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-   -   asterina stars eating zoas? (http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=114736)

Myka 06-24-2015 02:45 PM

There are over 30 described species of Asterina stars, and some definitely do eat Zoas. Harlequin Shrimp can definitely help if there are no fish that would eat the Shrimp. Many LFS will sell you Chocolate Chip Stars for a discounted price if you have a Harlequin, or they are easy to catch (with a star haha) and you can re-home.

reefwithareefer 06-25-2015 03:11 AM

J&L had some Bumblebee shrimp...$8.00 a pop.

christyf5 06-25-2015 03:13 AM

Then what do the bumblebees eat once the stars are gone? I hauled a ton of little bits of stars out of the tank today. Not willing to put a specialized feeder in there just to eat them.

reefwithareefer 06-25-2015 03:18 AM

They will eat the asterina and when there is none, they will eat meaty frozen food. They are a species of Harlequin shrimp. The problem with the typical Harlequins is that they only eat asterina and will starve if there is no supply.So you have to rehome them or get everyone to give you asterina.
Mind you, this is what the article says, not from experience.

http://reefkeeping.com/joomla/index....efkeeping-101-

Skimmer Juice 06-25-2015 05:22 AM

for my harlequin I have 15 cc stars in my sump and I just give him a leg a week and then he keeps my asterina in check on top of that , the bumble bee shrimp are pretty small so you might need a few . I also have a bumble bee shrimp that eats almost anything so they are not as specialized as a harlequin . The bumble be likes to sit in my urchin and he will also sit with the harlequin and get scraps from the cc arms . Pretty cool you wont see them much mine just pops up in random spots would defiantly recommend getting one

New West 40 06-25-2015 06:22 AM

Bongo Shrimp
 
I got one of these guys at JL (and it was so small I thought I'd lost it when he went in). He's been eating the unwanted stars.

reefwars 06-25-2015 11:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by reefwithareefer (Post 955589)
They will eat the asterina and when there is none, they will eat meaty frozen food. They are a species of Harlequin shrimp. The problem with the typical Harlequins is that they only eat asterina and will starve if there is no supply.So you have to rehome them or get everyone to give you asterina.
Mind you, this is what the article says, not from experience.

http://reefkeeping.com/joomla/index....efkeeping-101-

Harlequin shrimp will eat many types of starfish not just asterinas :)

reefwithareefer 06-25-2015 03:48 PM

Yes, you are correct, they will eat any and all starfish. I should have worded my comment better.

Myka 06-26-2015 03:43 AM

My Harlequin pair never touched my Black Brittle Starfish. I never saw them bothering mini Brittles either. They like Chocolate Chips better than Asterinas ime.

gregzz4 06-26-2015 04:12 AM

My harlequin pair did a number on my red star and it passed

My pair have since been re-homed to another member who had an asterina outbreak

As far as the OP thread goes, I guess I've been lucky. I had a huge outbreak of asterinas last year and they never touched my zoos or palys. I had maybe a hundred visible stars before I bought my harlequins.
In retrospect I should have got my params in check, not kill off the stars.


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