Harelequin shrimp & LPS corals

[Mr. Acantho]

I've avoided shrimp because they can pick in the mouths of meat corals. Would a harlequin shrimp do the same thing?

I need to get rid of asterina starfish

 

[exnisstech]

They only eat starfish. Once the asterinas are gone you'll have to feed the shrimp, re-home it or it will starve.
PS they do not steal food from LPS

 

[VintageReefer]

I had a harlequin and they do not have any interest in anything but starfish. They will devour the tank of them in a month or two. Then you will need to buy chocolate chip starfish weekly as a food source. These guys eat coral so buy one and keep in the sump. Then every 1-2 days cut off an arm and feed the shrimp. Once the star has half its arms gone, give the remains to the shrimp as a big meal. Then, go back to the LFS and buy another starfish

Harlequin can not go very long without eating, you will always need live starfish on hand

 

[djf91]

I once kept one in a 50 gallon reef tank covered in asterinas. It cleared every last starfish out within 2 months. Sadly it didn’t last much longer after that.

I now have a pair in my 500 gallon display after a healthy asterina star population had established. They’ve been in there a little over a year and they are still healthy and have grown quite a bit. Still asterinas, although not as many.

I honestly wouldn’t add one to a tank smaller than 200 gallons and even then I think it may wipe out all of the asterinas.