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Unread 12/01/2009, 01:48 AM   #76
blazing
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i just pick up 2 harlequin shrimps a few days ago. had a bunch of little stars in my tank and i think they were attcking my zoas. at the moment they are eating the little stars but i dont think that will last them to long. how many choclate stars do u guy use to rotate? and how long does it take for thr arms to grow back?


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Unread 12/01/2009, 08:07 AM   #77
E.intheC
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Those are good questions. I have had my shrimp for about 2 weeks now, and they still haven't eaten anythng. I have asterinas (which I think they're eating bc the numbers are slowly receeding, but I don't actually se it happen). But no choc chip stars. I've tried putting the star in there face down less than a few inches from the star.. Tried lower lighting, keeping a good physical distance from the tank, etc but no success yet.


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Unread 12/01/2009, 08:09 PM   #78
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if they are actually eating a bunch of asterina stars they can refuse food simply because they are full. ive have my harlequin not take a asterina shortly after eating a chip leg. they will also not eat right before a molt or just after. if u think neither one is the case try leaving it for a short bit they may just not trust what u are trying to give them right away. one last thing may be that they dont realize that its a leg of a star. i know this may sound stupid but think about it do u think onme legged stars are a nomal thing in the wild. try a whole star the first time or two to get them use to chip stars then try legs

*as for *Blazing question... after all the stars are gone u will need to supplement chips or some other affordable star. i normal keep two to three stars in rotation. and as for the leg regrowth that my very. if the stars are in a well established tank they will start to grow a leg back in a few weeks but in a tank with not much for them to eat they my not grow legs back fast enough. ive had to realize that the star may not grow legs back fast enough in some cases but at least it had a longer life then if u feed the whole star.

one last thing as i think i said before but try a whole star at first, if it's not huge, for a pair of harlequins. they might be able to eat the whole thing without it rotting.


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Unread 12/01/2009, 09:03 PM   #79
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those are good points gkaquatic. I wonder if my stars are too large (actually tried feeding whole, thinking similar thoughts as you).. still nothing. I'll just have to be patient ..


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Unread 12/01/2009, 10:34 PM   #80
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thanks and yeah just be patient it took me a little bit to get mine use to everything


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Unread 12/01/2009, 10:42 PM   #81
Bud Reeferman
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My mated pair of Harleguins took three weeks to fully decimate an Astria population in the hundreds. Once done, I've been feeding them a Chocolate Star every three weeks.

Everyone is happy (except the chocolate) and hangs out at the front of the tank. Sometimes they'll pull the star back into the rockwork to hide their meals.


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Unread 12/02/2009, 04:25 PM   #82
E.intheC
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bud Reeferman View Post
My mated pair of Harleguins took three weeks to fully decimate an Astria population in the hundreds. Once done, I've been feeding them a Chocolate Star every three weeks.

Everyone is happy (except the chocolate) and hangs out at the front of the tank. Sometimes they'll pull the star back into the rockwork to hide their meals.
I'm also curious to know how long they can go in between meals. I've heard a few different thoughts; most lead me to believe the time frame is about 2 weeks or so.


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Unread 12/03/2009, 12:41 AM   #83
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two weeks at MOST!


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Unread 12/03/2009, 12:44 AM   #84
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how would i know if i have a pair? and when u guys feed a choc star leg how long does it usually tank ur shrimp to eat the whole thing?


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Unread 12/03/2009, 03:55 PM   #85
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u can tell they are a pair either by basic visual. the male is smaller(just a light) then the female. they stay together all the time. and the female has larger defensive claws ( the large front claws that look almost like big fans). the other way would to sex both. look under the tail of each one. the small swimmerets should be different. the female will have spots while the male does not.

as for 1 leg a single harlequin can eat one in about 3 to 4 days. a pair would be fast of course.


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Unread 12/06/2009, 02:53 PM   #86
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thxs for the reply thats just the answers i was looking for . i think i might have a pair but they do split up some times when they are hunting for stars but one of them is alot bigger then the other one. if i can get a clear pic of them both then i wil try to post it and u guys can see and tell what ya think.


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Unread 12/06/2009, 03:52 PM   #87
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just a nice update.. yesterday I put the starfish in the tank.. and finally the harlequin's took to him and started eating! They now have the star situated so that it's against a rock and it looks like they're guarding the star.. very interesting animals. (and yes, it is a bit sad about the starfish dieing.)


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Unread 12/06/2009, 06:32 PM   #88
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Quote:
Originally Posted by AJSTITAN14 View Post
Killing something isn't the issue. Keeping something just alive enough to harvest a part of it over and over again is the part I have a problem with. This is not a humane practice.
That's because cows and chickens can't regenerate their limbs.


