Sargassum Shrimp

Geographical Origin and Habitat: Circumtropical global distribution. Inhabits floating pelagic Sargassum seaweed in open ocean waters, but is also commonly found in seagrass beds and sheltered coastal lagoons. They are commonly found in seagrass beds and floating sargassum weed communities.

Taxonomy: Member of the family Palaemonidae. Features a slender body with an exceptionally long, flattened, and highly serrated rostrum. Develops small skin-like appendages for camouflage. Grows to 4-5 cm. Their carapace is translucent with delicate brown patterns, mimicking their plant environment.

Social Behavior: Peaceful and very active. Swims actively among algae fronds or marine vegetation. Forages constantly throughout the foliage for organic matter and small prey. They are peaceful scavengers, walking slowly over macroalgae in search of food particles.

Coloration and Sexual Dimorphism: Mottled brown, olive, or yellowish color with dark brown and white patches mimicking the air bladders and leaves of Sargassum seaweed. Females are larger with a broader rostrum than males. Females are larger than males and possess a distinct abdominal pouch for carrying eggs.

Tank Setup: Suitable for tanks of 10-12 gallons or larger. Providing a heavy growth of macroalgae (such as Caulerpa or Sargassum) or floating artificial plants is key to mimic its natural climbing habitat. Set up the aquarium with plenty of live plants or macroalgae to provide shelter and grazing sites.

Diet and Feeding: Omnivorous scavenger. Readily accepts a wide variety of foods including flake or pellet fish foods, frozen mysis, brine shrimp, and grazes on algae biofilm on vegetation. They are omnivorous detritivores that accept flakes, pellets, and frozen baby brine shrimp.

Water Quality: Tolerant of moderate salinity fluctuations (can survive in brackish environments). Requires temperature of 20-28°C and stable pH of 8.1-8.4. Sensitive to copper. Maintain correct iodine levels to assist the shrimp during their frequent molting cycles.

Compatibility and Tankmates: 100% reef-safe. Compatible with peaceful community reef fish. Do not house with large predatory fish or aggressive crabs that will treat it as a food source. Keep with peaceful nano fish and avoid large predators that might view them as food.

Aquarium Breeding: Females carry a large cluster of small eggs under their abdomen. Larvae hatch into open water and pass through planktonic zoeal stages which are difficult to rear in community tanks. Breeding can happen in tanks, where the female will release planktonic larvae after incubation.

Risks and Diseases: Low iodine levels leading to bad molts. Highly sensitive to sudden salinity drops during water changes and to any copper-based medications. Copper and standard medications must be avoided as they are highly toxic to invertebrates.