Harlequin shrimp

[Snoop_90]

Will harlequins go after brittle sea stars?

 

[bonjorno2]

They are hard for them to get.. .

 

[Snoop_90]

So they're safe to add?

 

[Auquanut]

Great question! I have had a harlequin shrimp in my 125 for a long time. I got him partly because of an asterina star invasion. I haven't seen an asterina an a while, and was starting to get worried about him even though he is getting huge. I never thought about all of the micro brittle stars I find in my filter socks. Could he be eating them? Sorry. Not trying to hijack the thread.

 

[Snoop_90]

I never thought of the micro brittles. I have a few of them in my tank. My main concern was my bigger brittles. Maybe they do go after the smaller brittles? I had asked BRS they said brittle stars won't be harmed. Liveaquaria said they may hunt them down as well so I'm kinda stuck. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

[ArizonaAquatics]

Harlequin shrimps will eat many types of echinoderms (starfish, urchins, etc.) In my experience, they will eat ANY starfish they can get their alien claws on.

A big brittle might be a little too much for him, but I honestly wouldn't trust it going either way. A small bristle will absolutely be eaten, while a big bristle might actually eat the shrimp.

The only starfish I've gotten away with over time was the sand sifting stars. They usually dont surface long enough for the shrimps to start eating them, and even then the shrimps definitely won't follow them under the sand haha.

In any case, I would say harlequin shrimps are non-descriminative towards any starfish in our hobby.

 

[Snoop_90]

Harlequin shrimps will eat many types of echinoderms (starfish, urchins, etc.) In my experience, they will eat ANY starfish they can get their alien claws on.

A big brittle might be a little too much for him, but I honestly wouldn't trust it going either way. A small bristle will absolutely be eaten, while a big bristle might actually eat the shrimp.

The only starfish I've gotten away with over time was the sand sifting stars. They usually dont surface long enough for the shrimps to start eating them, and even then the shrimps definitely won't follow them under the sand haha.

In any case, I would say harlequin shrimps are non-descriminative towards any starfish in our hobby.

Appreciate the reply. I forgot they go after urchins as well. Guess neither my brittle or pincushion or long spine urchin would be safe. Back to manually pulling out astrenias

 

[ArizonaAquatics]

Hey no problem, I worked at an LFS for a few years so I always like to share my experiences when I feel they're warranted[emoji1303]Good luck though! Asterina stars can be a pain haha.