Modern ReefKeeping

Common Names

Cleaner Shrimp

Skunk Cleaner Shrimp

Scarlet Cleaner Shrimp

Scientific Name

Lysmata amboinensis

Classification:

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Arthropodia

Subphylum: Crustacea

Class: Malacostraca

Order: Decapoda

Suborder: Caridea

Family: Hippolytidea

Genus: Lysmata

Origin

The Skunk cleaner shrimp is typically found in the Indo Pacific.

Appearance

The cleaner shrimp has the typical shrimp appearance.  The most notable feature is the three long sets of white antennae.  There are also a number of small arms with tiny pinchers.  These shrimp, unlike many of their relatives, do not have large claws.

They also have distinctive coloring.  Their carapace is red with a white stripe down the center.  Their eyes are dark black and very distinctive.

The cleaner shrimp is often describes as reaching a maximum of 2”.  This describes the body length and not the antennae.

Aquarium Care

As the name implies these shrimp like to “clean” things in the tank.  They like to eat parasites and dead skin off fish in a tank.  In fact, whenever I put my hand in the tank my shrimp likes to jump on me for a light snack.  I have even seen pictures of scuba divers with these shrimp inside their mouths cleaning away.

These shrimp will often stake a claim on a piece of rock, typically with a cave or overhang.  If a fish approaches and acts docile the shrimp will likely jump on and start cleaning.

In addition to getting its food by cleaning its tankmates, the cleaner shimp is listed as an omnivore.  I find that it will eat just about any “fish” food that gets put into the tank.

You can put more than one cleaner shrimp in an aquarium, but it is recommended that you give about 50 gallons of consideration to each one.

Do not be surprised if you look in your tank one day and think this guy is dead.  They tend to molt periodically as this is how they grow.  It is often difficult to tell that there is no body inside the molt until you pull it out.  After a molt it is not uncommon for the shrimp to hide until its new shell hardens.

These shrimp are considered reef safe.  However they may irritate your corals, by walking across them to get to a particular piece of food that it wants.

Summary

These shrimp are a great addition to any aquarium.  They have no special care requirements.  Their utility of cleaning parasites and dead tissue off tankmates is a bonus.  In addition they have lots of personality in a tank.