Melanurus wrasse and shrimp

[|sCRIBe|]

I have a male adult wrasse and want to add a harlequin shrimp but wasnt sure if the wrasse will go for it. The tank is a redsea 625xxl (160 gal). Currently the tank has one clown, dottyback, sunburst, gobby and shrimp and a foxface. There is also a peppermint shrimp. The melanurus was the most recent fish added and I have had no problem with aggression. The harlequin is to address a starfish issue before it gets worse.

 

[dbl]

It's just a risk you have to be willing to take. I'm pretty sure mine took care of my cleaner shrimp a long time ago and I haven't tried one again. I do have a couple of peppermint (well at least I used to - haven't seen them in a while) that were smart enough to only come out at night when my Mel is buried and sleeping. Mine has a voracious appetite for snails. I only buy Trochus Snails since they can right themselves and at least have a fighting chance. I've also seen it tear apart a serpent star it managed to grab. I've never seen it bother any corals though and it's a great algae eater. Loves to follow the me around while I'm cleaning the glass.

 

[Bob Weigant]

At some point you will lose the shrimp

 

[|sCRIBe|]

It's just a risk you have to be willing to take. I'm pretty sure mine took care of my cleaner shrimp a long time ago and I haven't tried one again. I do have a couple of peppermint (well at least I used to - haven't seen them in a while) that were smart enough to only come out at night when my Mel is buried and sleeping. Mine has a voracious appetite for snails. I only buy Trochus Snails since they can right themselves and at least have a fighting chance. I've also seen it tear apart a serpent star it managed to grab. I've never seen it bother any corals though and it's a great algae eater. Loves to follow the me around while I'm cleaning the glass.

So you never had a harlequin with a Mel correct? It’s basically a risk or I trap and get rid of the melanurus.

 

[|sCRIBe|]

At some point you will lose the shrimp

Loose the shrimp to the melanurus?

 

[dbl]

So you never had a harlequin with a Mel correct? It’s basically a risk or I trap and get rid of the melanurus.

Correct...I've never had a Harelquin, but I can assure you I wouldn't get rid of the Mel for any shrimp. That's just me though.

 

[Dragonreef202]

My Melanurus wrasse got to both of my cleaner shrimps. So it's up to you knowing that at any time they can be a snack for him

 

[Jesterrace]

When I added my juvie Melanurus I had a big established cleaner shrimp and it pretty much left it alone, but after the shrimp died a year and a half later (not sure if it was old age or what), I went and got another smaller cleaner shrimp and added it to the tank. The next day I came out to find the shrimp in pieces and both my melanurus wrasse and coral beauty dwarf angel tearing into it. It also picks off snails, and hermit crabs periodically. The point is that it is an invert muncher and any small invert is on the menu, particularly as it grows bigger and I wouldn't put it with a Harlequin unless you are prepared to sacrifice the Harlequin Shrimp.

 

[Bob Weigant]

Loose the shrimp to the melanurus?

Yes

 

[sde1500]

I've lost a couple blood shrimp and a couple cleaner shrimp to my melanurus. I added a quartet of peppermint shrimp recently to fight back some aiptasia, and watched it chasing one around the tank the next morning. It is just a matter of time before it will eat them all, hopefully after they do their job. I have some astrinea stars I'd love to add a harlequin shrimp to clean up, but it would just be an expensive snack.

 

[Octane13]

Mine took out two smaller cleaners and ripped a claw off my coral banded. This weekend I saw several attempts at an emerald crab, so no more inverts Does seem to leave pom pom crabs and hermits alone though?

 

[Auquanut]

I have had a melanaurus wrasse for almost 2 years. He doesn't seem to bother the inverts including 2 clams and loads of snails. I added a harlequin shrimp about 4 months ago, and so far they seem to ignore each other. They are in a 125 gal tank with a lot of rock. Hopefully I just have an unusually mellow wrasse, but I worry that one day he will acquire a taste for inverts. The harlequin shrimp really does a number on the asterina stars though. I do agree with everyone else. It's a roll of the dice.

 

[Jet915]

Yeah, I had a blood shrimp and 2 cleaner shrimp with a melanarus. Its been a year, and one of the cleaner shrimp went missing about 6 months ago so its a risk, the other 2 are still in my tank but only venture out at night or feeding time.

 

[Phycodurus]

If this were my tank (respectfully said), I’d temporarily make arrangements to move the Melanurus out, and find a Harlequin Shrimp (or a pair) on loan.

Harlequin shrimp will bring down the asterina population relatively quickly. I’d estimate that they’d do a noticeable job after two-three weeks ... After that, you’re looking at compulsory starfish buying every couple of weeks. (It’s amazing how quickly they can detect a new starfish in the tank).

I have a pair myself in a dedicated tank.

 

[|sCRIBe|]

If this were my tank (respectfully said), I’d temporarily make arrangements to move the Melanurus out, and find a Harlequin Shrimp (or a pair) on loan.

Harlequin shrimp will bring down the asterina population relatively quickly. I’d estimate that they’d do a noticeable job after two-three weeks ... After that, you’re looking at compulsory starfish buying every couple of weeks. (It’s amazing how quickly they can detect a new starfish in the tank).

I have a pair myself in a dedicated tank.

I was thinking about doing it this way also

 

[eatbreakfast]

Harlequin shrimp are not eaten by shrimp eaters to the same degree that peppermint, cleaners, and blood shrimp are.

