Caribbean Cleaner Shrimp care guide
Caribbean Cleaner Shrimp (Lysmata boggessi) — minimum tank 40 L, temperature 24-26 °C, pH 8.1-8.4.
Compiled by Aquairi from published sources · Published · Updated
Overview
Caribbean Cleaner Shrimp (Lysmata boggessi) is a marine cleaner shrimp of the family Hippolytidae, listed in the Aquairi knowledge base as a beginner-level species. Caribbean Lysmata, similar to wurdemanni in appearance. Less effective Aiptasia eater but a good cleaner shrimp for nano reef tanks.
Taxonomy
- Family: Hippolytidae
- Genus: Lysmata
- Scientific name: Lysmata boggessi
- Common synonyms: Boggess Cleaner
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 Caribbean.
Tank requirements
- Minimum tank volume: 40 L (10.6 US gal)
- Adult size: 3-5 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: 1-2 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. It should be kept away from Hawkfish, Triggerfish. 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 Caribbean Cleaner Shrimp (Lysmata boggessi)
Overview
Lysmata boggessi is a shrimp of shallow western Atlantic waters, recognised as distinct from L. wurdemanni in 2006 by Rhyne and Lin. It is described as the most reliable natural predator of Aiptasia anemones, and reproductively it follows the protandric simultaneous hermaphrodite pattern typical of the genus.
Sexing
Research places this species among the Lysmata that exhibit protandric simultaneous hermaphroditism and social monogamy. Practically, this means mature individuals function as both sexes, so any two adults can pair without a need to distinguish males from females.
Conditioning
As a tropical western Atlantic species, it is kept under standard reef conditions (about 24–26 °C, pH 8.1–8.4) and conditioned with steady feeding. Settled pairs in good condition spawn repeatedly, in line with other Lysmata.
Spawning & Berried Females
Following the genus pattern, the egg-carrying partner mates immediately after moulting and broods the fertilised eggs on its pleopods until hatching. Spawning recurs on a regular cycle rather than seasonally.
Larval Care
Larvae are planktonic; studies of starvation resistance in early zoeal stages of ornamental Lysmata indicate that prompt access to suitable live food strongly affects survival. Early larvae take rotifers and Artemia with co-cultured phytoplankton, progressing to enriched Artemia as they develop.
Common Challenges
The planktonic phase makes larval survival the main hurdle, and a display reef cannot rear the larvae. Because boggessi was long confused with wurdemanni, trade identification can be inconsistent, which matters when sourcing breeding stock.