Harlequin Shrimp Refugium

[bluemon]

So I recently got a Harlequin Shrimp to tackle some of my Asterinas.

It's been doing well, definitely see it eating some asterinas from time to time, but just had a few questions for those who used Harlequins as a mode of biological control for starfish.

1. Is it normal to be very "sedentary"? I just see it in one corner of the tank under my Lobo everyday, doesn't stray far from the post, and it's not like I have an infestation so I don't think it sees too much starfish pass by with it just standing there.

2. When it does wipe the display of starfish, has anyone moved them to the refugium to do a similar job there? I have a pretty big refugium filled with live rock and a lot of macro algae. Just wondering if people just tackle the display and leave the refugium be; just don't want to miss a few starfish here or there and then see them pop up again in the display again

 

[Jasonak]

I will see mine out sometimes dancing around then not see them for a week. I have asterina stars in my tank but I purchased the harlequins because I liked them. So I would never put mine in the sump. I do have some chocolate starfish in the sump that I pull out and give to my Harleys now and then to make sure there getting enough food.

 

[bluemon]

I will see mine out sometimes dancing around then not see them for a week. I have asterina stars in my tank but I purchased the harlequins because I liked them. So I would never put mine in the sump. I do have some chocolate starfish in the sump that I pull out and give to my Harleys now and then to make sure there getting enough food.

I would imagine I would essentially move him back and forth if I see some sort of a starfish sighting, and retire him to another hobbyist when the job gets done later down in the road

 

[exnisstech]

I don't see why it couldn't be moved back and forth as long as there is a food source and the habitat supports it. I don't think I would put it in a fuge full of macro algae as they prefer to hang out under rocks. I move other utilitarian inverts between tanks. I've had my Harlequin since October and I'm still seeing stars on the glass so I'm leaving it in for now.
As far as behavior mine has an overhang type of cave it hangs in all day. Fortunately it's toward the front so I can see it and drop stars down to it that I pull from other tanks. Mine is active at night but it is in an acro tank so I suspect the high flow during the day hinders its ability to move around. I have flow very low at night.

 

[Seansea]

They hide out and hunt mostly at night. They will clean yoir starfish out and then starve. I also put a choco starfish in my sump and would womp a leg off every couple weeks and throw it in. Crazy how fast they come running when u put it in. Must have crazy smell. Havent seen mine in a month so pretty sure hes gone. Licky for the starcizh i guess

 

[Pistondog]

I think they have a lair they hang out in. Then go hunt a starfish and drag back to lair to eat.
ive had 2, rehomed each time after he decimated the asterinas, which will take less time than you think.
Beautiful creatures. Ist one lost a claw to a fish but grew it back in a few weeks.

 

[bluemon]

I don't see why it couldn't be moved back and forth as long as there is a food source and the habitat supports it. I don't think I would put it in a fuge full of macro algae as they prefer to hang out under rocks. I move other utilitarian inverts between tanks. I've had my Harlequin since October and I'm still seeing stars on the glass so I'm leaving it in for now.
As far as behavior mine has an overhang type of cave it hangs in all day. Fortunately it's toward the front so I can see it and drop stars down to it that I pull from other tanks. Mine is active at night but it is in an acro tank so I suspect the high flow during the day hinders its ability to move around. I have flow very low at night.

I noticed it liking overhangs, as it hangs underneath the flesh of my big lobo.

The macro algae was my worry too since my refugium is just filled to the brim with it, so I was thinking it might have trouble moving. Would my best bet just be an extreme prune of these in the fuge, or maybe just manual removal of stars from the fuge? I just don't want to pass the shrimp along to another person and have the stars come back.

I think they have a lair they hang out in. Then go hunt a starfish and drag back to lair to eat.
ive had 2, rehomed each time after he decimated the asterinas, which will take less time than you think.
Beautiful creatures. Ist one lost a claw to a fish but grew it back in a few weeks.

Good to know they at least go out and hunt. I haven't seen them actually hunt. I've seen them eating, and I've seen them pick up starfish I handed them, nothing more.

 

[Seansea]

Heres mine at feeding time

 

[Pistondog]

I also noticed the asterinas climbed the glass within minutes of introducing the harlequin.

 

[RabidDragon]

I had a what most would call a asterina infestation, they were everywhere. I bet there was well over >10,000 in the tank. I also had a single sand sifting starfish as well, which I thought would be safe enough under the sand. I liked the harlequin but really got it for the the asterina. I was advised that it would eat all the astrena within a month, maybe two and I'd have to return it.
As soon as I added the harliquin, yea... there was a migration of asterina up the glass. The sand sifting starfish was the first to be eaten, then the astirena population started to drop in the side of the tank it lived. That was about a year ago, I've now got a much lower but stable population of astirena they I originally had.... say 1/30th. The harliquin has probably tripled in size since I originally got it and it now moves around the tank hunting occasionally rather than sitting in one spot. Since the sand stifting, I've never seen it eat.

 

[Seansea]

Mine cleaned a nasty asterina population in a month in a 75g tank. Every time i saw him he had one in his mits. Then started feeding him whole chocolate chip but that got expensive.