View Full Version : harlequin shrimp
BigFishDude
03-14-2003, 6:08 PM
I know these little guys eat star fish and sea urchin, but how do I go about getting the star and urchins for it to eat. It seems pretty crazy to spend like 20 dollars on one star fish to feed them. is there a web page that sells "feeder" star fish or is there a substitute food that they will eat??
Thansk in advance!
VoodooChild
03-15-2003, 1:15 AM
The closest you'll probably get to feeder status is CC stars, which you can usually order online for 6 or 7 bucks (not including shipping). Sounds like a pretty heavy commitment to me.
BigFishDude
03-15-2003, 10:23 AM
Can you give me the full name for the CC starfish and where I can possibly order them.
I agree it is a heavy commitment, but I just want to check thing out first ya know??
Thanks for the info VooDoo :)
VoodooChild
03-15-2003, 10:36 AM
Chocolate Chip Star. Most places online sell'em. Try www.Justphish.com or www.Marinedepot.com.
BigFishDude
03-15-2003, 10:50 AM
thank you very much :)
BigFishDude
03-15-2003, 10:56 AM
would you happen to know if chocolate chips are commonly sold in pet shops.
Boogiechillin
03-15-2003, 3:39 PM
Yes, but you'll spend a good $15-25 to get them locally. A single starfish will feed a pair of harlequins for about a month, so you're looking at a minimum of about $200/year to support a pair if you buy the stars online and several at a time. You should know that these are pretty secretive shrimp...they will grab the starfish, drag it back to their lair, and not come out in the open until they need to hunt for food again. IMHO, not worth dedicating the time, money, and space to keep them.
BigFishDude
03-15-2003, 6:06 PM
that sucks :( They are too pretty of an animal to be hiding! Your right its not worth the money and effort to keep these guys. But thank you everyone for all you help!
azriel
03-15-2003, 10:51 PM
depending on your location, i know the petcos in my area (MN) sell chocolate chips for about $5.
VoodooChild
03-15-2003, 11:26 PM
Which Petcos sell CCs?
JustPhish
03-17-2003, 10:12 PM
I have a trio of them and I ordered 12 chocolate chips at the same time to keep them fed. I rotate them out once they go through an arm. In the maybe 6-8 weeks I have had them I have only had to put thre stars in there (rotating, all still alive).
They are AWESOME shrimp. Grow quickly too when food is readily available. They have easily doubled in size since I got them.