White-banded cleaner shrimp – Lysmata amboinensis

Species name: Lysmata amboinensis

Common name: Indo-Pacific White-striped cleaner shrimp, Cleaner shrimp, Indo-Pacific White-banded cleaner shrimp, Scarlet skunk cleaner shrimp and Skunk shrimp

Family: Hippolytidae

Order: Decapoda

Class: Malacostraca

Maximum size: 2-2.5 inches (body only)

Coloration: Orange lower body and stems, two red stripes along the top of the body with a white strip running between them. Half circles and a slight triangle pattern of white on a red tail.

Environment: Marine Reef Ecosystem

Origin: Tropical Indo-Pacific and the Red Sea

Temperament: peaceful

Company: Common to almost any saltwater community tank. Should not be kept with carnivorous or predatory marine fish such as puffers, lionfish or most wrasse. Will often clean tankmates in stable community tank.

Water parameters: temperature 72-78 F, pH 8.1-8.4, and sg 1.023-1.025, extremely intolerant to nitrates, nothing over 5-10 ppm. Trace levels of iodine will assist molting

Aquarium setup: A stable marine tank including plenty of live sand and live rock for the shrimp to crawl and feed. The live rock and sand is extremely important to keep down the nitrate levels in the tank. Nitrate levels over 5-10 ppm are deadly to marine shrimp. Intolerant to copper meds also.

Feeding: Filter feeders and classed as a great cleaner shrimp in a marine setting. Can be given freeze dried and frozen foods also. Will clean parasites from fish and eels.

Breeding: Will readily breed but keeping eggs and new hatchlings alive is rather hard. Eggs are carried.

Other Shrimp profiles:

Amano (Yamato) Shrimp
Bamboo Shrimp
Banded Coral Shrimp
Bumble Bee Shrimp
Marble Shrimp
Red Bee Shrimp
Taiwan Shrimp
Tiger Shrimp
Vampire Shrimp