The Official Asylum Reef Tank Thread

[shilala]

The harlequin shrimp arrived. Just for fun, I thought I'd see if they'd eat the Astraea starfish. I picked a couple with tweezers and threw them in their bags while they were floating, still being acclimated. Both shrimp ate them immediately. I was shocked, thrilled, happy, and hollered for Weeze to watch me feed them another and they gobbled them up instantly.

The pair were shipped in separate bags so I was afraid they weren't mated. As soon as I put them together it was like brand new lovers who hadn't seen each other for a week. They hugged and kissed and intertwined themselves like they were one shrimp.

After about a half hour they started hunting together. They worked together to pull a starfish off the glass and the male gobbled it up in one bite. Five minutes later they went to work again. The male and female both had to pry that star from the glass. I thought the male ate it, but then watched him pass it to the female.
Bellies full they backed up near a little ledge and just kicked back, never letting go of each other.

I havent seen them today, they apparently found their home and settled in among the rocks. I am totally in love with these things and I'm planning on a couple more pairs if I find in my reading that they'll live peacefully.
Once the Andreas are cleaned up, I can start feeding them chocolate chip stars.
This has been some serious fun. I can't wait to watch them work again, they're the coolest reef critters I've ever owned.