62 http://www.ultramarinemagazine.co.uk
Care should be taken when
keeping them with other
shrimps that are known to be
aggressive and territorial. Ex-
isting records do not indicate
the extent to which H. elegans
and H. picta are compatible as
tankmates. Harlequin shrimps
(at least of the same species)
can be kept singly or in male/
female pairs. If a pair is to be
kept, it is best to acquire a
true mated couple; fi ghts can
erupt if one of the individu-
als objects to your choice of
partner for the arrangement.
A tank volume of 20 gallons is
usually suffi cient for hous-
ing an individual. If a pair is
to be kept, something a bit
larger is advised. Only very
large tanks are recommended
when stocking three or more
individuals. Inlets to drain lines
should have a strainer with a
mesh size that it small enough
to prevent the shrimp from
slipping through. That all be-
ing said, due to their small size,
nervous temperament and
special feeding requirements,
harlequin shrimp are best kept
in a dedicated species tank.Though properly housing
harlequin shrimps is not par-
ticularly complicated, meeting
their dietary demands can be
unusually tricky and laborious.
Probably, the best luck will be
had when off ering (especially
to newly introduced speci-
mens) their preferred dish of
Linckia starfi sh. Not only will
this present the best chance of
eliciting a feeding response,
but it will also aff ord the
keeper a chance to observe
the animal exhibiting its most
natural feeding behaviors.
When Linckia feeder
starfi sh are not available,
similar types such as Fro-
mia stars may suffi ce.
Even less ideal sub-
stitutes might be ac-
cepted in cases where
the keeper wishes to
use more available (or
less expensive) feeder
stars. Some aquaristshave reported success using
the tiny (and oftentimes pest)
Asterina stars. Sometimes,
larger starfi sh types can also be
used eff ectively. The big, sturdy
chocolate chip stars and their
kin are commonly used as feed.
Bulkier and hardier starfi shes
such as chocolate chip stars can
be conserved by feeding only
portions (usually a single arm)
per feeding. Here, the starfi sh
is housed separately; this may
be in the sump or refugium of
the tank in which the shrimps
are housed. For each feeding,
an arm is severed using
a very sharp and sterile
(rubbing alcohol will do)
blade. Only the arm is of-
fered to the shrimp, with
the feeder star remaining in
seclusion to heal. Given a good
amount of meaty foods, the
starfi sh will quickly recover and
regenerate its lost limb. Keep-
ing a number of feeder stars on
hand will increase the recovery
time for each individual, greatly
increasing their overall chance
of long-term survival.Harlequin shrimp will not
feed on brittle starfi sh. By
some accounts, they
will resort to the tube
feet sea urchins
possesswhen desperately hungry,
though this should be consid-
ered to be an exception rather
than a rule. While there has
been talk of some experimenta-
tion with prepared harlequin
shrimp foods, no such prod-
uct has been developed and
brought to market at this time.Some keepers report that their
harlequin shrimps survive as
long as three weeks between
feedings. Others suggest feed-
ing every couple of weeks. Re-
ally, a weekly
sched-
uleis best. If anything, the animals
should be able to eat whenever
they wish. Still, one should be
sure to remove dead starfi sh
or starfi sh arms every few days
to avoid fouling the aquarium
water. What this means is that a
fresh food item might need to
be added immediately after re-
moving a seemingly unfi nished
one. This might seem extremely
costly and tedious, and (by
most standards) it is. After the
fi rst few feedings to a new har-
lequin shrimp, the
task of providing
your pet with its
meal might turn
from a captivat-
ing experience
to something more
like a messy, time-con-
suming chore. Hence,
you should be sure that
you are both able and
willing to hold to the
considerable commit-
ment that this animal
demands before you
even consider
purchasing a
specimen.