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Anonymous
Guest
Im just curious on how often you should feed Harlequin shrimps. I know they feed on echinoderms..how often..?? is this an expensive venture?
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Anonymous
Guest
So i take it that no one has any experience with the Harlequin shrimp????
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Anonymous
Guest
This is a friggin sick venture because you have to buy linkias for them and sacrifice them to the shrimp.
I'm not sure exactly how fast they devour a linkia, but I do know that they keep them somewhat alive for a few days while they feed on the tube feet of the starfish, then they let the rest of the body go.
So the rotting starfish carcasses can cause water problems.
Let's say you have to buy a good sized linkia once a week to feed two of these shrimp....that alone is a big expense to feed shrimp...and what happens if your LFS doesn't have any linkias that week?
And what happens if one of those starfish corpses get's wedged somewhere you can't reach?
There is some chick that has a website all about keeping them, but I forgot the site.
IMO, it's pretty sick to get animals that eat nothing but other animals and these particular shrimp give the starfish a torturous dead.
I'm not sure exactly how fast they devour a linkia, but I do know that they keep them somewhat alive for a few days while they feed on the tube feet of the starfish, then they let the rest of the body go.
So the rotting starfish carcasses can cause water problems.
Let's say you have to buy a good sized linkia once a week to feed two of these shrimp....that alone is a big expense to feed shrimp...and what happens if your LFS doesn't have any linkias that week?
And what happens if one of those starfish corpses get's wedged somewhere you can't reach?
There is some chick that has a website all about keeping them, but I forgot the site.
IMO, it's pretty sick to get animals that eat nothing but other animals and these particular shrimp give the starfish a torturous dead.
I have limited experience with these shrimp. They ate chocolate chip stars for me. You can ask your lfs to order you "defective" starfish (missing appendage), which are some times available. In terms of a feeding regimen, these shrimp are very small and should have a constant food source- ie keep a few starfish in the an at all times. It takes them a long time to consume an entire starfish.
Lord,
I've kept a few of the Harlequin shrimp. My experience is contrary to what Manny is suggesting. They make very efficient use of the entire star. They lop off one arm at a time without damaging the rest. The arm seems to be entirely consumed. I believe they probably consume something like one small linka per week. It just disappears like magic. It was fascinating to watch IMO. I used to get a maroon star (linkia like) that the wholesaler called feeder stars. They must have been pretty common because they were chocolate chip cheap.
I met a hobbyist in German that was able to keep a Harlequin shrimp alive due to a large population of the tiny Asterina stars that were reproducing faster than the shrimp could eat them in his multiple tank propagation system. The shrimp looked great and he explained he had it for several years. They really are cute little devils.
Mitch
I've kept a few of the Harlequin shrimp. My experience is contrary to what Manny is suggesting. They make very efficient use of the entire star. They lop off one arm at a time without damaging the rest. The arm seems to be entirely consumed. I believe they probably consume something like one small linka per week. It just disappears like magic. It was fascinating to watch IMO. I used to get a maroon star (linkia like) that the wholesaler called feeder stars. They must have been pretty common because they were chocolate chip cheap.
I met a hobbyist in German that was able to keep a Harlequin shrimp alive due to a large population of the tiny Asterina stars that were reproducing faster than the shrimp could eat them in his multiple tank propagation system. The shrimp looked great and he explained he had it for several years. They really are cute little devils.
Mitch
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