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fishlovr
Guest
I would like to add a Harlequin Shrimp pair to my 58 gallon reef but am concerned about my 6-line wrasse. Would he bother them? TIA
Janey
Janey
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fishlovr
Guest
Would the wrasse bother the Harlequins?
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fishlovr
Guest
Thanks for the info, Cadbury and Slothy
I'm going to see if I can't feed them pieces of frozen starfish......don't like seeing something eaten alive if not completely necessary. It's good to know that you can successfully keep a 6-line in the same tank with them
Janey
I'm going to see if I can't feed them pieces of frozen starfish......don't like seeing something eaten alive if not completely necessary. It's good to know that you can successfully keep a 6-line in the same tank with them Janey
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fishlovr
Guest
I wrote to WebWebMedia and was told that it's not 100% safe but that they would be "comfortable" doing it......that is should be okay I think I'll go ahead and see what happens. May take a while for our LFS to get a pair in, but will post again after they arrive and I have them acclimated. One other quick question.....I've read that lots of people use the choc. chip stars for them.....is this not a good replacement for linkia's? TIA
I think I'll go ahead and see what happens. May take a while for our LFS to get a pair in, but will post again after they arrive and I have them acclimated. One other quick question.....I've read that lots of people use the choc. chip stars for them.....is this not a good replacement for linkia's? TIA
maryc137
Member
I feed my Harley chocolate chip stars. You should see him manhandle them. The stars and 5 times bigger than Harley, but he just grabs them and takes them to his CAVE. If I can see him and the starfish, I try to retrieve the starfish in 2-3 days and throw it back in the sump to regenerate the leg that was eaten. Maybe Harley's learning my trick though because the last starfish was taken way back in the rocks so I couldn't see it. By now it's probably gone, or will be soon. I have about 4 starfish in the sump now.
iechy
Member
I have a six-line with CBS, Peps, and a cleaner and he doesn't bother any of them. I love thos e halequins as well but it's a pain to have to feed them starfish. Keep us up to date on the frozen stuff. If it works I might try it too.
On a related note my LFS has two sexy shrimp right now. ANyone know much about them? They were really funny shaking their rears in the air like that. I would've bought them but they were really tiny and I think would have been eaten by my coral beauty. Do they get big enough that I could try one?
On a related note my LFS has two sexy shrimp right now. ANyone know much about them? They were really funny shaking their rears in the air like that. I would've bought them but they were really tiny and I think would have been eaten by my coral beauty. Do they get big enough that I could try one?
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fishlovr
Guest
I'll let you all know if the frozen choc.chips work It will be a couple weeks before a have a chance to acquire them.....
Another side note, I saw the weirdest coolest little crab at the LFS today. I thought he was a coral at first......they called it a "staghorn" crab. He was bright pink and had pink spikes all over his back about an inch long. Anyone know about these guys?
Janey
It will be a couple weeks before a have a chance to acquire them.....Another side note, I saw the weirdest coolest little crab at the LFS today. I thought he was a coral at first......they called it a "staghorn" crab. He was bright pink and had pink spikes all over his back about an inch long. Anyone know about these guys?
Janey
iechy
Member
Sammy I have always wondered about these. What happens when it outgrows it's shell or does the shell grow along with it since it is also alive? I always though it would be dumb of me to buy one and take it home only for it to vacate it's shell but if it grows with it then I guess that won't happen. I didn't realize it was alive as well.
iechy
Member
Thanks Sammy! Another thing I always wondered about put to rest. I bet what happens is the coral gradually gets heavier and it leads to stress and decreased activity and decreased food intake because of it and then the crab dies and I guess the coral continues to grow where it is. Just a guess though obviously. Maybe you'll know for sure in a few years
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fishlovr
Guest
That's what I saw, Sammy Only this one had a bright pink coral on top.....I found the following article on aquacon.com to be very interesting.
"Perhaps one of the most unique symbiotic relationships in all of the Sea of Cortez is what the aquariest has come to know as the Staghorn Hermit Crab. Very few aquarists have ever encountered these creatures as they are uncommon in the trade and difficult to obtain due to the depth at which they are found. As aquarium specimens, they need a little bit of care in order to be maintained for a long period of time.
The symbiotic relationship between the hermit crab species (Maunocomplanus varians) and the hydrocoral host (Janaria mirabullis) is not well documented, however it is fairly simple to understand. Found from Central gulf of California to Northern Panama, the 2 cm crab benefits by camouflage beneath the coral-like "shell" and in turn, it carries the host around to obtain food that it filters out of the water. The camouflage well protects it from grazing predators. The hydrocoral can reach sizes up to 8 cm in width and 12 cm in height with anywhere from 3 to 32 branches!!!
The crabs are white to rose colored with red mottling and red eyes. The hydrocorals are usually tan, cream, or red. A large , flat, oval-shaped claw can be used by the crab to seal itself inside a hole within the hydrocoral for danger. As the hydrocoral grows, the crab manicures the opening to maintain it's shape. Individual crabs rarely leave their host except to molt and occasionally to find a new host, should the old one die.
Because of the depth at which the Staghorn Hermit's are found (usually beyond 25 meters deep), they are difficult to obtain.
In the aquarium, Staghorn Hermit's should be kept in Reef tanks or fish only tanks where only peaceful type fish reside. They are vulnerabke to attack from large wrasses, large angels, butterfly fish, and puffers. They require a moderate current to facilitate feeding of the hydrocoral, but they do not require light as they are non-photosynthetic. In a reef tank, it is essential to provide them an open flat as they have difficulty overcoming physical barriers. With that in mind, they can be kept in full view at all times by "coralling" them with small rocks. Feeding is easy as their scavenging behavior makes them not at all fussy."
Janey
Only this one had a bright pink coral on top.....I found the following article on aquacon.com to be very interesting. "Perhaps one of the most unique symbiotic relationships in all of the Sea of Cortez is what the aquariest has come to know as the Staghorn Hermit Crab. Very few aquarists have ever encountered these creatures as they are uncommon in the trade and difficult to obtain due to the depth at which they are found. As aquarium specimens, they need a little bit of care in order to be maintained for a long period of time.
The symbiotic relationship between the hermit crab species (Maunocomplanus varians) and the hydrocoral host (Janaria mirabullis) is not well documented, however it is fairly simple to understand. Found from Central gulf of California to Northern Panama, the 2 cm crab benefits by camouflage beneath the coral-like "shell" and in turn, it carries the host around to obtain food that it filters out of the water. The camouflage well protects it from grazing predators. The hydrocoral can reach sizes up to 8 cm in width and 12 cm in height with anywhere from 3 to 32 branches!!!
The crabs are white to rose colored with red mottling and red eyes. The hydrocorals are usually tan, cream, or red. A large , flat, oval-shaped claw can be used by the crab to seal itself inside a hole within the hydrocoral for danger. As the hydrocoral grows, the crab manicures the opening to maintain it's shape. Individual crabs rarely leave their host except to molt and occasionally to find a new host, should the old one die.
Because of the depth at which the Staghorn Hermit's are found (usually beyond 25 meters deep), they are difficult to obtain.
In the aquarium, Staghorn Hermit's should be kept in Reef tanks or fish only tanks where only peaceful type fish reside. They are vulnerabke to attack from large wrasses, large angels, butterfly fish, and puffers. They require a moderate current to facilitate feeding of the hydrocoral, but they do not require light as they are non-photosynthetic. In a reef tank, it is essential to provide them an open flat as they have difficulty overcoming physical barriers. With that in mind, they can be kept in full view at all times by "coralling" them with small rocks. Feeding is easy as their scavenging behavior makes them not at all fussy."
Janey