Peppermint Shrimp care guide

Peppermint Shrimp (Lysmata wurdemanni) — minimum tank 60 L, temperature 24-26 °C, pH 8.1-8.4.

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.