Harlequin Shrimp

[richserpe]

Hello all

I’m in the midst of an Asterina Starfish invasion. My LFS guy, who I trust implicitly, has told me that Harlequin Shrimp would take care of them but once they eat them all they need a chocolate chip starfish every 2 weeks to survive. I’m not a big fan of sacrificing an animal every 2 weeks. I know, I know, I’m already killing starfish by wiping out the Asterinas. I see them as pests not unlike roaches or ants. I guess I could return the harlequin to the LFS once his job is done but I’m not a fan of evicting residents once their “usefulness “ is over. I’m currently removing the asterinas by hand. Does anyone have any other suggestions?

 

[Bob Loblaw]

a turkey baster works very well for removing them. Getting a choc chip star every few weeks gets old, unless you're the one selling them...

 

[saltwaterfish.com Verified Sponsor]

Bumble bee shrimp would take care of them, and they eat frozen food so you wouldn't have to make anymore sacrifices after the starfish are gone. Only downside is that they are teeny tiny so if you have any medium/large fish they would snack on them.

 

[ninjamyst]

Manual removal. Best way to control them.

 

[exnisstech]

I would only get a harlequin if you have an outbreak and the asterina are damaging coral. Often they cause no problems and are easy to just scrape off the glass with a net in the morning before lights are on. I had my Harlequin for 14 months but I had a lot of asterinas and more than one tank.

 

[richserpe]

The other issue is that I have a long time resident red biscuit starfish that’s a model citizen and I’m afraid the Harlequin would go after him as well.