Shrimp Compatibility

[apedroza]

I just got a beautiful pair of harlequin shrimp. I was wondering do these shrimp get along with other shrimp. I have a camelback shrimp and want to know if I need to remove it?? Also I was thinking of getting a couple of sexy shrimp. I want my nano to be full of small shrimp. Any sugestions would help.

 

[Gluestick]

Just a note on the harlequins- are you aware of what they eat?

 

[apedroza]

Yes I am aware of what they eat, but I need to know if other shrimp will have a problem with these shrimp in the same tank. I really like these small inverts and would like to keep as many as possible.

 

[cbr600rri]

answer is yes, they will all do fine together, even the sexy shrimp. just make sure they are well fed. at least a leg each week. good luck!

 

[apedroza]

Thanks for the info. You said feed a leg a week. What do you do with the rest of the star fish? I just placed a small CC in this week whole and they have already devoured 1/2 of it.

 

[cbr600rri]

yea, harlequins are pigs. If you give them the entire CC, it'll be gone in a week or so. If you want to save time and money to purchase more, I cut one leg and put the rest in another tank. If you don't have another tank, maybe your fuge/sump, the back compartment of a nanocube/aquapod or those containers that hold freshwater guppies. But it's your call, if you want to feed the entire or just a leg.

 

[apedroza]

What do you use to cut the legs and how much of it do you cut?? Do you cut all the way to the radial disc or 1/2 the leg?? I guess 1 starfish could last 5 weeks.

 

[Gluestick]

I guess you could just have a bunch of CCs in your sump them and cut off a leg here and there and wait for it to regenerate, then use another one. I don't think I could bring myself to do that, even though the harlequins are gorgeous! Do any of you have problems with the legs dirtying the tank very much- high ammonia, etc...? Do the shrimp stay out a lot or do you not see much of them? Can they be kept in aggragations?

 

[cbr600rri]

I just use regular scissors. Depends on how big the cc is. If it's a small one, I cut most of it, since the center (mouth) is the main organ. If it's bigger, I would cut half that leg and then move to the next leg so the one I just cut would heal. It's true that when you cut a leg of any seastar, they would regenerate, but let's just say, you cut only half the leg and then the rest of that same leg next week or something, the cc doesn't have enough time to heal and sometimes it dies, even if you attempt to feed it, so it would heal faster.

Like Gluestick said, you can have more than one cc to let them regenerate their legs. I tried that and combined with feeding the cc, they still regenerate really slow. IMO, you would need to have at least 10 cc's and if you had a pair of these, double that

Yea, I have a couple fellow reefers that wouldn't dare cut a cc Once I drop in the leg, the harlequins will pick up the scent and try to "hunt" for this. If there's no bigger fish to pick on them, they'll just hang out in the open. If not, they will just find a cave or something to stay cover, but you'll still be able to see them, unlike pistol shrimps.