asterina stars eating zoas?

[reefwithareefer]

Bumblebee/striped harlequin shrimp eat Asterina, but unlike Harlequins, they are not obligate sea star eaters and will apparently eat frozen food. This way, you do not have to worry about them starving, once all the stars are eaten. I started to look for some last week, so if anyone knows where to get some......

[monocus]

got a bunch if you need them

[Myka]

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]

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

[christyf5]

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]

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]

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

[reefwars]

Originally Posted by reefwithareefer

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

[New West 40]

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.

[Ken]

hi christy, I had a lot of these stars awhile back, they were hanging out when the lights were off in the frt of the glass, which makes it easy to pick off, I just keep picking them off each morning until I didn't noticed them anymore, I am sure there may be afew but way better than before. greetings from Campbell River Ken