harlequin shrimp question pls help

[PurpleTang]

thanks a lot man, but i dont rlly see a diffrenace in the male and female its kinda really hard to tell

 

[wschang812]

i want to know how to tell the differences b/w a female and male. i looked at the link above and the 2 shrimps look like they have markings on their abdomen. i want to keep a pair but want to make sure their male and female. can someone explain the differences more clearly? thanks. good luck with your harleys purpletang. i just got mine not too long ago and its riding on the cc star. haha.

 

[KathyC]

Seems kind of obvious,, there is either markings or not.

Just buy the opposite of what you have now.

 

[PurpleTang]

is that pic the front or the back of the shirp? b/c i think i have a male so i guess i will be buying a female this weekend thanks agian man

 

[KathyC]

It is the bottom of the shrimp.

 

[Pinkheine]

http://www.wetwebmedia.com/sndsftstrfaqs.htm is this the star you have

 

[PurpleTang]

yaya its the sand sifter is that ok for him to eat?

 

[Killerdrgn]

what do chocolate chip starfish eat btw? So if i cut off a leg and hoe it regrows I know what to feed it to help it along.

 

[PurpleTang]

is the sand sifter ok to feed him? he seems to be eatting it nicely, also i check i am pretty sure that my harlequin is a male, but if i am wrong and hes/shes female would 2 female harlequin shrimps fight?

 

[Pedro Nuno Ferreira]

is the sand sifter ok to feed him? he seems to be eatting it nicely, also i check i am pretty sure that my harlequin is a male, but if i am wrong and hes/shes female would 2 female harlequin shrimps fight?

Hi
Yes they will. Shrimps of the same sex do fight one another

This is a very complete and detailed source of information, have a look - The Care & Breading Of The Harlequin Shrimp

Also have a look here

Social Structure

Male and female harlequins have a strong bond and rarely are separate from one another; hunting, sleeping and eating together. On the other hand, two males or two females will fight or avoid each other.

and here


Cheers
Pedro Nuno;-)
http://www.chucksaddiction.com/harlequinshrimp.html

 

[PurpleTang]

thanks man those sites are very helpful i am still trying to get a better look at my harley but i am almost sure that its a male

 

[PurpleTang]

well last night when i put the full sand sifter star fish in my tank for my harley, he went under the sand, but later that night when i checked, the harley took the star fish out of the sand and flipped him over and has been enjoing a nice meal since, but now when ever i go to check on him, it seems my green serpent star is allways right next to the harley and was even on top of the sand star, is there anything i should be worried about? will the green star harm my harley?

 

[Pedro Nuno Ferreira]

well last night when i put the full sand sifter star fish in my tank for my harley, he went under the sand, but later that night when i checked, the harley took the star fish out of the sand and flipped him over and has been enjoing a nice meal since, but now when ever i go to check on him, it seems my green serpent star is allways right next to the harley and was even on top of the sand star, is there anything i should be worried about? will the green star harm my harley?

Hi
Yes there is if the green serpent star you mention is Ophiarachna incrassata, a vicious predator....:eat:

Some more information about it here

M[SIZE=-1]ost all Brittle and Serpent Stars of the genera Ophionereis, Ophioderma, Ophiocoma and Ophiarachna are good non-aggressive reef tank scavengers, with the exception of the very controversial Green Brittle Star (Ophiarachna incrassata), and possibly other Ophiarachna sp., because it has been reported to attack, capture and eat unwary fish. Be sure to research the size potential on any of these starfish before buying them as well, as some can grow quite large.

[/SIZE]

Starfish: Considerations of the Common (and Commonly Misunderstood) Varieties

Ophiarachna incrassata, the infamous Green Brittle Star, and a few related kin are the rare exceptions to the otherwise reef-safe and well-behaved Ophiuroid serpent and brittle starfish class. In some tanks O. incrassata will behave for months or even years, while in other tanks they tend to catch and kill motile creatures whenever possible They are active predators, which arch their central disk above their legs to form a trap for fishes and other prey. A lurker pictured here.

Could you please post pictures of your green serpent star, so that we may better help you to identify it and this before it helps it self on your Harley, or fish or whatever edible animal that crosses its path...if in fact it is Ophirachna incrassata.

Cheers
Pedro Nuno;-)

 

[PurpleTang]

ya thats the pic of it up there that u had in your link, but so far hes been rlly good to my fish and inverts i have had the green serpent star for mabey 3 or 4 months and all my fish and inverts are acounted for