harlequin shrimp?

[1quikTA_98]

Right now I have one harlequin shrimp in a 29g reef. I know about the care and that they only feed on live starfish, but my question is if it will bother a sand sifting cucumber?? I wonder this because I will often see the cucumber on the glass at night and was thinking maybe the have tube feet just as the starfish do. If so I dont need the shrimp killing the cucumber and having him throw toxic crap all over my tank. TIA.

[non-photosynt]

Don't have personal experience, but had seen somewhere on the web about feeding harlequin shrimp by pieces of frozen chocolate chips star.

What kind of sand-sifting cucumber do you have? I had golden cucumber (see in my tanks thread, in signature), when tank crashed, it died, causing no troubles for anyone. But silver-grey cucumber expelled Cuvier( sp?) tubes and added own toxins into already toxic soup.

[CGNano]

It probably won't if it is being fed correctly. This is not a guarantee, but feed it well and it should stay away.

[1quikTA_98]

Don't have personal experience, but had seen somewhere on the web about feeding harlequin shrimp by pieces of frozen chocolate chips star.

What kind of sand-sifting cucumber do you have? I had golden cucumber (see in my tanks thread, in signature), when tank crashed, it died, causing no troubles for anyone. But silver-grey cucumber expelled Cuvier( sp?) tubes and added own toxins into already toxic soup.

 

 

I have the one you get off saltwaterfish.com. He/she is a grayish color but I dont know if he is toxic or not. Im pretty sure I saw the one you are talking about on a saltwater HD channel today, where it expells these string like stuff(I was wondering what it was now I know). When I first got the cucumber I was goin to give it away after I did a little reasearch and found out they can crash a tank if they die. But I love that little guy now, my sand is pure white.

 

Anyway, today when I got home I saw the harlequin sitting on top of my cucmber, not a good sign. I know he cant be hungry because he just got done polishing off a orange lankia. But im taking no chances, I moved him in my 5g. till I can figure out what to do with him. Any suggestions????

[non-photosynt]

This how my silver-gray cuke looked after all was finished:

 

What to do with harlequin shrimp - I'm not a good adviser in this, because in any case of incompatibility I'm setting the next nano- or pico tank. This means more time, space, noise and costs involved. But problem of incompatibility or special requirements is solved.

 

This way I have now additional:

- a 2.5g for a colorful sea slug, that crashed my tank,

- a 2.5g for the sexy shrimp breeding pair (later appeared that I can't afford rearing setup). And they are too small to put in the bigger tank with crabs, hermits or a big shrimp.

- 4g shallow tank for a very large open brains/doughnut corals, 5-7" diameter each, that are too big for a common 10-20g nano and incompatible with the fish in the my 90g.

 

I'm stuck with them for a time they live - pity to kill and they are really interesting to keep. Only too much troubles with multiple tanks.

BTW, harlequin shrimp is next on my wish list, after my lionfish, that requires feeding by the live shrimp, finishes it's lifespan - can't afford expenses on special feeding in the same time.

 

You also can connect the 5g tank to the main tank as a refugium.

 

It's really amazing how the people become attached to cucumbers - more than to the fish or shrimps! I'm in a deep sorrow about my lost filter-feeding and golden sand-sifting cucumbers, and had seen such posts of the others.