Marble Shrimp care guide
Marble Shrimp (Saron marmoratus) — minimum tank 80 L, temperature 24-26 °C, pH 8.1-8.4.
Compiled by Aquairi from published sources · Published · Updated
Overview
Marble Shrimp (Saron marmoratus) is a marine marble shrimp of the family Hippolytidae, listed in the Aquairi knowledge base as an intermediate-level species. Reclusive nocturnal reef shrimp with marbled green-and-red body and tufted appendages. Will pick at small polyps and clams — not always reef-safe.
Taxonomy
- Family: Hippolytidae
- Genus: Saron
- Scientific name: Saron marmoratus
- Common synonyms: Saron Shrimp, Common Marble Shrimp
Habitat
Saron marble shrimp are hippolytid reef crustaceans of the Indo-Pacific, nocturnal foragers that hide in crevices by day. Males carry conspicuous tufts of bristles on the body and longer claws than females. In the Aquairi knowledge base this species is recorded from Indo-Pacific.
Tank requirements
- Minimum tank volume: 80 L (21.1 US gal)
- Adult size: 4-6 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: 2-4 years
Diet
The species is an omnivore, taking a wide range of foods including meaty frozen foods, sinking pellets and detritus gathered from the rockwork.
Compatibility
The Aquairi knowledge base lists this species as semi-aggressive. Suitable tank mates include FOWLR systems. It should be kept away from Soft polyps, Small clams, SPS. This species is not fully reef-safe and may pick at corals, sessile invertebrates or small tank mates.
Breeding
Breeding requires an extended planktonic larval stage in open water before the young settle, which makes captive reproduction very difficult and rarely accomplished in home aquaria. Most specimens in the hobby are wild-collected.
Marble Shrimp (Saron marmoratus) Breeding Guide
Overview
Saron marmoratus, the marble shrimp, is a nocturnal hippolytid ranging across the Indo-Pacific from the Red Sea south to Madagascar and Mozambique, through the Persian Gulf, India and Southeast Asia to the southern Pacific, including Australia and Hawaii; it has also been recorded off Lebanon via Lessepsian migration. It is omnivorous, sifting the substrate at night for detritus, plankton and other items, and has been known to feed on coral and polyps.
Sexing
The species is sexually dimorphic. Females display an obvious brush-like structure of setae on the first pair of legs, and tufts of setae along the carapace and abdomen are denser in females. Males have disproportionately large claws (chelae) longer than the body.
Conditioning
By night the shrimp can shift its body colour toward red, camouflaging itself in twilight, while by day it remains hidden. Conditioning therefore relies on respecting its nocturnal, reclusive behaviour and providing varied omnivorous food.
Larval Care
As a hippolytid shrimp the female carries eggs that hatch into planktonic larvae. No whitelisted source documents a practical method for rearing the planktonic larvae of this species to settlement in aquaria.