Spined like a crown, this urchin is mostly active at night in search for food. Its diet consists of algae, organic waste, snails, mussels, tubeworms but also corals and sponges, making it therefore a risk to keep in a reef aquarium.
House the Pencil Urchin in matured aquariums due to their algae consumption. Due to the sensitivity of these animals to changes, we recommend keeping the water parameters – especially the salinity level – constant.
Be careful when keeping them in a fish-only system as they are on the menu of trigger fishes and big wrasses. Sea urchins do not have brains but it is believed their entire nervous system acts like a brain. They are able to avoid predators and finding hiding places without any apparent eyes, but the question is, how? Research has shown they have light-sensitive molecules in their spines and as a result their entire body acts as one big eye.
| LATIN NAME | SIZE |
| Prionocidaris baculosa | Up to 20 cm. |
| REGION | WATER CONDITIONS |
| Indo-West Pacific Ocean | Temperature: 22 – 28 °C pH: 8,0 – 8,4 Sg: 1.023 – 1.025 |
| FUN FACT | |
| This is a debatable ‘fun’ fact 😅 They have the reputation of being a bulldozer, making them more suitable for Fish Only Tanks. Their spines can break off but regenerate again. |
