or near its home.

The Purple Short Spine Pincushion Urchin generally roams alone, but several of them could be housed in the same aquarium if it is large enough to provide them with adequate food (algae) and shelter. It is sensitive to high levels of copper-based medications and it will not tolerate high nitrate levels. If it starts to lose a number of spines, it is often due to poor water conditions.

If algae levels are particularly low, its diet will need to be supplemented with dried seaweed.

Approximate Purchase Size: Small: 3/4" to 1-1/4"; Medium: 1-1/4" to 2-1/4"

Customer Testimonials

Brianna Brucker Everett , PA
This urchin is currently my favorite animal in my aquarium. Makes a great conversation piece as well. Very peaceful, HUGE appetite, and keeping it well-fed is no issue! If you take the time to learn everything about their anatomy and how their systems work (even just learning about Echinoderms in general), you'll come out with a newfound respect for them. I'm kind of convinced that they're aliens! Thank you LiveAquaria!
Dan G NJ
A beautiful specimen and extremely hearty! I disagree with this being listed as a herbivore, however. Mine has eaten several hermits that were molting and once killed another urchin. Use caution and make sure that it has plenty of algae and/or dried seaweed
1-2 of 2 testimonials

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