Let's talk about Harlequin shrimp

I have a super abundance of asterina stars in my 125. So much that they are beginning to eat zoas and some sps. I have began picking them out and have picked out a few hundred, knowing there are a few thousand left. I am thinking about getting one harley to let him get the population under control and then get him back out of the tanks. My one problem is that I have 2 sandsifting stars that have been in there for 6 months. Do you guys think that the harley would go after the asterina pop. before it starts on the sandsifters or vise-versa??
 
Do the sand sifting stars stay above or below the sand most of the time? If the latter, the harlequin will (probably, as all are different) go for the asterinas first.

I had a Harlequin and a serpent star together for a long time. Essentially the star was left alone because it hid most of the time and was too quick for the shrimp to bother with.

Each individual case can/will be different.
 
You should be OK, but watch them. Worst case, you can temporarily move the sand sifters to your sump if need be.
 
what is the normal behavior for a harlequin? Do they come out at night, where do they make their home?

I put one in yesterday afternoon with the lights off. After an hour I turned the light on, and he moved to a crevice underneath the rock where I placed him. He stayed there until the lights went out eight hours later. I just did a thorough search for him with a flashlight and couln't spot him, and haven't seen him all day. Is this normal behavior or did I just give a fish an expensive snack
 
might have been a snack but normally they hide out. under overhangs and in grooves never really crammed in a hole though. night can be a time for them to come out in a active tank. so the more active the tank the less ull probably see them or at least at first.

just wondering what do u have fish and invert wise in the tank?
 
I've got an atlantic tang, small sailfin tang, wantanabe angel, mystery wrasse, a few chromis, algae blenny, bunch of snails, and a few scarlett crabs in a 150 gal bare bottom cube.

Couldn't spot him when I woke up this morning, I've been using a flashlight to look at underside of rocks but I can't see everything in the rock pile. It is a rather small harlequin about the size of a nickel
 
decent size, about three inches...would I have better luck with a larger shrimp, or does the mystery wrasse need to be removed...I've got a huge asternia population(I understand I will need to supplement diet down the road)
 
Apparently I have a good balance. Its been nearly a year Ive had mine and I do absolutely nothing. I see it come out and drag an asterina back to its cave for a meal. Its by far one of the prettiest and most interesting species to watch. Ive read they like to live in pairs , so soon I plan on another one. So far Mr mean killer coral banded shrimp has left it alone.(keeping my fingers crossed)
 
do u really want to get rid of a mystery wrasse? i dont think a larger shrimp would help but MAYBE. but harlequin dont get that big especially a male!
 
well the issue I have is the asternia are eating all the coraline, without coraline I think it has become easy for other algae to grow. I have 0.00 po4 via hanna photometer and I'm still getting a invasive cotton candy algae. The only answer I have is that there isn't coraline competing, so I would very much like to get rid of the asternias.

I would be willing to get rid of mystery wrasse if I have to, the hard part is I'd have to break down tank to catch him(he is shy and wouldn't go near a trap). Do we think the mystery wrasse is the culprit, or is the harlequin hiding(I used the term he generically on the shrimp, I didn't check the sex). Would a larger harlequin stand a chance, because I'd much rather spend $35 more than break down my entire tank.
 
alright so Harlequin still hasn't been spotted...does mystery wrasse need to be removed, or would a larger harlequin stand a better chance?
 
Nevermind, I just saw you posted it. What about taking your wrasse and putting him in your huge or sump even for a few days while the harlequin rids your tank of the asterinas? The shrimp is a risk with the wrasse, IMO.
 
How many asterina does the harlequin consume in a day? I am starting to see a growing number of asterina in my 120g. I might purchase just 1 harlequin to ensure he gets enough asterina to live by and I do not want to feed it cc though.
 
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