Description
Lysmata amboinensis, the Skunk Cleaner shrimp, is one of the most beneficial additions to any reef aquarium. These shrimp get their common name from the brilliant white streak that lines their backs, as well as their tendency to set up cleaning stations both in the wild and home aquarium, where they will clean dead skin, scales, parasites and dead tissue from fishes that present themselves. Additionally, like many other ornamental shrimp species, skunk cleaner shrimp will forage and scavenge for any pieces of leftover food and debris that may make their way to the sandbed or rockwork. Skunk cleaner shrimp are a colonial species in the wild, and will thrive in small groups in the home aquarium, often spawning regularly and providing a valuable source of food for both fish and corals. The shrimp benefit from adequate levels of iodine in the water to help promote proper molting. Similar to other invertebrates the Blood Red Fire Shrimp do not tolerate copper, high levels of nitrates or parameter swings in an aquarium.
