Harliquin Shrimp breaking the rules, why and how.

[ptownfro]

So my harliquin shrimps have started to try other foods but starfish. Specificly montipora frags and only frags no colonys. They also ate a featherduster worm. Has anybody else had experience with this?

 

I can say they ate all the astrea stars and i fed a choc. star to them and the monti frags stop dissapearing during the night. Was it just hunger so they adapted to what was available.

[Boggers]

I have never had them, but I am sure if they are hungry enough they will go looking and try other things. not a good thing for them as that would be like starvation hungry.

[ptownfro]

the odd part is is that this was after like 3 to 4 days after i last spotted a astrea was when they started doing that. i dont think they can really starve in 4 days.

 

i originally grabbed this pair because it went after a variety of food items all tube feet animals though. . I was more wondering from a biologist point of can these animals be adapting to feed on more readily available foods. i only ask because in its planktonic form it feeds on many food items some being a little less then its own size. Is it possible these harliquins just kept a taste for other foods.

[harleychic]

Harlequins can decimate an astrea population in no time. My single large harlequin can eat a 4" cc star in about 5 days. Did you see them actually eating these other things? Sounds like they are really hungry.

[Angel<3Nanos]

1+ on hunger.

[rolyat113]

Considering starfish are one of their staple food items in nature, I wouldn't be surprised at all by this activity.

[Nanofreak79]

I feed mine a whole CC every two weeks, or about a week after he's finished the last. I've never heard of, or seen them eat anything else. Post some pics of him eating other foods, I'd be interested.