Harlequin shrimp help

[JohnLeoKnight]

I'm considering purchasing a harlequin shrimp, I know they typically eat chocolate chip statfish, but I know the stars aren't reef safe. Is there any chance of the star attacking fish or coral while my harelequin goes after him?

[Royce7586]

ive heard of people keeping the starfish in the sump and cutting off a part of its leg and feeding it to the shrimp, rotating feet so they have time to grow back. no personal experience tho

[JohnLeoKnight]

Originally Posted by Royce7586

ive heard of people keeping the starfish in the sump and cutting off a part of its leg and feeding it to the shrimp, rotating feet so they have time to grow back. no personal experience tho

That would be my go to but I don't have a sump:/

[tidus10]

Originally Posted by Royce7586

ive heard of people keeping the starfish in the sump and cutting off a part of its leg and feeding it to the shrimp, rotating feet so they have time to grow back. no personal experience tho

+1 keep the star in your sump I have 2 of them and honestly once the harlys get the scent of star fish they will drag it into their corner or area and not allow it to escape.

Ive read that they will actually feed the star fish to keep it alive as they eat it.

As far as rotting animal in your tank its really not a concern. Awesome animals and really interesting behavior. Ever since I got them 6 months ago ive been amused at their hunting and feeding responses.

[reefwars]

you can cut the starfish into pieces and freeze it , i did this for years with my pair not sure if they all will take frozen stars but mine did hth

[Ilsimen]

Originally Posted by reefwars

you can cut the starfish into pieces and freeze it , i did this for years with my pair not sure if they all will take frozen stars but mine did hth

This, except I would freeze it first, then cut it up. Seems more humane to me that way. Not sure I could handle cutting up something while its squirming!

[Tradewinds]

Introduce a large population of asterina starfish into your tank. This will keep your harlequin busy and not pose any danger.

[reefwars]

Originally Posted by Tradewinds

Introduce a large population of asterina starfish into your tank. This will keep your harlequin busy and not pose any danger.

i wouldnt really agree with that...lots of issues reported with asterina stars especially eating zoanthids and other soft corals , some are harmless but not all.

as well eventually a harlequin will out compete their reproducing times.

[reefwars]

Originally Posted by Ilsimen

This, except I would freeze it first, then cut it up. Seems more humane to me that way. Not sure I could handle cutting up something while its squirming!

true sorry yes cut it while frozen , besides the morals of it its also less messy and no foul fluids

[viper12775]

feed it sand sifting stars

[Tradewinds]

Originally Posted by reefwars

i wouldnt really agree with that...lots of issues reported with asterina stars especially eating zoanthids and other soft corals , some are harmless but not all.

as well eventually a harlequin will out compete their reproducing times.

More reef safe than chocolate chip starfish and not any more difficult to introduce. The benefit will be that the shrimp will have to hunt the starfish rather than munch on a frozen leg in one place. A more natural environment in my opinion.

[reefwars]

Originally Posted by Tradewinds

More reef safe than chocolate chip starfish and not any more difficult to introduce. The benefit will be that the shrimp will have to hunt the starfish rather than munch on a frozen leg in one place. A more natural environment in my opinion.

sure but releasing a chocolate chip starfish to a reef isnt a good idea either , and while both arnt good one of the two is large enough to keep track of.

the benefit you speak of isnt very long lasting as i stated they always out compete the tank for stars...they eat a large chocolate in 3-6 days so how many small asterina stars do you think at 5mm each it would take to be the equivelent?

ive yet to see anyone keep a population of asterna stars that can support a harlequin longterm if left naturally in a reef....maybe if they were bred externally but most people often have to look out of the tank for food lonterm for their shrimp

[TexanReef]

Mine won't eat frozen starfish legs.

And the starfish doesn't grow back fast enough -- that's a slow process.

Chop, Chop, Chop, Big Meal Time!

Then I get another starfish.

[Sprink669]

i have a harlequin in my 60 cube. awesome little animal. i usually buy 3-4 choc chip stars at a time, throw the extras in the sump. the stars are about 3" in size. i will drop one in the tank and in about 2 minutes the harlequin is trying to flip the star over. a star that size will last a few weeks. i will not see him out in the tank till the star is all gone. the star is pulled under a shelf i have and goes to town.

[Tradewinds]

Originally Posted by reefwars

sure but releasing a chocolate chip starfish to a reef isnt a good idea either , and while both arnt good one of the two is large enough to keep track of.

the benefit you speak of isnt very long lasting as i stated they always out compete the tank for stars...they eat a large chocolate in 3-6 days so how many small asterina stars do you think at 5mm each it would take to be the equivelent?

ive yet to see anyone keep a population of asterna stars that can support a harlequin longterm if left naturally in a reef....maybe if they were bred externally but most people often have to look out of the tank for food lonterm for their shrimp

If one is open minded debates of this sort can prove to be very educational. I agree that the asterina will be decimated within several months depending on the population. It took my HS three months to eradicate a 400+ population of asterina starfish. With that in mind I think it was a much more natural environment for the HS to hunt for it's food. I am not opposed to supplementing chocolate chip stars, but do prefer to keep the HS surroundings as natural as possible, not to mention it was much more interesting to observe.

Many people in your local reef club will be happy to donate asterina to your feeding regiment, so it could also be more cost effective. I also wonder about the waste introduced into the tank depending on the type of starfish you feed.

Thank you for the dialog.

[tidus10]

My babies
ImageUploadedByTapatalk1414113477.908789.jpg

[aquatictec]

Chocolate chip starfish are not reef safe. If you only have 1 starfish in the tank at a time the shrimp will keep it from eating your corals. Wait a day or 2 after the starfish is gone before adding another starfish.

Harlequins can eat a lot of starfish or they can subside on a lot less. We used to feed our pair about 40 asterina stars a week. They lived and grew and bred but only produced around 1 to 2 hundred larvae at a time. Since we ran out of asterinas and started giving them chocolate chip starfish which last anywhere from 3 to 7 days they have released up to 2 thousand larvae at a time. I would wager that even a small chocolate chip starfish has more mass than hundreds of asterinas

You can add 1 chocolate chip at a time to a reef tank containing hungry harlequins shrimp. They should immediately grab it and tote it off to be devoured.

As everyone else suggested it is safe to keep the extra starfish in your sump so you don't have to make so many trips to the pet store for food.

We are working (research project currently underway) on producing harlequin shrimp that eat something other than starfish.


Greg Smith
Aquatic Technology