Harlequin shrimp eating asterinas (Hymenocera picta pair pics)

[Duna_]

Hi!

4 months ago I bought two small harlequin shrimp to help me with the blueish asterinas that were eating my zoas and other corals.

They were very tiny, and one which was very weak died the following day.
I kept the other one in a 3 gal pico reef and feeded it with asterinas, and molted 3 times. But it was still very small ...
The problem with the Asterina in the main tank was getting worse, so I let free the little shrimp (finger nail size) in the tank.


Last week a friend of mine told me that he was going to sell his tank and everything inside ... and when he said there was also a big Hymenocera picta, I couldn't believe my luck. I thought my shrimp to be a male, and that wonderful big one had to be a female.


So I took the female and put her in the tank, and when I came home that morning, at 8 am from work, I looked with a torch and saw both shrimps together, the little one (supposed to be male) was following the female as if he was her little dog ...


Today I've been able to take some pics, hope you like them:


The little male is a very effective asterina hunter, he catches two at a time!

The female is three times bigger ...

The pair together ... the "male" goes wherever she goes ...

I really like them. It's the only good thing about having these naughty asterinas ...

 

[Sugar Magnolia]

Love those shrimp! Congrats on pairing them up.

 

[terrypercula]

I wish I had enough stars to feed one. Easily my favorite shrimp.

 

[Calappidae]

I wish I had enough stars to feed one. Easily my favorite shrimp.

I go and buy a CC starfish, freeze it, and feed them a leg. Whenever I see them walking around I'll give them a leg as that means their finished and need fed when they walk around. Usually cost 20 dollars a month for me to feed them as I need to give them legs every few days since it rots quicker being dead and all.

 

[650-IS350]

Sweet, love the pics. Beautiful Shrimp... too bad my Mystery would have an expensive meal if I ever got them.

 

[Dapg8gt]

Nice pics.. I love my hurley =).. It's getting slim on asterina in my tank so I put him into my frag tank.. It's crazy how fast/much they eat.. Just one demolished my population in my tank in a few months. There was easily 500+ in my tank. I too am gonna buy cc starfish to feed him.. I think I'm going to but like 5 from the wholesaler and keep them in my garage sump and chop/rotate the stock hoping to keep them alive through the process.. We shall see..

 

[willyboy]

Wow, beautiful animals!

 

[accordsirh22]

Nice pics.. I love my hurley =).. It's getting slim on asterina in my tank so I put him into my frag tank.. It's crazy how fast/much they eat.. Just one demolished my population in my tank in a few months. There was easily 500+ in my tank. I too am gonna buy cc starfish to feed him.. I think I'm going to but like 5 from the wholesaler and keep them in my garage sump and chop/rotate the stock hoping to keep them alive through the process.. We shall see..

good luck. i have been experimenting with this and it has been 2 months or more since i cut the first leg off my 1st CC. the leg healed relatively quickly but has yet to really start showing signs of growth. i feed all my CC/generals a couple times a week with oysters and scallops, plus whatever other algae and pellets they scavenge, so they are healthy and well fed. you would need an army of them to rotate leg chopping (even at only 1 leg a month) and make it sustainable.

 

[Calappidae]

good luck. i have been experimenting with this and it has been 2 months or more since i cut the first leg off my 1st CC. the leg healed relatively quickly but has yet to really start showing signs of growth. i feed all my CC/generals a couple times a week with oysters and scallops, plus whatever other algae and pellets they scavenge, so they are healthy and well fed. you would need an army of them to rotate leg chopping (even at only 1 leg a month) and make it sustainable.

Those are canibilistic starfish too... they may need divided.

I freeze my stars and get my harlys a leg whenever I see them walking around. It rots and decays quicker so that means more feedings.

 

[accordsirh22]

what?? your post doesnt make much sense.

i was referring to the growth rate of severed limbs from the main body. i attempted to divide one once but it didnt work out too well. although my shrimp got a nice bigger than usual meal lol

 

[Calappidae]

what?? your post doesnt make much sense.

i was referring to the growth rate of severed limbs from the main body. i attempted to divide one once but it didnt work out too well. although my shrimp got a nice bigger than usual meal lol

The stars could be eating each other... I don't think things grow while being eaten by shrimp and tankmates. Reason why I personally just freeze them.. its cheaper on electric running another tank (unless in your sump) and it takes up less space.

 

[Duna_]

I would chop the stars and then freeze. I've also tried feeding them frozen asterinas and they also eat them.

 

[Calappidae]

I would chop the stars and then freeze. I've also tried feeding them frozen asterinas and they also eat them.

I wouldn't bother freezing the asterina.. I would put them in another tank and let them breed like crazy. If you control how many they eat then you should have a good supply of stars. Larger starfish I freeze because harlys are very torturous to their prey. Asterinas are atleast gone in a few hours.

See http://www.chucksaddiction.com/harlequinshrimp.html for extra info.

 

[telamont]

Im not sure if you already heard this but in my experience the shrimp cannot live off those starfish alone
I got worried and wrote this asap instead of reading the rest of the posts.

 

[telamont]

Ive also seen some harlequins not eat frozen legs.

 

[Calappidae]

Ive also seen some harlequins not eat frozen legs.

They need trained. I put mine in small half gallon containers with nothing but a frozen leg when I first get them. Then they get used to it and instantly get the starfish's sent. After about two feedings I'll release them in a bigger tank of appropriate size and target feed them... then I'll hand feed them and eventually they'll start looking all over the tank for the stars. You also need to feed them ONLY a peice of leg every 2 or 3 days as the whole thing will decay being dead and all before the shrimp get to most of it and waste it.

No, they can't live entirely off asterinas in the tank, but if you control how many they eat and you got a good population of asterinas in another tank then its possible. I throw in asterinas and feed mine frozen star legs regulary and they eat the asterinas inbetween as a snack.. if they get outa control all I do is stop feeding frozen for awhile. Its much more humane with the frozen diet and I don't feel so bad about them eating the asterinas as its a nice quick death instead of a slow torturous 2 week long feast.

 

[accordsirh22]

The stars could be eating each other... I don't think things grow while being eaten by shrimp and tankmates. Reason why I personally just freeze them.. its cheaper on electric running another tank (unless in your sump) and it takes up less space.

i think you misunderstand. the starfish are in different tanks from the shrimp. it would be retarded to keep them all in the same tank if my goal was to "propagate" the starfish, like the post i commented on

 

[Calappidae]

the starfish are in different tanks from the shrimp.

The STARS need separated also.. stars are sometimes canibolistic