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 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.