Pacific Cleaner Shrimp care guide
Pacific Cleaner Shrimp (Lysmata amboinensis) — minimum tank 80 L, temperature 24-26 °C, pH 8.1-8.4.
Compiled by Aquairi from published sources · Published · Updated
Overview
Pacific Cleaner Shrimp (Lysmata amboinensis) is a marine cleaner shrimp of the family Hippolytidae, listed in the Aquairi knowledge base as a beginner-level species. Iconic reef cleaner shrimp with red-and-white striping. Sets up cleaning stations and removes parasites and dead tissue from fish. Reef-safe; tolerates being kept in pairs (simultaneous hermaphrodites).
Taxonomy
- Family: Hippolytidae
- Genus: Lysmata
- Scientific name: Lysmata amboinensis
- Common synonyms: Skunk Cleaner Shrimp, Scarlet Cleaner Shrimp
Habitat
Lysmata is a genus of marine shrimp from tropical and subtropical reefs worldwide. Several species act as cleaner shrimp, picking parasites and dead tissue from fish at established cleaning stations, and the genus is notable for protandric simultaneous hermaphroditism. In the Aquairi knowledge base this species is recorded from Indo-Pacific, Red Sea.
Tank requirements
- Minimum tank volume: 80 L (21.1 US gal)
- Adult size: 5-7 cm
- Temperature: 24-26 °C (75-79 °F)
- pH: 8.1-8.4
- GH: 8-12 °dGH
- KH: 8-12 °dKH
- Salinity (specific gravity): 1.024-1.026
- Lifespan: 2-5 years
Diet
The species is an omnivore. In the wild it scavenges and cleans parasites and dead tissue from fish; in aquaria it accepts meaty frozen foods, pellets and flake, supplemented by detritus it gathers from the rockwork.
Compatibility
The Aquairi knowledge base lists this species as peaceful. Suitable tank mates include Most reef fish, Other peaceful inverts. It should be kept away from Hawkfish, Triggerfish, Lionfish, Predatory fish. It is reef-safe and may be kept in pairs, since members are simultaneous hermaphrodites.
Breeding
Breeding requires a planktonic larval stage, generally in brackish or marine water, which makes captive reproduction very difficult and rarely achieved in home aquaria.
Breeding the Pacific Cleaner Shrimp (Lysmata amboinensis)
Overview
Lysmata amboinensis is a reef-dwelling cleaner shrimp of the Indo-Pacific and Red Sea, found at depths of roughly 5–40 m. It is one of the few marine ornamental shrimp that spawns regularly in aquaria, although raising the larvae to settlement is the real bottleneck for hobbyist breeders.
Sexing
The species is a protandric simultaneous hermaphrodite: individuals first mature functioning as males and then become functional hermaphrodites that have no pure female form. Because every mature adult can act as both sexes, two animals kept together can reciprocally fertilise each other, so visual sexing is not required to form a breeding pair.
Conditioning
A stable reef environment with consistent salinity, temperature around 24–26 °C and pH 8.1–8.4 keeps adults in spawning condition. Well-fed, settled pairs spawn repeatedly, with eggs produced roughly every two weeks and even more frequently in small groups.
Spawning & Berried Females
Mating involves little ritual. The pair alternates moult timing; after one shrimp moults, the apparent sexual roles reverse, with one acting as male and the other brooding the clutch. A spawning yields about 200–500 eggs that are first attached to the pleopods and greenish in colour, later swelling and lightening toward silver before hatching.
Larval Care
Hatched larvae enter a long free-swimming planktonic phase that can last around 5–6 months and pass through roughly 14 identified zoeal stages, growing to about 2 cm before metamorphosis. Rearing reports describe feeding both rotifers (Brachionus) and Artemia during the first week, with co-cultured phytoplankton in the larval tank; later stages take enriched Artemia and finely pureed seafoods.
Common Challenges
Despite frequent spawning, the species remains difficult to culture: the prolonged larval period means the vast majority of larvae die before settling, and most aquarium specimens are still wild-caught. Maintaining clean planktonic-food cultures over many months is the main obstacle for home breeders.