Fish of the Month!

There are many different types of Saltwater shrimp, A favorite among Saltwater hobbyist is the Skunk Cleaner Shrimp (Lysmata amboinensis). Even those unfamiliar to the hobby have seen pictures of the Cleaner Shrimp using his white antenna to advertise his cleaning services to passing fish. This symbiotic relationship with reef inhabitants provides nutrients for the shrimp and parasite cleaning for the fish. Surprisingly, predators generally do not eat their useful custodian.

Another symbiotic relationship involving shrimp, the Anemone Shrimp (Thor amboinensis) lives among the Anemones from the Red Sea all the way to the Canary Islands. The Anemone Shrimp hosts inside Bubble Tip and Carpet Anemones, indulging itself on the shedded tentacle tissue and mucus secreted by the host Anemone. The Shrimp, in turn for keeping the Anemone free of debris and detritus, gets a safe haven from the predators of the reef. Shrimp are very hardy when kept in the proper conditions. It is very important that the aquarium has undetectable amounts of ammonia and nitrite (NO-2) and no copper. Although Invertebrates such as shrimp use copper similar to humans, excess amounts of copper alters the functions of enzymes present in the shrimp causing damage to the cells which leads to death; so its a good habit to use only invertebrate safe aquarium products. The two Harlequin Shrimp in the featured picture do not look like shrimp at all, more like a creature out of science fiction, but the Harlequin Shrimp solely eats starfish and are used to control unwanted Astrena Stars in the reef tank. No matter whether or not you choose your shrimp based on looks, personality or dietary perks you can look forward to an energetic addition to your saltwater aquarium.