Harlequin shrimp and Chocolate Start Question

K_red_raider · Mar 10, 2014

I have a pair of Harlequin Shrimp that have cleaned up my asterina star problem and now I have gotten a few Chocolate Chip Stars to feed them. I have two questions:

1. Will one leg every other week keep the pair fed or do they need one leg per week or even two legs per week?

2. I have a new sump that is very clean with little detrius for the stars to eat so how can I feed them so that they stay alive?

Thanks
Kevin

Reefing Madness · Mar 11, 2014

TJ's Reef · Mar 11, 2014

My friend Mike did this for quite a while with his pair buying a few Chocolate Chips at a time and keeping them in the sump. I know he fed them a leg at a time but not how often, will see if I can get a hold of him and ask then post back here. Another thing his would eat was frozen Starfish legs from ones I gathered here in Puget Sound for him. I believe he just freshwater rinsed and froze first. An introduction of a Mystery Wrasse in his 180g took care of the chore unfortunately. How close to the Gulf are you and is it possible to collect any Starfish there ???

Cheers, Todd

K_red_raider · Mar 12, 2014

Thanks for the info and if you could get him to post here it would be awesome! Im in Texas and approx 11 hours from the coast so I cant do that but am gona try the frozen at some point if I get to where the fresh are dying off (or even before they start dying)

TJ's Reef said:
My friend Mike did this for quite a while with his pair buying a few Chocolate Chips at a time and keeping them in the sump. I know he fed them a leg at a time but not how often, will see if I can get a hold of him and ask then post back here. Another thing his would eat was frozen Starfish legs from ones I gathered here in Puget Sound for him. I believe he just freshwater rinsed and froze first. An introduction of a Mystery Wrasse in his 180g took care of the chore unfortunately. How close to the Gulf are you and is it possible to collect any Starfish there ???

Cheers, Todd

K_red_raider · Mar 14, 2014

to the top

ReefMadScientist · Mar 14, 2014

Easy to know is once your Harlequin jump off of the leg you severed, you know they are no longer feeding upon it.

K_red_raider · Mar 18, 2014

Very ture but they go into the rock work to feed and I cant see them when they do this.

ReefMadScientist said:
Easy to know is once your Harlequin jump off of the leg you severed, you know they are no longer feeding upon it.

K_red_raider · Apr 1, 2014

Bump...still trying to figure out how to feed the stars in a clean sump

goathead · Apr 4, 2014

I have a related question... I gave my harley an entire C.C. star and he relocated it into his cave, where he has been feeding in it for a couple of weeks now... I can see them and I have noticed that the star has changed colors and kinda balled up. HOW DO I KNOW IF THE STAR HAS DIED??? Is there a way to know when to remove it?? Will Hannibal bring it out from his cave when it is no longer edible or appealing??? Help!!

K_red_raider · Apr 5, 2014

If it has balled up it is dead. Im not sure if the shrimp will continue to eat it or not but it will start to put off ammonia and nitrates into you tank so I would pull it out.

goathead · Apr 6, 2014

Thanks for the feedback.

K_red_raider · Apr 15, 2014

still waiting on that person that know the answer to this

SantaMonicaHelp · Apr 15, 2014

Start off with one leg each to see how much they feed, watch their size and general health. Try introducing a second if you feel like they are more rapacious or just as they get bigger (Full size adults can sometimes go through a leg a day)

Not sure about the sump, but, if you don't want to deal with caring for a separate food supply, then I'd say just go to any local fish store that you know carries chocolate chip stars on a consistent basis, and get a few of them for the freezer. Since you don't have to feed them so often, between the two of them you'll go probably through half a starfish/one starfish a week (more as time goes on).

goathead · Apr 15, 2014

Kind of hit or miss with freezing them. C.C. stars don't freeze / keep well (is my understanding) in the freezer.

SantaMonicaHelp · Apr 15, 2014

They will sometimes reject them, and if you keep the starfish frozen for too long they will lose their nutritional value, but I think as long as you keep buying them frequently (freezing for only a week or so at a time),and thawing them out very, very thoroughly before giving them to your shrimp, there's a likely chance they'll eat them as they would normally.

mfinn · Apr 16, 2014

I had my harley on a diet of asterina stars for the last 6 months and I managed to capture him when I took down the tank.
Have him in a holding tub and went and bought a couple chocolate chip stars.
I just put one whole star in with him and he ignored it.
The star just crawled away. So I moved the harley over onto the top of the star.
He sat on top for about a minute, then moved off.
I know he had to be hungry, I don't think he has had much to eat for a couple weeks.
So, I cut a leg off one and moved the harley over on top of it. That was about 2 hours ago. He is still on top of the leg. I can't tell if he is eating it.

goathead · Apr 24, 2014

I can say that if he is staying on top of it, he will eventually eat it. Most likely looking for a place to take it to be alone with it, which it doesn't sound like he has at the moment. Mine is a very secretive eater.