Cleaner Shrimp — Lysmata amboinensis
Add colour, movement and natural reef behaviour to your marine aquarium with these fantastic reef-safe shrimp. Highly popular additions to peaceful reef systems, offering striking colouration, fascinating activity and useful scavenging behaviour within the aquarium.
Also known as the Skunk Cleaner Shrimp, this classic reef shrimp is famous for its red and white stripe, long white antennae and natural cleaning behaviour. In the aquarium, they may help remove loose debris and parasites from willing fish, while also acting as an active and attractive clean-up crew member.
Peaceful, reef-safe and suitable for most established marine aquariums. They do best in stable systems with plenty of rockwork, caves and shaded areas where they can feel secure, especially after moulting.
Care Level: Easy to Moderate
Temperament: Peaceful
Reef Safe: Yes
Maximum Size: Approx. 5–6cm
Placement: Rockwork, caves and shaded areas
Lighting: Any reef lighting
Flow: Low to moderate preferred
Recommended Water Parameters:
Temperature: 24–26°C
Salinity: 1.024–1.026 SG
pH: 8.1–8.4
Alkalinity: 7–10 dKH
Ammonia: 0 ppm
Nitrite: 0 ppm
Nitrate: Preferably below 20 ppm
Phosphate: Keep stable and controlled
Feeding:
Cleaner Shrimp are not difficult to feed and will usually accept a wide range of marine aquarium foods. Offer a varied diet including frozen mysis, brine shrimp, finely chopped seafood, quality marine pellets and flake foods. They will also scavenge leftover food from the aquarium, but they should still be directly fed to ensure they receive enough nutrition.
Important Notes:
Shrimp are sensitive to sudden changes in salinity and water chemistry, so slow acclimation is strongly recommended. Avoid copper-based treatments, as copper is highly toxic to shrimp and other invertebrates. After moulting, shrimp may hide for a short period while their new shell hardens; this is completely normal.
A superb addition for peaceful reef aquariums, bringing colour, activity and natural clean-up behaviour to the system.
