harlequen shrimp and choco chip stars

[Moonstream]

I would love to get a pair of harlequen shrimp, and was wondering if getting a choco chip star leg every other week would be an okay food source? could I feed the brittle stars? would they be able to co exist w/ a serpent star?

what could I feed the stars (their would be 3-4)? waht would I feed the stars? how often? would a 10-14 gallon tank be big enough for them?

 

[ILoveLlamas]

from what i understand, harlequin shrimp will not co-exist with any species of star. Most people just feed them a whole chocolate chip star every once and a while...

 

[Moonstream]

thanks.

 

[tcmfish]

I am also wondering this how big of a tank do they need and how often do they need food?

 

[650-IS350]

Some people buy them in bulk.. freeze em and drop a leg every week or so... Some keep the stars in a sump separate, then cut a leg out and feed to the shrimp while giving the star time to rejuvenate... but thats having a bunch of em..

 

[StorminMormon]

you would need to supplement if you kep a bunch of them too....

 

[SDguy]

My pair gets one whole CC star about once every three weeks. It's the easiest way. The star stays alive until even just the tiniest piece is left. I've been unable to find anyone who sells CC stars "in bulk" so I see no advantage to buying many and freezing them. If you feed them frozen stars, you'll have to feed them small pieces, since I'd hate to think of a previously frozen dead star just sitting in the tank for a week or more while they eat.

 

[yellowslayer13]

i would get them a herd of stars 3 or 4 and they will farm them

 

[tcmfish]

and would a ten gallon be suitable?

 

[Moonstream]

how touchy are these shrimp? I only want to keep them if I know that I can. would a stable 20g be okay?

 

[J. Montgomery]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10638981#post10638981 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Moonstream
how touchy are these shrimp? I only want to keep them if I know that I can. would a stable 20g be okay?

IME, most shrimp and crabs can be touchy due to the stress of molting. A small tank would be better for observing harlequins since they can be rather shy.

Some people consider keeping harlequin shrimps to border on unethical due to their limited diet of sea stars. Sea stars don't handle collection and shipping well, so for every one you see alive in a store, many others died along the way. . . but to each his own.

 

[charlesr1958]

This is the unedited version of what I have put together so far on the harlequin shrimp. Hopefully the information it does contain, will be of use.

The Care & Breeding of the Harlequin Shrimp

Chuck

 

[SDguy]

Very nice read!

So there is no truth to the stories I've heard that they inject the seastar with paralyzing venom/toxin?

One thing you can add to the use of their large claws. Mine use their claws to push against the ground, while lifting the seatar with their back legs, in order to turn it upside down. Really neat to watch, and they clearly know what they are doing. A very quick process.

 

[charlesr1958]

Thanks Peter, I've seen mine do that with every starfish and just took it for granted. And no, they do not have a toxin. Its just pure brute strength to flip them over and start cutting their way into the starfish.

Chuck

 

[wardworld]

Chuck, great info on the Harlequin...a question: If you purchased one shrimp singly, can you add another and "mate" them? Or is that something that must be done prior to introducing them to the aquarium?