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Unread 12/18/2009, 05:35 PM   #89
gkaquatic
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got a new LITTLE male harlequin today. came in shippment today and i had to take him home. to bad he's to small to go with my huge female but ill make him a good home and it should be easier to find a small female to pair him with.

*he is probably the size of a nickle or smaller... so cute.

harley


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Unread 12/22/2009, 02:21 AM   #90
bustayanky
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Ok so i just got one like 2 weeks ago. It's been eating my Asternia sp starfishes, but i wanted to start to feed him like chocolate stars. If I cut one leg per week is that sufficient food source? And how long does it take for the starfish to regenerate it's legs? How many chocolate stars should i keep to keep my harly fed? How deep do you cut the starfish's leg? What do you cut them with? Also what do you think about cutting the starfish up and freezing them? Please let me know. Thanks in Advanced!

WILL


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Unread 12/22/2009, 02:53 AM   #91
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who here has actually harvested starfish?
like busta I want to know how long it takes to regenerate an arm


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Unread 12/22/2009, 08:12 PM   #92
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ok there are a ton of questions and a lot have been answered and talked about on this thread already, but i will recap things and talk about the new ones.

1. first off 1 chip leg a week is enough for ONE harlequin unless the PAIR is small ( under 1/2inch in length) for a larger PAIR two legs a week will be fine.

2. as for the regeneration of legs in a chip star: one leg, in the right tank with enough food, will take 1 to 3 months to grow back BUT*** most people will not see regrowth in enough time to use the starfish for what we intend (having two or three stars and rotate between them for legs) in most cases the star will just be slowly be cut apart till you feed the remaining star to the harlequin. this is not to discourage someone from doing this because the star will heel its self between cuttings but no regenerate a full leg to be Harvested. * this way still is better, in Mine and may other peoples opinions, then feeding a whole star and having it go to waist because the harly cant eat the whole thing before it dies. whole star feeding can also lead to rotting of the star which affects water quality!!!

3. cutting a leg off the star: a pair of good scissors, Meat scissors that come in mainy knife sets work great, or coral snips work well too.

cut the arm near the central ring * but try not to cut to much of the center. i lost a star once because i cut to much of the center. some people may say its ok but to insure the star lives take as least of the center as possible.

4. lastly I have heard of freezing legs and thawing them before feeding method, it can be done but two things come into play... First the leg is not alive so any part of the leg not consumed by the harlequin within a day or two WILL begin to rot. it takes a harlequin a few days at least even at full adults let alone when they are smaller. Second the harlequin from what ive read has to learn to take the once frozen no longer alive leg. in most cases a harly will not take one right off the bat. So in my opinion this way would not work out as nicely as you may think but maybe over time. better off sticking to the live legs, if u dont have the time to make this method work.

but if u wanted to try this, i might myself just to see what goes on, cut up a Small chip star and try that. the small legs will be eatn faster and have less potential of rotting.
* if anyone trys this method post on it Please! would like to see what happens. this way would cut down on one extra tank or thing to take care of, if it works.

hope this all helps!



Last edited by gkaquatic; 12/22/2009 at 08:19 PM.
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Unread 12/22/2009, 08:59 PM   #93
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Unread 12/23/2009, 12:07 AM   #94
bustayanky
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Ok another question is how big of a tank or spac3 does the choco star need? As of now I have one in a floating fish breeder cup. If i'm trying to get like 4-5 choco stars. Can I store them in my sump?


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Unread 01/15/2010, 07:12 PM   #95
SupaJSK
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At what point do chocolate stars start rotting and affecting water quality? Will cutting off arms from the starfish cause it to start rotting?


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Unread 01/16/2010, 04:21 PM   #96
JDMhoes
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sexy shrimp looks just as good and you dont have to feed them starfish. thats the alternate route


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Unread 01/17/2010, 01:48 AM   #97
Romulox234
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Sorry for the post i asked a question only to scroll up and find the answers to everything i asked right there


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Unread 01/17/2010, 10:31 PM   #98
crooks
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Can anyone tell if I have a male or female? The pics are a couple of post up.


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Unread 01/20/2010, 02:20 PM   #99
L98-Z
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CCritters sells Asterias forbesii for $4.00 a piece. I'm going to have a spare 180 gallon up and running connected to my main display tank. Could I buy say... 12 of these and cut the legs or do these not regenerate quick enough?

At $4.00 a piece, they're rather cheap, but the shipping could be expensive. So I figured buy bulk, rotate cutting legs, and hopefully they'll live awhile.


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Unread 01/20/2010, 06:18 PM   #100
E.intheC
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Quote:
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sexy shrimp looks just as good and you dont have to feed them starfish. thats the alternate route
IMO, harlequins are completely different than sexy shrimp. Night and day really. I'm not saying sexy shrimp aren't cool and interesting but they're nothing like harlequins.


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