Hawaiian Harlequin Shrimp?

Baby Ray

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Hey everyone,
I have wanted a (maybe pair) of hawaiian harlequin shrimp for a long time but I don't want to have to buy a starfish every time I need to feed it. I was think if I could keep a container with small holes in it in my tank and fill it with asternia starfish. Then when the starfish got a nice size I could cut them in half. Would the starfish regenerate fast enough if I kept 40 or more in my sump? How many asternia starfish would I have to feed a single hawaiian harlequin shrimp? What about a pair?
Thanks for any replies :)
 

Oscaror

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this works perfectly fine if you have a sump:
But chocolate chip starfish to put iin the sump, 3 or so
cut a leg off each week to feed the shrimp
repeat after you've gone through all 3, as they regenerate fast enough.

Some people may call this immoral, that's just not true. Starfish have no centralized nervous system, and don't have a concept of pain. They also don't have brains, so they don'tt even understand that they've lost a leg. Calling this immoral is like saying coral fragging is immoral. You're just fragging starfish, get over it.
 
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Baby Ray

Baby Ray

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this works perfectly fine if you have a sump:
But chocolate chip starfish to put iin the sump, 3 or so
cut a leg off each week to feed the shrimp
repeat after you've gone through all 3, as they regenerate fast enough.

Some people may call this immoral, that's just not true. Starfish have no centralized nervous system, and don't have a concept of pain. They also don't have brains, so they don'tt even understand that they've lost a leg. Calling this immoral is like saying coral fragging is immoral. You're just fragging starfish, get over it.

I am with you on that!!!! Some people also freak out about slitting anemones with a knife but this is much less stressful on them then there normal splitting as this takes awhile. We are just assisting them and helping to speed the process up

I was thinking about doing the chocolate chip starfish thing but I already have a long spin sea urchin and hermit crab in my sump. Can it get to crowded in my sump? Would feeding the starfish nori help speed up the process of their legs growing back?

Thanks :)
 
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Baby Ray

Baby Ray

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So is it possible to keep a asternia star population larger enough to keep a harlequin shrimp alive?
How often should I feed them asternia stars?
 

Oscaror

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I am with you on that!!!! Some people also freak out about slitting anemones with a knife but this is much less stressful on them then there normal splitting as this takes awhile. We are just assisting them and helping to speed the process up

I was thinking about doing the chocolate chip starfish thing but I already have a long spin sea urchin and hermit crab in my sump. Can it get to crowded in my sump? Would feeding the starfish nori help speed up the process of their legs growing back?

Thanks :)
depends how big your sump is. chocolat chip starfish just kinda sit around so I don't think it's a problem.
And no asterinas aren't enough. Although you will likely NEVER eliminate asterinas, the harlequin will eat so many of them that they'll eventually become too scarce to live off of.
 
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Baby Ray

Baby Ray

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depends how big your sump is. chocolat chip starfish just kinda sit around so I don't think it's a problem.
And no asterinas aren't enough. Although you will likely NEVER eliminate asterinas, the harlequin will eat so many of them that they'll eventually become too scarce to live off of.

I have a 20 gallon sump.
Would I still not be able to use just asternia stars if I kept a large population in my sump and split them to increase the population?
 

Oscaror

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I have a 20 gallon sump.
Would I still not be able to use just asternia stars if I kept a large population in my sump and split them to increase the population?
1. IMO the 20 gallon sump is enough space, >I kept two long spine urchins in a 10 gallon sump just fine
2. I just don't think the idea with the asterinas is gonna work out. You have to feed so many each week, you'd have to have them literally stacking up on the walls.
 

Psiber_Syn

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I have a single Harley and she can eat an entire cc star in less than a month so in my opinion there is not enough asterina that you could keep to feed a pair. Also fyi I had 4 fully grown 's stars in a separate tank and rotated 1/2 leg cutting and this was still not enough to keep my single one fed they simply eat faster than the stars regenerate you can drop a whole star in the DT they will keep it alive long enough to eat the whole thing and make sure it don't go eating corals or anything I buy a star a month from petco at like 10 bux a piece way cheaper than lfs who want 25 for the same star good luck I love my little one watching her flip over a whole star and drag it to her den is an Awsome sight
 
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Baby Ray

Baby Ray

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I have a single Harley and she can eat an entire cc star in less than a month so in my opinion there is not enough asterina that you could keep to feed a pair. Also fyi I had 4 fully grown 's stars in a separate tank and rotated 1/2 leg cutting and this was still not enough to keep my single one fed they simply eat faster than the stars regenerate you can drop a whole star in the DT they will keep it alive long enough to eat the whole thing and make sure it don't go eating corals or anything I buy a star a month from petco at like 10 bux a piece way cheaper than lfs who want 25 for the same star good luck I love my little one watching her flip over a whole star and drag it to her den is an Awsome sight

So would it be easier just to drop the whole thing in there rather than cutting legs off?
Everyone I have talked to seems to think that the legs regenerate fast enough but I guess they are wrong.
If I do get any I will probably go with a single just so it would be easier to keep fed :)
 

Psiber_Syn

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It's easier for me to just drop one in if you cut too far down the leg it will die in matter of hours and pollute the water the Harley knows how to keep it alive somehow cause I used to feed them and all in the holding tank but now I just drop one in and never have to worry about it until the Harley comes out searching them you know it ate it all
 

Psiber_Syn

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Also hopefully they will stay in view cause you won't see them unless they are hungry mine hides behind my huge leather but I can see it from the side of the tank it's ones of my fav tankmates :) not a Hawaiian though but still very cool

Also afaik they dont make babies that live so I don't see the purpose of keeping two imo
 

Psiber_Syn

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These are just my experiences good luck enjoy getting your hands wet :)
 
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Baby Ray

Baby Ray

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I just saw on a website that you can train them to eat frozen starfish chunks. Is this true? And if so would I have to make the starfish chunks myself or could I buy them somewhere?
 

Psiber_Syn

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Mine would not eat frozen legs I starved him for a few days and he grabbed it but quickly threw it out his den and afaik they are not sold anywhere once a star does it becomes mushy and pollutes the water so I used a new star cut it up wrapped in foil and froze them wasted a whole star
 

ChrisAndJulie2012

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how is the Harley doing Psiber_syn? We just got one for our 125 gallon. He is going to town as we speak and hasn't even been in the tank a hr yet.
 

RushReefer2112

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I'd like an update also! I'll be testing the two main methods people use, dropping the whole starfish in, and having a couple off site and fragging them. What route did you decide to take OP and why?
 
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