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Sexy Shrimp
Thor amboinensis
The Sexy Shrimp, a small marine shrimp famous for its signature abdomen-waving dance. Often lives in symbiosis with anemones and corals. Geographical Origin and Habitat: Thor amboinensis...
Class:Malacostraca
Order:Decapoda
Family:Thoridae
Genus:Thor
Species:Thor amboinensis
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Water Temperature
24 - 28 °C
pH Value
8.1 - 8.4
Water type
Marine
Minimum group
>= 1
Species description
Geographical Origin and Habitat: Thor amboinensis has a circumtropical distribution, commonly found in the Indo-West Pacific, Red Sea, Caribbean Sea, and the Gulf of Mexico. It inhabits shallow coral reefs at depths of 1 to 20 meters, living in close symbiotic association with sea anemones and corals.
Taxonomy: Belonging to the family Thoridae, this is a tiny marine shrimp reaching an adult size of only 1.5-2 cm. It features a distinctive body posture where the tail and abdomen are held arched upward over the back, which it constantly wiggles side-to-side.
Social Behavior: Peaceful, highly social, and active. They should be kept in small groups of 3-5 individuals, as they prefer to colony-live on a single host anemone. The swaying movement of their body is a social communication signal used between members of the species.
Coloration and Sexual Dimorphism: Body is olive-to-golden brown, decorated with large, white-to-light blue circular patches outlined in electric blue. Females are significantly larger than males, displaying broader abdominal segments to accommodate egg clutches.
Care, breeding and tankmates
Tank Setup: Suitable for nano-reef aquariums of at least 30-40 liters. Providing a host anemone (such as *Stichodactyla*, *Entacmaea*) or large-polyp stony corals (such as *Euphyllia* or mushroom corals) is highly recommended to mimic their natural habitat and offer protection.
Diet and Feeding: Omnivorous scavengers. They feed on organic detritus, leftover fish food, micro-plankton, and the mucus produced by their host anemone. Target-feed with frozen foods (mysis, cyclops, baby brine shrimp) and powdered coral foods.
Water Quality: Requires stable marine parameters: temperature 24-26°C, specific gravity 1.023-1.025, pH 8.1-8.4, and low nitrates. Highly sensitive to sudden salinity shifts during water top-offs. Maintain proper iodine levels for molting. Copper is highly lethal.
Compatibility and Tankmates: Safe with corals. Compatible with small, peaceful reef fish like gobies and clownfish. Do not house with predatory fish such as wrasses, hawkfish, dottybacks, pufferfish, or large crabs that will quickly eat them.
Aquarium Breeding: Breeding is extremely difficult. Mated females carry eggs under their abdomen. The hatched larvae are planktonic and require a specialized rotifer-based feeding program in a separate breeding vessel to survive and reach metamorphosis.
Risks and Diseases: Predation due to their tiny size is the primary threat. Without a host coral or anemone for shelter, they are easily eaten. Molting complications (failed ecdysis) can occur if essential trace minerals like iodine are depleted in the water.
Geographic Origin and Distribution
Thor amboinensis has a circumtropical distribution, commonly found in the Indo-West Pacific, Red Sea, Caribbean Sea, and the Gulf of Mexico. It inhabits shallow coral reefs at depths of 1 to 20 meters, living in close symbiotic association with sea anemones and corals.
Origin
Cosmopolitan or introducedCentral America and CaribbeanTropical oceans and reefs
Invertebrate profile
- Diet
- No verified data available
- Ecological role
- No verified data available
- Life expectancy
- No verified data available
- Adult size
- No verified data available
- Jump risk
- No verified data available
- Shock sensitivity
- No verified data available
- Calcium and minerals
- No verified data available
- Molting
- No verified data available
- Reproduction
- No verified data available
- Compatibility & tankmates
- No verified data available
Image gallery
Licensed images linked to the species or, when marked, to the closest representative taxon.
Related species
Recommendations grouped by close relatives, companion choices, and similar care.
