Harlequin shrimp
- Thread starter Darylb
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Mebbid
Aquarium Advice Addict
Holy crap thats an absurd amount of money for a shrimp. You can get them for $30 - $40 around here.
mr_X
Aquarium Advice Addict
You know they only eat starfish right? You will have to buy starfish regularly and watch it rip them apart. A cool shrimp for sure, but I just can't get my head around the live food thing any more.
Gregcoyote
Aquarium Advice Addict
Same here, I would love to wipe out my asteria star collection, but then what? Like buying a tiger to keep down the squirrel population.
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Darylb
Aquarium Advice Addict
Yea I know what there diet is I was shocked at the price tho $900 and if I wanted it I woukd have to pay at least another 100 for postage
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Gregcoyote
Aquarium Advice Addict
We should buy one here and get it a first class ticket on a airline. Might still be cheaper. 
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Darylb
Aquarium Advice Addict
It no doubt would be haha and apparently qantas who ships all the corals is increasing the freight by 400%
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Mebbid
Aquarium Advice Addict
Heck, for that price id buy you one and fly it over myself 
Andy Sager
Aquarium Advice Addict
A number of years ago, it was thought that the explosion in the crown of thorns starfish population at the great barrier reef was caused by the fish trade's removal of so many of these shrimp from the reefs. I believe there was a ban on the collection of them by the Australian Gov't for some time which may be why you haven't seen them offered in your market before. They are a cool shrimp but their dietary needs do make them a pain to keep sometimes (IMO). We used to keep a tank with starfish just for feeding them in the store. We would remove a leg from the starfish and let them regrow the leg before we would use that starfish again. So we would need to keep a few starfish in stock all the time. NOT the most cost effective use of a fish tank in a store 
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Darylb
Aquarium Advice Addict
That woukd make sense andy. I believe they do hunts on the crown of thorns star fish the guy at my lfs regularly goes and kills them off when he can fky over
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Andy Sager
Aquarium Advice Addict
Well, being in the U.S. and not over there, I can't confirm or deny that THAT was the reason but the news spread through the industry at that time. However, most of the shrimp we were getting back then were coming from the Philippines so who knows what the truth is? I've not heard of any starfish population explosions in the Philippines directly caused by the reduction of this shrimp's population.
I think, like many other things blamed on the tropical fish industry, it's more a natural phenomenon not a reduction of 1 animal that caused/causes this as a total removal of all shrimp didn't occur to the best of my knowledge. Now I'm not saying it didn;t play a part but I'm sure it also goes along with the ideology that coral reefs are dying because of over harvesting for the industry as well as the population bloom of jellyfish because the industry hasn't taken enough of them out of "the system." We all know that these are not caused by the tropical fish industry alone. But, as I said, it may explain why you haven't seen them before.
There is a way for you to enjoy their antics without the feeding hassles. Place a video screen behind the tank and play a loop of these colorful shrimp frolicking in the water. You will see them all the time when looking at your tank.
I think, like many other things blamed on the tropical fish industry, it's more a natural phenomenon not a reduction of 1 animal that caused/causes this as a total removal of all shrimp didn't occur to the best of my knowledge. Now I'm not saying it didn;t play a part but I'm sure it also goes along with the ideology that coral reefs are dying because of over harvesting for the industry as well as the population bloom of jellyfish because the industry hasn't taken enough of them out of "the system." We all know that these are not caused by the tropical fish industry alone. But, as I said, it may explain why you haven't seen them before.
There is a way for you to enjoy their antics without the feeding hassles. Place a video screen behind the tank and play a loop of these colorful shrimp frolicking in the water. You will see them all the time when looking at your tank.
Gregcoyote
Aquarium Advice Addict
Blame for habitat destruction goes far beyond our little hobby. The problem is we don't have lobbyists and big oil, fertilizer and construction does have them. That means it's far easier to shut us down, then proclaim your doing something about reef destruction, while the real polluters carry on.
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Andy Sager
Aquarium Advice Addict
It's sad but true. All that I've heard ( while in the biz) vs all I know to be true are very opposite. Maybe we should blame the internet???
I should be borrowing one of this little guys from a friend of mine this weekend to take out my asterina population. Hopefully once it eats them all Ill be able to net him out with some starfish bait. He usually gets fed chocolate chip stars, so hopefully he wil still have a liking for the asterinas. Here is a pretty decent article I found on these guys. By the way I thin he only gave $25 a piece for his.
Harlequin Shrimp
Harlequin Shrimp
Gregcoyote
Aquarium Advice Addict
Too bad there isn't a Rent a Shrimp nearby. ;-0
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Andy Sager
Aquarium Advice Addict
I know right. That is basically what I will be doing, but for free! Im sure I could keep it if I really wanted but I just don't see me buying stars every week or two for food. I do have plans to get another starfish in the future when I find the right one, and once the shrimp is gone of course.
Ok guys so I should be getting my harlequin today. I think I may end up keeping it once it eats the asterinas and feed it chocolate chip stars. The original plan was to give it back once they were gone, but im sure Ill fall in love with it! So my question is, will they eat brittle stars? I have a big on (about a foot in diameter) that I finally got out of my sump today where it was banished a long time ago for being accused of being a fish catcher (many missing fish, mostly bottom dwellers). But I still have no proof of this, they could have died and got cleaned up by it. I really like the way this guy looks though and would almost like to give him another chance in the DT, but im getting the harlequin shrimp and Ive read mixed reviews on them either eating or not eating bristle stars. I don't want to keep the bristle in my sump. If harlequins will eat it, might as well trade it in for a chocolate chip. Here is some pics of the bristle.
Sniperhank
Giant Clam Addict
Should eat any type of star. Don't think he discriminates against them as a food source.
mr_X
Aquarium Advice Addict
I have never seen them go after brittle stars.
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