9 Types of Saltwater Aquarium Shrimp For Your (Reef) Tank

When it comes to planning their aquarium, most people think about what fish and corals they’re going to add. But don’t forget about smaller reef inhabitants either! We’re particularly fond of colorful saltwater aquarium shrimp, most of which are docile and reef-safe.

We’ve kept pretty much every reef shrimp under the sun at this point, and we’ve found there’s one for almost every tank. Let’s meet the shrimp and find your ideal janitor, cleaner, nano shrimp, or “stop-in-your-tracks” centerpiece.

Saltwater Aquarium Shrimp At A Glance

Reef-Safe Saltwater Shrimp: Can You Trust These Inverts?

The short answer? Mostly, but not fully.

Most of the shrimp we discuss here are listed as reef-safe by the majority of online stores and reef publications. If you look them up on forums or Reddit, though, you’ll come away thinking they’re all horrific coral killing machines. What gives?

In our experience, and as per usual in the saltwater hobby, the reality is somewhere in the middle. It’s not unusual to see larger reef shrimp picking at coral polyps. If the coral has food and they want it, they have no problem stomping over and stealing it right out of its mouth!

There are also cases where a shrimp goes fully “rogue” and starts feasting on coral polyps outright, but we’ve found this to thankfully be very rare.

Tip: Although most shrimp are easy to feed and maintain, they’re sensitive to fluctuating water parameters. If this is your first reef tank, make sure you can keep the water stable before getting one.

Peppermint Shrimp (Lysmata boggessi)

One saltwater shrimp all aquarium stores carry is Lysmata boggessi (though due to a persistent labeling mix-up, its name tag will often say Lysmata wurdemanni). Its cheerful stripes have earned this one the nickname “peppermint shrimp”, though we have to say we think that name would be more appropriate for the camel shrimp.

This cleaner shrimp grows to a maximum size of only about 2”, making it a good choice for nano tanks. Aside from occasionally stealing food from soft corals, it’s docile enough not to bother anyone and will fit in perfectly with other peaceful reef species.

Many aquarists turn to peppermint shrimp in search of a creature that can deal with Aiptasia, a pest anemone that can quickly become a nuisance in the aquarium. Research confirms these omnivores will indeed gobble up any Aiptasia they come across. Once they’ve gotten rid of the infestation, they’ll keep making themselves useful by clearing up uneaten foods and detritus.

Peppermint Shrimp: Aiptasia’s Worst Nightmare (Care & Info)

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Red Fire Shrimp (Lysmata debelius)

A cousin of the peppermint shrimp, the red fire shrimp is even more of an eyecatcher thanks to its blood red body and stark white antennae. And it’s useful, too: this is a true cleaner shrimp. A healthy red fire shrimp kept with fish will set up a dedicated cleaning station, earning its keep by picking dead scales and parasites off its tankmates.

Luckily, red fire shrimp aren’t obligatore symbionts, meaning they don’t exclusively rely on their cleaner duties for food. This makes them a handy addition to your aquarium’s janitorial crew even if there aren’t enough potential clients around. Be sure to also offer yours prepared foods if the tank lacks tasty detritus and algae for it to pick at, though!

We’ve found red fire shrimp to be somewhat sensitive and would avoid them for the smallest nano set-ups. More space also allows you to include plenty of the caves and sheltered overhangs they appreciate.

Skunk cleaner shrimp (Lysmata amboinensis)

Looking for something a little chunkier than tiny sexy shrimp? Skunk cleaners grow to up to 2.5″ in length and sport extremely long tentacles. Their substantial size, combined with a striking red and white pattern (including the typical skunk stripe on their backs), makes these cleaner shrimp true centerpiece material.

Like peppermint and red fire shrimp, skunk cleaner shrimp belong to the genus Lysmata. They’re very common in the saltwater hobby, and although like any shrimp they thrive on stability, we think their hardiness makes them an excellent choice for first-time shrimp keepers.

In the Finding Nemo movie, Nemo is thoroughly cleaner by a skunk cleaner shrimp. Indeed, as their conspicuous white antennae reveal, wild skunk cleaners earn most of their food by cleaning larger fish — including scary predators like moray eels. In the aquarium there are rarely enough clients around to sustain them, however, so be sure to supplement your shrimp’s diet with regular servings of prepared foods.

Skunk Cleaner Shrimp | The Reef’s Boldest Cleaner (Care & Info)

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Sexy Shrimp (Thor amboinensis)

If “sexy” seems like an odd name for a shrimp, wait until you see this one shake its booty! While dancing isn’t an unusual behavior in shrimp — the Pederson cleaner shrimp (see below) does it to attract clients in need of a clean, for example — this one really goes all out. Although there are many theories on why sexy shrimp wiggle their backsides, researchers haven’t yet definitively cleared up the matter.

Thanks to their adult size of no more than an inch or so, sexy shrimp make an excellent choice for nano aquariums. We love using them in our builds because they’re active during the day and always on the move. Try keeping yours in groups of at least 4–5 shrimp so they’ll display their tail-bobbing behavior and other funny inter-shrimp antics.

