Skunk Cleaner Shrimp

Clean Up Crew Invert

$42.49

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Skunk Cleaner Shrimp are some of the most interesting shrimp available in the hobby. These shrimp will “clean” your fish for you. Also known as the Red Skunk Cleaner Shrimp due to the distinct pair of bright red stripes that outline the single white stripe running down it’s back. These very active shrimp will act like a medic in a saltwater aquarium. They will set up on your rock structure or coral outcroppings and wait while fish will come by to be cleansed of dead tissue or ectoparasites. Many fish will even allow these shrimp to clean the inside of their mouths without bringing any harm to the shrimp. Skunk Cleaner Shrimp will thrive in aquariums with plenty of rockwork and peaceful tank mates.

Quick Care Guide

Care Level: Easy
Minimum Tank Size: 20 gallons
Temperament: Peaceful
Diet: Omnivorous Scavenger
Reef Safe: Yes
Adult Size: About 2 inches
Region: Indo-Pacific
Scientific Name: Lysmata amboinensis

Tank Requirements

A stable, established reef or fish-only aquarium with plenty of live rock is ideal. Caves and overhangs give the shrimp a place to retreat after molting, while open ledges become the “cleaning stations” where fish line up to be groomed.

Skunk cleaner shrimp are sensitive to rapid changes in salinity, so a slow drip acclimation is strongly recommended. Once settled, they are hardy and long-lived when water quality stays consistent.

Diet and Feeding

Cleaning fish provides only a small part of this shrimp’s diet. Offer small portions of mysis, enriched brine shrimp, chopped seafood, and sinking pellets three to five times per week. Skunk cleaners quickly learn feeding times and will climb up to meet food, or even a hand, during feeding.

Well-fed shrimp are less likely to steal food from corals. Some individuals will pluck meaty food from the mouths of LPS corals when underfed.

Temperament and Tankmates

Skunk Cleaner Shrimp can be kept singly, in pairs, or in small groups in larger aquariums. Each shrimp functions as both male and female, so any two adults can form a breeding pair.

They get along with most peaceful reef fish and invertebrates. Avoid hawkfish, lionfish, triggerfish, puffers, large wrasses, and dottybacks, which may prey on ornamental shrimp.

Reef Compatibility

The Skunk Cleaner Shrimp, also known as the scarlet skunk cleaner shrimp, is reef safe. It does not harm corals, clams, or other invertebrates, apart from occasionally stealing food from coral polyps.

Water Parameters

Temperature: 75–80°F
Specific Gravity: 1.024–1.026
pH: 8.1–8.4
Alkalinity: 8–12 dKH

Salinity stability is especially important for cleaner shrimp, since swings often lead to failed molts. Invertebrates are highly sensitive to copper, and copper-treated water or medications should never be added to an aquarium that houses them.

Common Considerations

Acclimate slowly: Drip acclimation over 45–60 minutes reduces salinity shock.
Feed it directly: Do not rely on cleaning alone to keep this shrimp fed.
Molts are normal: Shed exoskeletons often look like a dead shrimp. Molting every few weeks is a healthy sign.
Avoid copper: Never use copper-based fish treatments in a tank with cleaner shrimp.