Asterina starfish

Tomoko Schum · Aug 11, 2018

Here are the Asterina starfish I collected tonight. I spent about half an hour to get this many. Aren't they ugly little things? They kinda exploded in number lately. Does anyone need them to feed a harlequin shrimp or two?

My zoas started disappearing lately. I first suspected the typical marauders (a foxface and a tang), but they don't seem to get near my zoas while I am around. I did find Asterina stars climbing on them. They may not be the culprit, but I don't feel like taking a chance. There are still many of them in the tank and they seem to be hungry especially after I started reducing nutrients more aggressively.

DSC reef · Aug 11, 2018

Wow, I remember that sight! My wife would remove a lot during early morning hours. We finally got a harlequin shrimp and got a hold on the population. They decimated our utter chaos colony.

GWHouston · Aug 18, 2018

If you still have them by meeting time, I'd take some. I'm wanting to add a harlequin shrimp soon. Will they reproduce so as to keep the HS happy?

DSC reef · Aug 18, 2018

GWHouston said:
If you still have them by meeting time, I'd take some. I'm wanting to add a harlequin shrimp soon. Will they reproduce so as to keep the HS happy?

The harlequin will eat them quicker than they can reproduce. Your better of buying a small chocolate chip star to feed the harlequin

GWHouston · Aug 18, 2018

Does it kill the choc chip? We have one but my wife would have a duck if it killed it.

DSC reef · Aug 18, 2018

GWHouston said:
Does it kill the choc chip? We have one but my wife would have a duck if it killed it.

Yes, it will kill it. I'm afraid a harlequin is out of the question. Lol

Alfrareef · Aug 18, 2018

I use a scrubber to capture asterins and place them at the sump...
Beware if you’ve got wrasses because I had a harlequin shrimp that was killed by a five line wrasse. In fact that wrasse has wiped all my shrimps!!! Most expensive shrimp meal ever in my house! :-)

Tomoko Schum · Aug 18, 2018

My wrasses have left my peppermint shrimp alone so far, but peppermint hide under the rocks very well. I don't have any Harlequin shrimp. I am tempted to buy one, but it may turn out to be very expensive meal to my sixline or yellow coris wrasse.

I can bring some asterina shrimp to August meeting if you'd like. We need to finalize on the meeting place soon.

Tomoko Schum · Aug 18, 2018

I just read a post about bumble bee shrimp. This is what LiveAquaria said about it.

"The Bumble Bee Shrimp, also known as the Striped Harlequin Shrimp, is small shrimp only attaining a maximum size of 1 inch.
The Bumble Bee Shrimp will feed upon the tube feet of echinoderms, but do not require them for survival. Offer them pieces of frozen meaty foods such as brine or mysis shrimp, cockle, or small pieces of fish. They should be offered these foods daily."

Its price of $9.99 is about one third of the price of Harlequin shrimp. I wonder if I can get some of them locally...

Michael Naegeli · Aug 18, 2018

Harlequin shrimp will eat almost any star. I try to throw a few shifters in at once so I can get my sand cleaned up. The harlequin is a vicious murderer. He kills all of them and piles them up for later consumption. It’s amazing how much he can eat. 10 times his size in a few days. He sometimes rides on their backs while eating them. It’s very cool

Alfrareef · Aug 18, 2018

Michael Naegeli said:
Harlequin shrimp will eat almost any star. I try to throw a few shifters in at once so I can get my sand cleaned up. The harlequin is a vicious murderer. He kills all of them and piles them up for later consumption. It’s amazing how much he can eat. 10 times his size in a few days. He sometimes rides on their backs while eating them. It’s very cool

Shrimpinator!!!

Tomoko Schum · Aug 18, 2018

I really don't want to starve the beautiful Harlequin shrimp after they finish off asterina and micro brittle stars (which I want to keep), but I don't want to keep feeding it by sacrificing a leg off a chocolate chip star. If a bumble bee shrimp can do the job and I don't have to cut a leg off a chocolate chip starfish to feed it, I'd rather get the bumble bee shrimp or two.

coralreefer123 · Apr 12, 2021

Tomoko Schum said:
Here are the Asterina starfish I collected tonight. I spent about half an hour to get this many. Aren't they ugly little things? They kinda exploded in number lately. Does anyone need them to feed a harlequin shrimp or two?

My zoas started disappearing lately. I first suspected the typical marauders (a foxface and a tang), but they don't seem to get near my zoas while I am around. I did find Asterina stars climbing on them. They may not be the culprit, but I don't feel like taking a chance. There are still many of them in the tank and they seem to be hungry especially after I started reducing nutrients more aggressively.

Realize this was a long time ago, but do you have any to donate? Thanks!