Has any 1 housed a harlequin shrimp without supplemental feeds, meaning that ur tank and the sand bed was seeded with mini-stars so well that there was no necessity for extra food...Considering that a pair of harlequins can feed on average sea star a whole month.
Harlequin shrimp husbandry...
- Thread starter drperetz
- Start date
- Location
- Stamford CT
What do you mean by mini stars?
Kedd
Kedd
- Location
- Stamford CT
Can't say I have them in my sand bed, but all over my rock, and no these will not support the shrimp.
They need a feeding every 2-4 weeks.
I use sand stars.
Kedd
They need a feeding every 2-4 weeks.
I use sand stars.
Kedd
- Location
- Stamford CT
Sounds good.
Kedd
Kedd
- Location
- NY
Totally agree with Kedd. The little white ones I thought you were talking about were asterinas......and that wouldn't be enough either.
swimmer
swimmer
- Location
- NY
Everyones idea of 'propagate' and sufficient is different. A pair of harlequin shrimp can devour a good size chocolate chip star every 3-4 weeks. Use that as your basis for comparison on how many asterinas you'd need. I wouldn't count on that being adequate.......JMO
swimmer
- Location
- poughquag, ny
my single harliquin shrimp went through 2 complete sand sifting starfish in 2 weeks and started on a third till i got rid of him
sorry to bring this thread back from the dead. But i have to agree..
I got a Harly strickly to rid my tank of about (100+) Asterinas. Possibly double that, i stopped at 100.
Well i have had this shrimp for a month now, and i fear he is starving. I havent seen a single Asterina in a week.
After the first week, all the stars went to the tanks glass where the shrimp could not reach them. This made it EZ for me to pluck them off with a tweezer and hand feed the shrimp (he actually started coming out when i would put my hand in the tank). It was fun handfeeding him, but it went from me picking which star i wanter to feed him to an almost 15 minute search of the rocks for a single star.
Efficient is not the word for these shrimp when it comes to pest controle.
Well 2 days ago i was forced to buy him a chocolate chip star . I gave him the whole star 2 days ago (because i'm to skeeved out to cut it's legs)lol, which he dragged behind a rock. Today i moved the rock and the Harley had partially eaten the tips of 3 of it's 5 legs.
So as far as supporting a Harley on just your tank's Astrinas. The supply will soon run out.
I got a Harly strickly to rid my tank of about (100+) Asterinas. Possibly double that, i stopped at 100.
Well i have had this shrimp for a month now, and i fear he is starving. I havent seen a single Asterina in a week.
After the first week, all the stars went to the tanks glass where the shrimp could not reach them. This made it EZ for me to pluck them off with a tweezer and hand feed the shrimp (he actually started coming out when i would put my hand in the tank). It was fun handfeeding him, but it went from me picking which star i wanter to feed him to an almost 15 minute search of the rocks for a single star.
Efficient is not the word for these shrimp when it comes to pest controle.
Well 2 days ago i was forced to buy him a chocolate chip star . I gave him the whole star 2 days ago (because i'm to skeeved out to cut it's legs)lol, which he dragged behind a rock. Today i moved the rock and the Harley had partially eaten the tips of 3 of it's 5 legs.
So as far as supporting a Harley on just your tank's Astrinas. The supply will soon run out.
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I bought a pair probably 1.5- 2 months ago and they've gone through all my asterina stars and 2 chocolate chips. I'm feeding them another this week, prob. tomorrow evening. It's not cheap but they're amazing creatures.
They're still small. I'm sure when they get bigger they will eat more.
They're still small. I'm sure when they get bigger they will eat more.
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