adult Harlequin shrimps

[FuEl]

Let's say I had an adult pair. The female died a few weeks ago. The male died today. Both flipped on their sides. How could they die just like that?

Should'nt be anything wrong with my water condition as other crustaceans are moulting well (iodide levels should be fine) and my sps are growing..Can't be copper poisoning as my other crustaceans are fine (even sensitive rock cleaner shrimps).

I suspect they died due to malnutrition. I have recently changed to sand shifter stars due to the cheap price but have greatly regretted now. Somehow the harlequins take longer to finish a sandshifter than a linkia (I initially thought it was due to the sandshifter being tougher to cut)...But now I suddenly realised that sandshifter stars might have lower nutritional value due to them having less flesh.

What do you guys think of this issue? Any other experienced harlequin keepers out there? The only abnormal behavior I realised was my male harlequin pacing around the tank last night, abandoning his sandshifter star. Today at noon it was back to the star and was looking in the pink of health(A fellow reefer who came my place saw it too). I come back 10 hours later and it's lying on its side...dead.

[Terryz_]

Maybe could be due to the changing of its food??? Sand shifting star are harder for the harlequin to cut and they are not very nutritious becos of their diet...

[evanscence]

Hi, i hve been feeding my shrimps with sand sifter stars for close to a years alreadi so far they been doing very well...do u guys think that it could be other reason.......................

[shiraz]

i was informed once that the starfish u feed to the harlequins might have contained some kind of toxin, hence the death... don't know how credible this is though

[FuEl]

Hi, i hve been feeding my shrimps with sand sifter stars for close to a years alreadi so far they been doing very well...do u guys think that it could be other reason.......................

Hmm..mine just flopped dead...no visible injuries nothing. It's like they just got heart attack and died...