asterina stars eating zoas?

[reefwithareefer]

J&L had some Bumblebee shrimp...$8.00 a pop.

[christyf5]

Then what do the bumblebees eat once the stars are gone? I hauled a ton of little bits of stars out of the tank today. Not willing to put a specialized feeder in there just to eat them.

[reefwithareefer]

They will eat the asterina and when there is none, they will eat meaty frozen food. They are a species of Harlequin shrimp. The problem with the typical Harlequins is that they only eat asterina and will starve if there is no supply.So you have to rehome them or get everyone to give you asterina.
Mind you, this is what the article says, not from experience.

http://reefkeeping.com/joomla/index....efkeeping-101-

[Skimmer Juice]

for my harlequin I have 15 cc stars in my sump and I just give him a leg a week and then he keeps my asterina in check on top of that , the bumble bee shrimp are pretty small so you might need a few . I also have a bumble bee shrimp that eats almost anything so they are not as specialized as a harlequin . The bumble be likes to sit in my urchin and he will also sit with the harlequin and get scraps from the cc arms . Pretty cool you wont see them much mine just pops up in random spots would defiantly recommend getting one

[reefwars]

Originally Posted by reefwithareefer

They will eat the asterina and when there is none, they will eat meaty frozen food. They are a species of Harlequin shrimp. The problem with the typical Harlequins is that they only eat asterina and will starve if there is no supply.So you have to rehome them or get everyone to give you asterina.
Mind you, this is what the article says, not from experience.

http://reefkeeping.com/joomla/index....efkeeping-101-

Harlequin shrimp will eat many types of starfish not just asterinas

[reefwithareefer]

Yes, you are correct, they will eat any and all starfish. I should have worded my comment better.