Wild sexy shrimp maintain symbiotic relationships with various species of anemones. They don’t just benefit from the safety afforded by their hosts’ stinging tentacles, but also consume its mucus and any edible particles stuck to it. They’ll shack up with corals in captivity, though keep in mind their incessant picking can stress out smaller and more sensitive colonies.

Sexy Shrimp Care & Info | The Dancing Anemone Shrimp

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Anemone cleaner shrimp (Ancylomenes pedersoni)

Like sexy shrimp, anemone cleaner shrimp of the genus Ancylomenes, as well as some species of Periclimenes* maintain a symbiotic relationship with anemones. The two can actually sometimes be found peacefully coexisting on the same host! If you’d like to try an anemone cleaner shrimp, may we recommend the adorable Pederson’s shrimp?

Pederson’s cleaners are very host-specific; one of their two preferred species, the curlique anemone (Bartholomea annulata) is considered doable as far as anemones go. Although keeping them with their natural hosts isn’t strictly necessary, a little nano reef with a few corals plus a curlique anemone and Pederson’s shrimp centerpiece would make for the most exquisite of desk decorations.

You can also keep these shrimp in a community set-up, though it’s important to limit their tankmates to the most peaceful species only. Fish don’t always adhere to cleaner etiquette in confined spaces, and at a measly 1″ in length, a Pederson’s makes for a very attractive appetizer.

*Periclimenes shrimp that associate with anemones, like P. brevicarpalis (the white spot anemone shrimp) can do very well in our tanks. The funkier varieties that prefer sea urchins, starfish, sea cucumbers and the like, on the other hand, rarely survive for long. We wouldn’t recommend those unless you’re a professional.

Pederson Cleaner Shrimp Care & Info

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Camel shrimp (Rhynchocinetes durbanensis)

What dances and looks like a candy cane? It can only be the cheerful camel shrimp. As mentioned, we think this is a much better contender for the “peppermint shrimp” than Lysmata gobbessi, with which it’s occasionally confused. The difference is in the white stripes, which the mor

Found on reefs throughout the tropical Indo-Pacific, camel shrimp are highly social. They’re easy to find as long as you know where to look: rock crevices and fissures, where they usually cling vertically onto the walls. Some colonies actually live right inside moray eel lairs, with the moray providing safety while benefiting from occasional cleaning sessions by the shrimp.

We’ve found camel shrimp to be hardy and nano-proof, making them a great choice for first-time saltwater aquarists. They won’t bother their tankmates and get along swimmingly with peaceful fish and other invertebrates, though they do have more of a taste for corals and anemones than the other shrimp discussed here. We’d keep them with prolific corals like green star polyps only.

Camel Shrimp Care & Info | Hump-Backed Aquarium Shrimp

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Coral banded shrimp (Stenopus hispidus)

As their excessively large arms reveal, coral banded “shrimp” don’t belong to the true shrimp family. Still, they’re close enough and are a staple in the hobby thanks to their beautiful banded pattern and substantial size (up to 4″). No one will overlook a tank with a coral banded shrimp in it!

Another cleaner species, this one prefers to set up shop in overhangs or crevices. You’ll usually find it hanging upside-down with only its antennae sticking out, though it’ll venture out at night or if it thinks there’s food to be had.

One thing to keep in mind about coral banded shrimp is that with great claws comes great territoriality. Fish are mostly left alone (or cleared of parasites and dead scales) but other shrimp will be savagely attacked. They’re particularly intolerant to their own kind, sometimes brawling to the death if there isn’t enough space to go around.

If you like the coral banded shrimp, keep an eye out for its less common cousins. A few other members of the genus Stenopus are available in the aquarium trade, and they all sport pretty funky colors. S. tenuirostris has a striking purple face, for example, while S. cyanoscelis opts for yellow.

Coral Banded Shrimp Care & Info

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Harlequin shrimp (Hymenocera picta)

Where do we even start? Everything about the harlequin shrimp, from its alien appearance to its bizarre diet, is strange. Their unusual looks land them somewhere between a mantis shrimp and an orchid flower and might help them blend in with other blotchy, frilly items as they sneak up on their prey.

Prey? Yes. The only truly predatory shrimp on our list, harlequins feed exclusively on live starfish. In the aquarium, they’ve proven pretty helpful as biological control for nuisance starfish of the genus Asterina, spearing the pests with their modified claws so they can take their time to consume them.

Their small adult size of no more than 2″ makes harlequin shrimp a great choice if you want a nano tank that really stops visitors in their tracks. Their starfish-only diet makes them exceptionally safe around corals, but keep in mind it also makes them more challening to feed than other shrimp. If you can’t source starfish from your local aquarium store, you might have to set up a separate Asterina breeding operation.

Harlequin Shrimp (Hymenocera picta) | The Starfish-Munching Shrimp

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Conclusion

Saltwater shrimp are always colorful, usually reef-safe, and occasionally absolutely bizarre (lookin’ at you, harlequins). Are you dreaming of your own marine aquarium full of fascinating reef fish and shrimp? Leave it to the experts! Contact FantaSEA Aquariums with your ideas so we can start planning your tank with you right away.