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Cleaner Shrimp
Lysmata amboinensis
Animalia›Arthropoda›Malacostraca›Hippolytidae
📍 Indo-Pacific Reefs
Bold red-and-white shrimp that sets up cleaning stations on reefs, removing parasites from fish. Reef-safe, peaceful, and fascinating to observe.
Care Guide
Diet
Cleaner shrimp are opportunistic omnivores that feed on parasites, dead skin, and algae from fish in their natural cleaning stations. In captivity, supplement with high-quality sinking pellets, frozen mysis shrimp, and blanched vegetables 2-3 times weekly. They will also scavenge leftover food and detritus from the tank floor.
Behavior
These shrimp are bold and active, constantly moving along the substrate and rockwork searching for food and establishing cleaning stations. They are peaceful and social, often seen in pairs or small groups performing their characteristic cleaning dances to attract fish clients. They are most active during dawn and dusk but visible throughout the day.
Breeding
Breeding in captivity is extremely difficult and rarely successful in home aquariums. Females produce planktonic larvae that require specialized rearing conditions and live food cultures to develop. Most captive specimens are wild-caught, making successful breeding a challenge even for experienced aquarists.
Tank Mates
Natural reef symbiotes; cleaner shrimp often service clownfish in the wild
Peaceful wrasse that benefits from cleaning services; similar reef habitat requirements
Reef-safe goby that coexists peacefully with cleaning shrimp
Another cleaner species; may compete for food but generally compatible
Peaceful reef fish that appreciates cleaning services
Reef-safe invertebrate; no competition or aggression between species
Common Diseases
Bacterial Infection
White spots or patches on body, lethargy, loss of appetite, cloudy appearance
Improve water quality, perform partial water changes, quarantine if severe, consider antibiotic treatment in isolated systems
Parasitic Infection
Excessive molting, visible parasites on body, erratic swimming, rubbing against surfaces
Quarantine affected shrimp, maintain pristine water conditions, may require freshwater dips or specialized parasite treatments
Molting Problems
Inability to shed exoskeleton, stuck between old and new shell, lethargy after molting
Ensure adequate calcium and minerals in water, maintain stable pH and salinity, provide hiding places during vulnerable molting periods
Ammonia/Nitrite Poisoning
Lethargy, loss of color, difficulty breathing, sudden death
Perform immediate large water change, test and correct water parameters, ensure adequate biological filtration
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Quick Facts
- pH
- 8.1–8.4
- diet
- omnivore/scavenger
- salinity
- 1.023–1.025 SG
- minTankSize
- 20 gallons
- temperature
- 75–81°F (24–27°C)
Temperature
75–81°F
24–27°C