Kuekenthal's Cleaner Shrimp

Geographical Origin and Habitat: Broadly distributed throughout the tropical and subtropical Indo-Pacific, from Japan to Indonesia and northern Australia. Inhabits shallow coral reefs and rocky tide pools.

Taxonomy: Member of the family Lysmatidae. Possesses a slender, translucent body, slightly smaller than the peppermint shrimp (L. wurdemanni) with which it is often confused. Reaches 4-5 cm.

Social Behavior: Peaceful, cryptic, and mostly nocturnal. Tends to remain hidden in rock crevices during the day, active under cover of darkness searching for food.

Coloration and Sexual Dimorphism: Semi-translucent body marked with thin, reddish or pinkish stripes running both horizontally and vertically. Like other Lysmata species, it is a concurrent hermaphrodite.

Tank Setup: Suitable for tanks of 10-12 gallons or larger. Must provide plenty of live rock with dark cracks and caves for daytime sheltering away from bright lighting.

Diet and Feeding: Omnivore. Famous for consuming glass anemones (Aiptasia). Readily accepts common aquarium foods, including sinking pellets, flakes, frozen mysis, and brine shrimp.

Water Quality: Keep parameters stable: salinity SG 1.020-1.025, pH 8.1-8.4, temperature 22-28°C. Highly sensitive to sudden density changes. Copper is highly toxic.

Compatibility and Tankmates: Reef-safe with SPS, LPS, and most soft corals. May occasionally nip at small coral polyps or zoanthids if underfed. Keep with peaceful community reef fish.

Aquarium Breeding: Mating individuals fertilize each other. Eggs are carried under the abdomen. Larvae are released at night but usually perish quickly in standard home reef systems.

Risks and Diseases: Low iodine levels leading to bad molts. Vulnerable to predation right after shedding its exoskeleton. Extremely sensitive to copper treatments and salinity shock.