Harlequin Shrimp to control Asterina starfish

[NYPDFrogman]

within last month I have had a bloom of Asterina starfish
was considering getting a Harlequin shrimp to eradicate them
within an hour or so after the lights go out the front glass is covered with them
anyone have any experience with harlequins and asterinas

 

[NYreefNoob]

they will eat and clean out almost all of them, problem is after they have gotten most or all of them you have to start buying cc starfish and they will go through 1 in a week to 2 weeks. just sold my pair had bought them to clean out asteria stars and it worked

 

[NYPDFrogman]

I have so many they have almost cleaned my tank of coraline algae
my tank is rather large so I guess I'll need a pair

 

[jr973]

id definetly go with the harlies there great for that only problem is once they are done eating those asterina's like rick said u will have to start buying choclate chips or something too feed em or they will die from starvation

 

[NYreefNoob]

beautiful creature anyways, for me the cc buying was reason i sold them had mine 6 months or so

 

[NYPDFrogman]

only problem I fore see is catching them when it's time

 

[ClosetFishGeek]

Very easy to catch. Just wait a week or so and when you throw that cc star in they will come sniff those tasty treats out like a blood hound and well the rest is history.......:splitspin

 

[tomtoothdoc]

+1 on easy catching 'em.......put the cc in the net and they'll march right in there.
btw they consume asterina's at an unbelievable pace....one pair cleaned out a 200 gal. tank in just weeks. had them for over a year before they "disappeared"....definitely not from starvation......i like to think of old age?
a couple of months later i see some asterina's again...not many but they're there!!:irked:

 

[charliethetuna88]

I used them for my astreana star fish problem they are eating machines awsome awsome shrimp

 

[E.intheC]

+1 on easy catching 'em.......put the cc in the net and they'll march right in there.
btw they consume asterina's at an unbelievable pace....one pair cleaned out a 200 gal. tank in just weeks. had them for over a year before they "disappeared"....definitely not from starvation......i like to think of old age?
a couple of months later i see some asterina's again...not many but they're there!!:irked:

Same here bud. One then the other a few weeks later. I've heard the life span of these guys is only about 2 years in general, but I'm not positive where I heard that.