TankBud

Elongated heart urchin

Lovenia elongata

Also known as Heart urchin, Lovenia heart urchin

SaltwaterInvertebrate

Care at a glance

Temperature
72–81°F
22–27°C
pH
8.1–8.4
Adult size
2.8 in
7 cm
Minimum tank
53 gal
200 L
Temperament
Peaceful
Social behavior
Solitary
Tankmates
With caution
Swim level
Bottom
Difficulty
Difficult
Breeding
No record
Rarity
Very rare
Reef safe
Reef safe
Family
Loveniidae
Origin
Indo-West Pacific, Red Sea to the Philippines and southern Japan

Overview

The elongated heart urchin is a burrowing urchin that usually starves in a home aquarium. It is for experienced keepers only, and it is better left in the sea.

Did you know

Like other heart urchins, the elongated heart urchin has a front and a back. It leads with its grooved front end, and its long rear spines sweep backward. It can plow forward under the sand at a pace few other urchins can match.

Caring for the elongated heart urchin

If you try an elongated heart urchin, give it a tank of 53 gal (200 L) or more. It needs a wide, mature sand bed at least 10 cm deep, gentle flow and nothing that digs. Expect to see it rarely.

Hold the water at 72 to 81°F (22 to 27°C) and a pH of 8.1 to 8.4, with steady salinity. Drip acclimate it over an hour or more, and keep copper out of the tank.

It is a full-time deposit feeder that eats organic matter from the sediment, and it has no jaw for scraping algae. A home sand bed cannot feed it for long, so most of these urchins die within months even when the water is right.

The elongated heart urchin is peaceful and harmless to every tank mate. It has no defense against puffers, triggers or crabs, so keep it away from them.

Good to know

Lovenia elongata is a heart urchin in the family Loveniidae, order Spatangoida. Its test is teardrop shaped, with a deep groove at the front, and it is dark rose pink. Sparse long banded spines sit over a felt of short ones. It is not a target of the aquarium trade, and the few that show up arrive as extras with sand or rubble. One hobby database notes no successful long-term captive record.

In the wild

The elongated heart urchin lives just under the surface of sandy and muddy bottoms. Its range runs from the Red Sea through Singapore and the Philippines to southern Japan, from the shallows down into deeper water. It burrows with its spines.

Common questions

What size tank does an elongated heart urchin need?

An elongated heart urchin needs at least 53 gal (200 L). It spends most of its time in the bottom.

What temperature and pH does an elongated heart urchin need?

An elongated heart urchin is comfortable at 72–81°F (22–27°C) with a pH of 8.1–8.4.

What does an elongated heart urchin eat?

An elongated heart urchin is a deposit feeder that eats organic matter from the sediment. It has no jaw for scraping algae, and a home sand bed cannot feed it for long.

How big does an elongated heart urchin get?

An adult elongated heart urchin reaches about 2.8 in (7 cm).

Related species