Description
The Best-Dressed Algae Eater - 0.5" - 1.0"
Introduce a touch of class and unmatched cleaning power to your aquarium with the Tuxedo Urchin. Arguably one of the most beautiful and popular urchins in the hobby, this dapper creature features a dark, velvety body contrasted by vibrant, iridescent bands of blue, purple, or red, resembling a finely tailored tuxedo. Its spines are short, neat, and much less sharp than other urchins, making it a significantly safer and more manageable choice for the home aquarium.
The Tuxedo Urchin is not just a pretty face; it's a diligent and effective member of any cleanup crew. It spends its days and nights methodically grazing on nuisance film and hair algae from your rockwork and glass. It's particularly famous for the charming behavior of "covering," where it picks up shells, small stones, and even loose coral frags to wear as a hat for camouflage. For a beautiful, personable, and highly functional algae grazer, the Tuxedo Urchin is an absolute reef tank classic.
Why the Tuxedo Urchin is a Reef Tank Favorite:
- Stunning Appearance: Its vibrant, striped patterns make it one of the most colorful and attractive urchins available.
- Efficient Algae Grazer: A perfect, all-around cleaner for film algae, hair algae, and especially for keeping coralline algae from overgrowing the glass.
- Safer Spines: Its short, blunt spines make it much less of a hazard to the aquarist during tank maintenance compared to its long-spined relatives.
- Charming "Hat-Wearing" Behavior: Its habit of carrying shells and rubble adds a delightful and whimsical personality to your tank.
- Great for Most Tank Sizes: Its manageable size makes it suitable for a wide range of aquariums, from nano tanks to large reef systems.
Care & Specifications
The Tuxedo Urchin is hardy and easy to care for, making it an excellent choice for beginners and experts alike.
A Note on Urchin Behavior:
- Gentle Bulldozer: While much more delicate than its larger cousins, a Tuxedo Urchin will still unintentionally move or knock over small, unsecured items. It is highly recommended that all small coral frags are securely glued down.
- Coralline Algae Eater: This urchin is an excellent grazer and will consume desirable coralline algae from the rockwork and glass. This is great for keeping viewing panes clean but is a consideration for those who prize a fully encrusted look.
- Acrylic Tanks: While less of a risk than larger urchins, its teeth can still potentially scratch acrylic surfaces. Caution is advised.
Tank Requirements:
- Minimum Tank Size: 10 Gallons or larger.
- System Maturity: Best introduced into a stable, mature aquarium with a source of algae for grazing.
- Aquascape: Requires established live rock to provide grazing surfaces and places to hide.
Feeding:
- Diet: Herbivore.
- Primary Foods: Will primarily feed on the algae present in your aquarium.
- Supplemental Feeding: In very clean or new tanks, its diet must be supplemented to prevent starvation. Offer dried seaweed (nori) on a veggie clip or sinking algae wafers.
Water Parameters:
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Temperature: 72−78°F (22−25.5°C)
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Specific Gravity: 1.023−1.025
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pH: 8.1−8.4
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Water Quality: Intolerant of high nitrates and copper-based medications.
Compatibility:
- Temperament: Peaceful.
- Reef Safe: With Caution. It is 100% safe with corals in that it will not eat them, but it can be a physical threat to small, unsecured frags.
- Tank Mates: Avoid housing with known urchin predators like large Triggerfish, Pufferfish, and some large Wrasses.
Acclimation: IMPORTANT: Urchins are extremely sensitive to changes in water chemistry. To ensure their survival, a very slow drip acclimation over a period of at least 60-90 minutes is absolutely mandatory.
