Blue Tuxedo Urchin

Blue Tuxedo Urchin (Mespilia globulus), a popular and highly functional addition to marine aquariums: 1. Appearance & Coloration Body: Features a small, round, spherical test adorned with distinct rows of clustered tube feet and spines. Coloration: They are famous for their vibrant color combinations, typically sporting deep royal blue or electric blue skin/soft tissue paired with contrasting bands of red, orange, or olive-green spines. Size: They are a compact species, growing to a maximum diameter of about 2 to 3 inches (excluding spines), making them ideal for nano tanks as well as large systems. 2. Tank Requirements Minimum Tank Size: Can be kept in tanks as small as 20 to 30 gallons, provided there is a stable food source. Water Parameters: Temperature: 72°F – 78°F (22°C – 26°C) Salinity (Specific Gravity): 1.020 – 1.025 pH: 8.1 – 8.4 Water Quality: Like all echinoderms, they are sensitive to sudden swings in salinity and high levels of copper or nitrates. Aquascaping: They require plenty of live rock surfaces with established algae growth to graze on. 3. Diet & Feeding Natural Diet: Dedicated herbivores that scour rockwork and glass for various types of algae, including stubborn nuisance algae like coralline, hair algae, and microalgae films. Captive Diet: If natural algae runs out in the aquarium, they must be supplemented with dried Nori (seaweed) clipped to the rocks or sinking algae wafers to prevent starvation. 4. Reef Compatibility Status: Reef Safe (With a "Hat" Habit) Algae Control: Excellent workers for cleaning up rock surfaces, though they can graze down desirable coralline algae patches. The "Hat" Behavior: They have a well-known quirk of picking up loose items—such as frag plugs, small shells, loose coral frags, or sand—and placing them on top of their bodies for camouflage. If you have unglued frags on your sandbed or low rocks, a tuxedo urchin will likely rearrange them! 5. Temperament & Tank Mates Temperament: Completely peaceful, slow-moving, and docile. Compatibility: Safe with virtually all fish, corals, and invertebrates. Avoid housing them with specialized urchin predators, such as large triggerfish or aggressive pufferfish, which will pick them apart.