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ISO Harlequin shrimp

Looking to borrow a Harlequin shrimp to rid my tank of Asterina Starfish! Anyone willing to let me borrow one? Even willing to purchase one and pass off to someone else in need of ridding tank of Asterina Starfish.
 

njtiger24 aquariums

Officer Emeritus
Article Contributor
@JrHotRod1 I don't have a harlequin shrimp but I did think about getting one. I have some asterina starfish and figure I would tackle them right away so I asked around to different LFS and most of them didn't have any in stock. Just letting you know you might want to reach out to shops, before you go to buy one, so your not driving all over looking. Hopefully someone has one they can loan you.
 
Started the drive around, However, I'm calling before I head anywhere else. Thanks for the advice. Good luck tackling your Asterina Starfish, I'm pulling around 12-25 out a day in my 125 gal tank!
 

njtiger24 aquariums

Officer Emeritus
Article Contributor
Started the drive around, However, I'm calling before I head anywhere else. Thanks for the advice. Good luck tackling your Asterina Starfish, I'm pulling around 12-25 out a day in my 125 gal tank!

Thanks right now I am playing by ear. I only seen 3 of them and I left them alone. If I start seeing a flood of them or see my corals getting damaged then I will re-think the shrimp. My concern is I have a sand star which been doing well in my tank and would hate for the shrimp to eat him.

Good luck with tacking your
 
IMO, you don't need the shrimp for the 3 Asterina Starfish, lol. I'd pluck them out as they can reproduce quickly! The harlequin definitely will attack that sand star! I have a blue star that will be temporary be relocated to the quarantine tank if I get the harlequin shrimp.
 
I found and purchased a harlequin shrimp at one of my lfs for $35. I'm going to acclimate him with a bunch of asterina I picked off the glass to see if that will enticed him to get started picking them off!

Horseplay, have you seen any decline in asterina since you added the harlequin?
 

horseplay

NJRC Member
JrHR - I and not sure how much the shrimp eats but I don't see a significant decline of the asterina population. Maybe I jus have too many and they all come of of the rock work after the shrimp is introduced.
 
I got one about 3 months ago and he wiped out all of the asterina star fish in my 90 gallon tank ,, had about 75-100 in there so i am in search of a star fish to feed him of looking for free Asteria star fish if someone is giving away
I think my shrimp scared the asterina starfish to the front glass of my tank because I just picked 66 off from there! I wish I would've known you needed some prior to flushing them down the toilet.
 
JrHR - I and not sure how much the shrimp eats but I don't see a significant decline of the asterina population. Maybe I jus have too many and they all come of of the rock work after the shrimp is introduced.
I think your right because I'm seeing them all over the glass around my tank. I knew I had a lot, but didn't think I had as much as I am removing on a daily basis! As if I needed to add more maintenance to my tank!
 

njtiger24 aquariums

Officer Emeritus
Article Contributor
I think your right because I'm seeing them all over the glass around my tank. I knew I had a lot, but didn't think I had as much as I am removing on a daily basis! As if I needed to add more maintenance to my tank!
When I was reading about these shrimp I read many people note the same thing; almost like the stars feel the danger and trying to get away lol.
 

redfishbluefish

Officer Emeritus
Officer Emeritus
I don't know about the starfish knowing about the shrimp being around, but I do know the shrimp knows when stars are around. Can't remember who it was, but a number of years ago, an NJRC member commented about his Harlequin going "nuts" when he place a fresh chocolate chip star in his sump. The shrimp could "smell" the presence of the star in the sump.
 

horseplay

NJRC Member
I don't know about the starfish knowing about the shrimp being around, but I do know the shrimp knows when stars are around. Can't remember who it was, but a number of years ago, an NJRC member commented about his Harlequin going "nuts" when he place a fresh chocolate chip star in his sump. The shrimp could "smell" the presence of the star in the sump.

The sensing of presence is mutual. Why I put the harlequin in the DT all the star came out in the frag tank which is plumbed to the same sump.
 
Let me know if someone runs out of asterina starfish. I'm actually partial to them, but I'd also hate to see a harlequin die from starvation. I have a 110 with hundreds of them.
 
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