Breeding the Coral Banded Shrimp (Stenopus hispidus)

Stenopus hispidus forms monogamous male-female pairs with larger females, but its planktonic larval phase of around 120–253 days makes home rearing extremely impractical.

Overview

Stenopus hispidus is a circumtropical boxer shrimp of family Stenopodidae, reaching a total length of about 60 mm and ranging across tropical and some temperate seas. It is a facultative cleaner that advertises to fish by waving its long white antennae, and it is strongly territorial toward conspecifics.

Sexing

Unlike Lysmata, this species is not hermaphroditic: males stay male and females stay female. Females are typically larger than males, which is the most practical sexing cue. Adults hold territories one to two metres across and only tolerate a true mated partner.

Conditioning

Because the shrimp will not accept random conspecifics, a pair is best obtained by acquiring an already mated pair or carefully introducing two juveniles. Standard reef conditions (about 24–26 °C, pH 8.1–8.4) and regular feeding maintain a bonded pair, in which the male is observed passing food to the female.

Spawning & Berried Females

Bonded pairs are monogamous and spawn within their shared territory. The female carries the developing egg mass beneath her abdomen on the pleopods until the larvae hatch, after which they enter the plankton.

Larval Care

The larvae are planktonic for an exceptionally long time, with reported pelagic larval durations of roughly 120–253 days (around 123–210 days in some studies). Such a prolonged, dispersing larval phase requires sustained live-food culture and stable conditions over many months, far beyond a typical home setup.

Common Challenges

The combination of strict pair territoriality and a months-long planktonic larval phase means home rearing is very rarely achieved. Getting a compatible pair to bond is the easier part; carrying larvae through their long development to settlement is the true barrier.