Peppermint Shrimp care guide
Peppermint Shrimp (Lysmata wurdemanni) — minimum tank 60 L, temperature 24-26 °C, pH 8.1-8.4.
Compiled by Aquairi from published sources · Published · Updated
Overview
Peppermint Shrimp (Lysmata wurdemanni) is a marine cleaner shrimp of the family Hippolytidae, listed in the Aquairi knowledge base as a beginner-level species. Translucent shrimp with thin red striping. Famous for eating Aiptasia pest anemones. Active at night, hides during the day. Best kept in groups.
Taxonomy
- Family: Hippolytidae
- Genus: Lysmata
- Scientific name: Lysmata wurdemanni
- Common synonyms: Peppermint Shrimp, Aiptasia Eater
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 Western Atlantic, Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico.
Tank requirements
- Minimum tank volume: 60 L (15.9 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, Other peaceful inverts. It should be kept away from Hawkfish, 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 Peppermint Shrimp (Lysmata wurdemanni)
Overview
Lysmata wurdemanni is a western Atlantic shrimp ranging from Long Island and Florida along the Gulf of Mexico to Texas, reaching about 7 cm. It reproduces readily in aquaria and is among the species most accessible to determined hobbyist breeders, though larvae are still planktonic and demanding.
Sexing
The species is a protandric simultaneous hermaphrodite. Individuals pass through about four moults functioning as males before changing to euhermaphrodites; thereafter they act as males between moults and as females immediately after moulting. Any two mature animals can therefore pair and reciprocally fertilise, so external sexing is unnecessary.
Conditioning
Stable reef parameters (about 24–26 °C, pH 8.1–8.4) and steady feeding keep adults productive. Under favourable conditions the species spawns continuously, producing weekly batches of larvae from each mature animal.
Spawning & Berried Females
Mating is mediated by chemistry: the egg-bearing partner releases pheromones 2–8 hours before moulting, the mate detects them via chemoreceptors, verifies compatibility through contact pheromones, and copulation occurs immediately post-moult while the new cuticle is soft. Fertilised eggs are then carried on the pleopods until they hatch.
Larval Care
Hatched zoea are planktonic and need a gently circulated larval vessel. As with other Lysmata, early larvae take rotifers (Brachionus) and newly hatched Artemia with co-cultured phytoplankton; later stages move to enriched Artemia. Continuous live-food supply across the larval period is essential for survival to settlement.
Common Challenges
Although spawning is frequent and reliable, the planktonic larval phase still drives high mortality, and a single display tank cannot support the larvae. Note also that the name covers a cryptic complex of several near-identical species, so trade animals labelled wurdemanni may differ biologically.