Feeding harlequin shrimps

[Zante]

I'm considering the possibility of adding a pair of harlequin shrimps to one of my tanks, but we all know that they o ly eat starfish.

I'm not sure my sump and other tanks will be able to keep up the production of asterina with their appetite, so I'm considering alternative sources.

I'm not too distant from the sea, so I was wondering if I could pick a few starfish from the rock pools on the coast and feed one every week or so to the shrimps.

If I catch say four or five stars, will they live in the sump or will the reef temperatures get to them before I can feed them to the shrimps? I'm talking about stars coming from the southern English coast.

Any reason why this might be a stupid idea?

 

[Calappidae]

I don't see too much of a problem with it personally. If they're cooler water stars then they may not work out being stored in the sump for long periods of time. (in which case 74 degrees would probably be enough to keep the shrimp alive, and the star alive long enough during feedings, you just wouldn't be able to keep 5 or so at a time.)

It takes them close to 2 weeks to eat a starfish, depending on size.

 

[Zante]

I can't keep the water too cold because the tanks are sharing the sump, so they are all at the same temperature, but, if they take two weeks to eat a starfish (one for a pair, I guess), then it's not much of a problem. I have a thriving population of asterinas in both tanks and in the sump, and those can fill the gap when larger stars are not available. Actually I was thinking og using the larger stars as gap-fillers to let the arterina population keep up with their appetite.

How long do you think I'd be able to keep cold water stars at 77, as a ballpark figure? Just to get an idea of the maximum number to catch each time I go to the sea.

 

[Calappidae]

I really don't know the answer to that, it would have to be one of those trial and error type things.

I will say harlequins need 15 asterinas a day.