The Lysmata shrimp are much faster and more often found underneath rocks than harlequin shrimp, whereas the harlequin are gaudily patterned and slower moving. They also will stay perched on the rockwork. I believe that they can use their toxin as a defense against predation.

That being said, a frisky melanurus may not take the time to recognize the harlequin before going after it, but if it recognizes it, it shouldn't go after it.

 

[Kevin Duprey]

I'll add my own experience here. I have a large (close to 4") fully mature male Melanurus that I've had for 3+ years. It's one of the most active fish in the tank and also one of the most aggressive eaters. It will usually give any new wrasse added to my tank a hard time for a day or two, before things settle down. All of my fish are well fed, helping limiting aggression. I have a large coral banded shrimp, a blood red cleaner, several peppermints, and a big Harlequin (nearly 2"). All of these inverts were added after the Melanurus, and all have been fine. The peppermints definitely hide in the rock work more during the day and tend to only come out at night after the Melanurus has gone to sleep in the sand, but that's not really contrary to their normal behavior anyway. The Melanurus has picked off a hermit or two, and occasionally an unwary emerald green crab, but he leaves the shrimp alone. All the other fish in the tank occasionally visit the blood red shrimp at it's cleaning station, though I've never witnessed the Melanurus do this. I believe one of my tangs may be helping protect this shrimp from the Melanurus, since it's not very stealthy during the day, and it's coloration definitely could make it a target.

The Harlequin shrimp has been with me from a very small size, and grew rapidly as it devoured my plague proportion asterinia population. It makes no pretense to hide from the Melanurus and I've never witnessed any attempted aggression in the 2+ years I've had the Harlequin. I will reiterate the comments of others that if you only want the Harlequin to rid the tank of asterinia, see if you can borrow one rather than buy it. It will decimate the population VERY quickly, then starve to death if you do not purposely feed it. If you're willing to continuously buy stars to feed the Harlequin, then I'd say you'll probably be fine with it and the Melanurus long-term, but you will need to buy sand sifting or chocolate chip stars every month or less to maintain the Harlequin. At first my family was mortified that I was buying sacrificial starfish, but the looks and behavior of the Harlequin soon made them get over it. It's a really cool shrimp to see wandering the tank hunting. It is truly amazing to see how fast it emerges when a new starfish is introduced to the tank. It never takes more than 5 minutes for the Harlequin to find it's new meal. Even the occasional asterinia that survives in my sump is found quickly when thrown in the DT.

 

[|sCRIBe|]

I'll add my own experience here. I have a large (close to 4") fully mature male Melanurus that I've had for 3+ years. It's one of the most active fish in the tank and also one of the most aggressive eaters. It will usually give any new wrasse added to my tank a hard time for a day or two, before things settle down. All of my fish are well fed, helping limiting aggression. I have a large coral banded shrimp, a blood red cleaner, several peppermints, and a big Harlequin (nearly 2"). All of these inverts were added after the Melanurus, and all have been fine. The peppermints definitely hide in the rock work more during the day and tend to only come out at night after the Melanurus has gone to sleep in the sand, but that's not really contrary to their normal behavior anyway. The Melanurus has picked off a hermit or two, and occasionally an unwary emerald green crab, but he leaves the shrimp alone. All the other fish in the tank occasionally visit the blood red shrimp at it's cleaning station, though I've never witnessed the Melanurus do this. I believe one of my tangs may be helping protect this shrimp from the Melanurus, since it's not very stealthy during the day, and it's coloration definitely could make it a target.

The Harlequin shrimp has been with me from a very small size, and grew rapidly as it devoured my plague proportion asterinia population. It makes no pretense to hide from the Melanurus and I've never witnessed any attempted aggression in the 2+ years I've had the Harlequin. I will reiterate the comments of others that if you only want the Harlequin to rid the tank of asterinia, see if you can borrow one rather than buy it. It will decimate the population VERY quickly, then starve to death if you do not purposely feed it. If you're willing to continuously buy stars to feed the Harlequin, then I'd say you'll probably be fine with it and the Melanurus long-term, but you will need to buy sand sifting or chocolate chip stars every month or less to maintain the Harlequin. At first my family was mortified that I was buying sacrificial starfish, but the looks and behavior of the Harlequin soon made them get over it. It's a really cool shrimp to see wandering the tank hunting. It is truly amazing to see how fast it emerges when a new starfish is introduced to the tank. It never takes more than 5 minutes for the Harlequin to find it's new meal. Even the occasional asterinia that survives in my sump is found quickly when thrown in the DT.

Thanks for sharing all this. What if your feeding regiment for caring of the harlequin? Do you buy an entire star and put the whole thing in at once?

 

[Kevin Duprey]

Thanks for sharing all this. What if your feeding regiment for caring of the harlequin? Do you buy an entire star and put the whole thing in at once?

Yes. I buy a whole chocolate chip star and throw it in the DT. It usually takes a couple weeks for the Harlequin to fully devour it. I was a bit worried at first that it might spike my nutrients as it died, but no issues. I know some other posts I've read suggest keeping a star in the sump and cutting off an arm to feed every now and then, but I'm not sure that's really any more humane, as eventually the Harlequin's appetite will outpace the re-growth and the star will either die in the sump from too many cut-off arms or have to be fed alive to the Harlequin anyway.

 

[|sCRIBe|]

In regards to the asterina stars I have are they considered the type to die off or shrink in population or will they just continue to spread and grow unless addressed.