Harlequin shrimp

[FUGU!!!]

Dose anyone keep harlequin shrimp?I know there feeding habits and evereything but I don't really know much else.

Should I tanke the plunge and supply the shrimp with starfish or are they not worth it?I plan to keep them (and a bunch of other shrimp) in my new tank.

 

 

thanks

[mattyice]

they should be in a species only tank to really make sure they get the right attention, if you plan on keeping them make sure you realize that they will need a starfish prolly once a week (a pair) and once every two weeks for a single shrimp. they are very sensative to water changes and need pristine water

[CGNano]

I've had three.

 

They're really great, but as matty said, they're VERY sensitive to change.

 

They'll need a constant supply of stars and they are very prone to predation.

[FUGU!!!]

Will they be picked on by other stuff?Cuz the colour right.I want to try them out,I can supply them with full grown linkas weekly.

Other than that they requier the basic shrimp treatment right?

 

edit:I just read CG's poast,yeah.Thats what I susspected,are they worth the trouble?Or are there better alternatives.

[CGNano]

Personally, i've kept so many animals by now that I can't really decide if they were my favorite. They were pretty far up there, though. I'd recommend it if you're experienced enough. Make sure you get the star out before it decomposes.

[scarf_ace1981]

i wil share my experience.

 

i've had two for many many months now. they are in my seahorse tank w/ some gobies and a chalk bass. i even have a cleaner shrimp and mean as pistol shrimp w/ them and they are doing fine. now that i look @ them i see how much they have grown. when i first purchased them they were about the size of my nail.

 

@ first i would feed them the legs of linkia i had in my larger tanks but now i feed them chocolate chip stars. since the cc stars are not reef safe i keep them in the fuge. every couple weeks i'll cut a leg off one of the stars and drop it in the tank. they find it whitin seconds.

[FUGU!!!]

I see,thats really cool cuz you don't hafto spend all this cash on stars every month when you can just cut the legs off and let them re-grow.Too bad stars don't live very long...

[scarf_ace1981]

most stars will last long enough for you to feed t completely to the harleqin.

 

for ex:

1 leg week 1

1 leg week 2

1 leg week 3

so on and so on until you get to the disk and then feed them that

 

cc stars onlycost me like $4-6

[FUGU!!!]

most stars will last long enough for you to feed t completely to the harleqin.

 

for ex:

1 leg week 1

1 leg week 2

1 leg week 3

so on and so on until you get to the disk and then feed them that

 

cc stars onlycost me like $4-6

Not bad,maby I will get some.You know,once I get the tank setup

[CGNano]

They're a bit of work, though. Just make sure you can invest time for them.

[the_anti_honda]

 

 

This is a pre molting pic. But I fed mine those little stars that eat coraline algae. One or two a day would work. If you can keep a little tank or refugium with enough those work well. I have kept Harlequins for years. Not that difficult of an animal to keep. I think people that can't keep them alive probably couldn't microwave a burrito.

[FUGU!!!]

Perfect!^^^ I can infect my tank with little bastard stars for a month,then introduce the harlequin.Or will there be enough?

 

I have been looking into them for a little while,and I have a list of my stocking order for the 30tall or maby if I get a christmas bonus the ADA 45g tank:

 

-2 true percs

-1 fanged blenny

-maby a domino damsel

-a pipe fish (probably a dragon face cuz of the high flow)

-a manderin once I get established (probably not,because of the pipe fish)

-some peterson shrimp

-SPS corals

-LPS corals

-zoas and softies

-maby an anemone

[the_anti_honda]

I had hundreds in a tank at one time and a pair kept it down to almost nothing within a year. But they never got hungry always had enough. If you ever run low just take some from friends or the LFS. You can always feed CC stars if you think its not enough. Also I HATE coraline with a passions so the stars keep that crap down.

 

Oh and I would say scratch the damsel for the reason its a damsel and scratch the anemone for the pipe fish and harlequins sake. I don't like to keep them with SPS either. Don't want to worry about it moving around stinging things..

[FUGU!!!]

^^good to know

Why do you hate corillane?Its purdy and.....purdy.

 

 

 

The problem is that sh*t is OUTRAGEOUSLY overprived out here.Imean like $30 for a starfish.So thats why I want hitchiker starfish like mr.fosi has.

[CGNano]

If it's 30.00 a starfish, you're gonna be bad off.

 

I spend 15.00 a star on mine.

[FUGU!!!]

How do you breed starfish?

[CGNano]

It's not going to work, don't try it.

 

Even the mass-breeding programs can't do it.

 

Unless you're talking about the small asterinas. If so, those breed pretty readily on their own.

[FUGU!!!]

asterenas are those little 6 legged ones right?

[CGNano]

Yes.

[Fishfreak218]

JEEZ! $15 and $30!!!!

I get mine for $5

[clifford513]

I notice my population of asterinas seems to rise and fall. Anyone else notice this?

[scarf_ace1981]

clifford it does occur. just like pod populations, one day you'll see tons everywhere and then a couple weeks later you may not see many.

 

 

 

Not that difficult of an animal to keep. I think people that can't keep them alive probably couldn't microwave a burrito.

 

couldn't have said it better. i had this one guy compare them to sps eating filefish. what a dumbass.

 

how hard is it to have a couple stars in the fuge and dump one in every once in a while for the harlequin to eat

[FUGU!!!]

how hard is it to have a couple stars in the fuge and dump one in every once in a while for the harlequin to eat

Its easier than opening a lid.

I think I will get them,I can get a bunch of those asterina stars and let them infest my tank,then I see a sharp increase I will introduce the harlequins.

 

Thanks guys

[CGNano]

I never said they were hard, I just said you have to be attentive.

 

anddd, good luck Fugu.

[clifford513]

I imagine the rise and fall in asterina population is due to availability of food. With a "predator" in the tank, it could be like the African savannah