Reef Safe Critters Explained - Reef Safe Shrimp

Shrimp For The Reef Aquarium

Peppermint Shrimp:

The Peppermint Shrimp is the most common shrimp in the reef aquarium. It’s low price and high availability make it one of the first critters most people place in their marine aquarium. The bodies of these little guys are mostly transparent with varying amounts of red striping covering their entire body. Growing to about 2in in total length the Peppermint Shrimp is a great addition to any reef aquarium.

Peppermint Shrimp will feed on all kinds of tank food such as left over fish food, some types of algae and other organic materials. They are also known for there propensity to devour Aptasia anemones which are a well known nuisance in the reef aquarium, multiplying until every corner of the tank is covered.

I have one in my reef aquarium that has made it’s home under one of my Favia corals. He/She hangs out on the bottom side and whenever I feed the tank it runs out to feed on any leftovers. They are very hardy in an established reef aquarium and are highly recommended as a part of your clean-up crew.

Pistol Shrimp:

The Pistol Shrimp gets its name from the snapping sound it makes with it’s oversized claw as a warning to potential predators or intruders. Other names for this guy include “Snapping Shrimp” and “Symbiosis Shrimp”. It gets the name Symbiosis Shrimp from its symbiotic relationship with some species of Goby Fish. In this relationship the Goby, with its superior eyesight warns the shrimp when predators are near and the shrimp awards the gobies effort by giving up some of its food. They often will share a burrow and are quite interesting to observe as the shrimp collects food to bring back to the Goby as the Goby stands vidjule over the safety of both.
There are many varieties of Pistol Shrimp and when trying to pair one with a Goby it is very important to select a Shrimp and Goby that are know to live together. Otherwise you will just have a Shrimp and a Goby living in the same tank with no interest in each other, and that’s no fun for anyone.

Other than the naturally interesting nature of the Pistol Shrimp they also scavenge and clean the reef tank by removing leftover food and organics and sift the sand as they make burrows.

Scarlet Skunk Shrimp:

The Scarlet Skunk Shrimp gets its name from the fact that it has a dark crimson red and white stripe down its back, stupid I know but what are you going to do?? This little guy is great for both reef and fish-only tanks because its main goal in life is to clean things!! In its natural habitat these little shrimp set up cleaning stations where large fish will stop by to let the cleaner shrimp crawl all over its body to pick off parasites, dead scales, ich and whatever else the fish might have. These huge fish will even let the little shrimp into their mouths to pick out pieces of food that are stuck and will not naturally come out.

In the reef aquarium they will act more natural if placed in groups of 2 or more and will set up their own cleaning station on top of a rock somewhere and open up shop. It’s very interesting to watch them as they wait for a fish to “pull up” and “pop the hood” for a good cleaning. In addition to eating parasites off fish they will feed on other food in the aquarium including pieces of fish, shrimp or leftover fish food.
They will grow to about 1.5in in length and should be kept in an aquarium of at least 30 gallons. They are very hardy in an establish reef aquarium.

Fire Shrimp:

The Fire Shrimp A.K.A the “Blood Red Shrimp”, A.K.A. the “Scarlet Cleaner Shrimp” are dark red with bright white spots and antennae. They are a very colorful addition to the reef aquarium and are beneficial in much the same way as the other shrimp on this page. They scavenge food and other organic material from the tank keeping it clean and will sometimes clean fish of parasites and other necrotic material.
These shrimp should be given many rocks and places to hide as they don’t like being in bright lights, especially high intensity light like Metal Halides and T5 fluorescents.
These are very hardy shrimp in an established reef aquarium and should be kept in a tank at least 20 gallons to provide the space it needs to scavenge.

Coral Banded Shrimp:

The Coral Banded Shrimp has to be one of the most interesting looking creatures for the reef aquarium. They have two large claws with three sets of little pinchers that they use to scavenge with. They are active predators of Bristle Worms and will catch and kill them if they can.

These shrimp are very hardy in the established reef aquarium and should be kept in an aquarium of at least 20 gallons.