Bouvier's Snapping Shrimp

Geographical Origin and Habitat: Eastern and Western Atlantic: tropical waters of American coasts and West Africa. Lives in self-dug burrows under sand and coral rubble at depths of 1 to 20 meters.

Taxonomy: Family Alpheidae, genus Alpheus. Compressed body with an asymmetrical claw modified to shoot loud cavitation bubbles. Grows to 4.0 cm.

Social Behavior: Symbiotic. Digs underground tunnels, often cohabiting with Amblyeleotris gobies in a mutualistic relationship.

Coloration and Sexual Dimorphism: Named in honor of the French naturalist E. L. Bouvier for his historical crustacean studies. Sexually indistinguishable upon direct external observation.

Tank Setup: Requires a sand bed at least 5-8 cm deep mixed with small calcareous fragments. Secure rockwork directly to the glass bottom.

Diet and Feeding: Omnivorous scavenger. Feeds on organic detritus and leftover fish food. Place pellets or frozen food near the burrow entrance.

Water Quality: Demands stable chemical parameters: temperature 22.0-27.0 °C, pH 8.1-8.4, specific gravity 1.021-1.025. Copper sensitive.

Compatibility and Tankmates: Reef-safe. Highly compatible with symbiotic gobies. Avoid large benthic predators like crabs or groupers.

Aquarium Breeding: Females carry eggs under their abdomen. Releases microscopic larvae that cannot survive standard filtration.

Risks and Diseases: Intolerant to copper. The snapping sound is natural and harmless to aquarium glass.