Harlequin Shrimp question

[mvallee]

I have a 180Gallon tank that is overrun with Asterina Starfish, I have started noticing them on my zoas and GSP at night when it is closed. If I had to guess I have hundreds. I used to pull as many as I could reach during water changes, anywhere between 30 and 50 at a time but that is usually during the day when they are not as numerous as they are after lights out.

I have read about Harlequin shrimp being a natural predator but always heard once they wipe out the Asterina, chocolate chip starfish need to be sacrificed, that is not something I would want to do.

In a big tank is it possible you could have enough Asterina Starfish to sustain a harlequin? I read this on one web site "when kept in aquariums with infestations of small starfish additional feeding is usually not required."

Thoughts on how many asterina starfish they consume and how fast and could a large enough population sustain them for the foreseeable future.

Thanks

 

[nemodan]

Why you want to eliminate your asterina starfish population?. They are so good in controlling algae. My tank is full also, but I never noticed any negative from them. Yes I saw them too on my corals, every day, but corals are very healthy and they are not affected. So I assume the asterina is doing something good to them.

Cheers

 

[iroc2zep]

I had an infestation and they were ok for a while, then they started eating my zoos, I put one in my 72 and seems to be enough to sustain the Harlequin... Tank isn't infested, and the little amount that have been in the tank they have not been bothering the zoos.

 

[mvallee]

I had an infestation and they were ok for a while, then they started eating my zoos, I put one in my 72 and seems to be enough to sustain the Harlequin... Tank isn't infested, and the little amount that have been in the tank they have not been bothering the zoos.

I am starting to think the same with my zoas, I keep finding closed polyps on my purple people eaters and fruit loops and when I shine a light there is always a star or two in there, as the colonies keep getting bigger they will not be as easy to find. Of course they leave the paly's alone, I had a Stylo the other day that did not have it's normal PE and found a star on it, maybe a coincidence but if they are aggravating the corals that is enough for me to want to do something about it.
Thanks for the info on your 72, how long has your infestation supported the harlequin so far?

 

[sfb911]

They will decimate even a large Asterina population n relatively short order (its also not a good sustainable diet for them). I have a pair that knovkdd down my Asterina problem in my 70 in a matter of a week and they polish off an entire chocolate chip starfish in about 3 days time...I feed them ever 7-10 days.

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[iroc2zep]

2 months now, so not sure how long it will last but it seems like a small consistent population at this point. I wanted to have a pair but Im concerned they would devour them and I would need to supplement.

 

[ReeferSutherland]

I had a pair of harlequins in my tank with a few asterinas. Not nearly as many as you have, and the harlequins eat them. There are still plenty left. I think they feed the starfish algae to keep it alive and eat it slowly.

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[Blitzburggirl]

In my previous reefing community we had a member that bought a hardly to clear his 240 of asternias and was sure it would be sustainable. That shrimp moved from tank to tank for about a year clearing out tanks extremely fast. Eventually, he was MIA, so the cycle ended, but I totally agree, have a plan in place to feed them.

 

[mvallee]

Thanks I decided against it, just not ready to sacrifice Starfish when the asterina run out plus I have a pretty large serpent star and sand sifting star that I like and they could be in jeopardy.
That would be cool to have a community Harlequin but I have things in my tank I see maybe once a month never mind try to capture a smallish shrimp.

I did see a pair of Bongo Shrimp on Divers Den that seems to accomplish the same thing but smaller and not so demanding but still concerned for the serpent and sand sifter so just going to live with what I got and clean out the ones I find during maintenance.