How to get a Harlequin to feed

[IotaElwyn]

So I decided to throw my hat in the ring with a harlequin and got a chocolate chip star as food. The star, being concerned for its safety, spends most of its time at the top of the tank. So I have forced him on the sand a few times. The shrimp will get on top of him, but not attempt to kill or eat yet. Is this because its no hungry or is there something else to this equation?

 

[duke4130]

How big is the star and how big is the harly? The star needs to be small enough for the harly to be able to flip it over. Once it is flipped over the harly can start to do its thing with it. I used to get the star with the tongs and wave it infront of the harly. the harly would grab it and i would set the star down on its back. You have to make sure to get the smallest stars possible when feeding the harly.

 

[IotaElwyn]

Ahh, ok, I thought this was sporting with the harlequin and that it would do that. I will just flip the star and let the harlequin get the easy kill.

Thanks!

 

[VelasCorals]

A lot of people will just cut one leg off. A whole star for one shrimp will probably be way too much and the star will just die and rot in the tank. Know anyone with an Astrea star problem? We just catch hundreds of those little guys and feed it to harlequins.

 

[iretthepirate]

Cut a leg off much easier for them. Make sure the star doesn't eat your coral since it's free to walk around. Should have got a male and female pairof harlequins. With team work they can handle whole star and prevent it from free roaming your tank

 

[Aqua fire/medic]

Cut a leg and put the rest of the CC star in your sump. The shrimp will be good for a week or so after eating the one leg. Make sure you clean up the leftovers so as not to mess with water quality.