Blood Red Fire Shrimp

Quick facts

Identity

Also known as

Fire Shrimp; Blood Shrimp; Scarlet Cleaner Shrimp; Blood Fire Shrimp; Cherry Red Shrimp

Environment

Saltwater

Native to

Indonesia, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Indo-Pacific

Habitat

Rocky reef crevices, caves, and overhangs at depths of roughly 65 to 100 feet, sheltering from direct light during the day

Sourcing

Wild-caught

Conservation

Not Evaluated

Care

Care level

Easy

Temperament

Peaceful

Adult size

1 – 2.5 in (2.5 – 6.4 cm)

Lifespan

2 – 3 yrs

Min tank

30 gal (114 L)

Growth rate

Moderate

Placement

Bottom, Rock & glass

Water

Temperature

75 – 79 °F (24 – 26 °C)

pH

8.1 – 8.4

dKH

8 – 10 dKH

Salinity

1.023 – 1.026 SG

Flow

Moderate

Behavior & compatibility

Social

Pair

Aggression to own kind

Moderate

Active

Night

Reef safe

Yes

Invert safe

With caution

Shrimp safe

With caution

Clean-up role

Leftover food, Detritus, Pest control

Population boom risk

Low

Feeding & breeding

Diet

Carnivore

Foods

Flakes, Pellets, Frozen, Freeze-dried, Live

Breeding type

Broadcast spawner

Breeding difficulty

Difficult

Sexing

Simultaneous hermaphrodite; any two mature individuals can pair and breed, so external sexing is not applicable

Target feeding

Beneficial

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Care guide

Overview

Reaching a mature length of about two and a half inches, this deep red shrimp is patterned with white spots and trails a pair of long white antennae that betray its presence in an otherwise dark crevice. It shelters in caves through daylight, emerging at dusk to run cleaning stations for passing fish. Best suited to a mature reef with stable chemistry and no trace of copper.

Care

The fire shrimp does best in a mature, fully cycled tank with plenty of live rock offering caves and overhangs, since it is shy and spends most daylight hours tucked away with only its long white antennae showing. It becomes more visible after dark or once it settles in and recognizes feeding routines. Stable water quality matters more than exact parameter precision, and copper-based medications must never be used anywhere near it, as even trace amounts are lethal.

Feeding

As a carnivorous scavenger, it accepts most meaty aquarium foods including frozen mysis, flake, pellet, and freeze-dried preparations, and will also pick at leftover fish food and detritus around the rockwork. Regular water changes help replenish iodine, which the shrimp needs for successful molting. It will also actively clean fish that present themselves, picking off dead skin, scales, and external parasites.

Tank mates

Generally peaceful toward fish and most reef inhabitants, often forming a cleaning relationship with tankmates that solicit its attention. A single mated pair usually coexists well, but unrelated conspecifics may be chased off unless the aquarium is large with abundant hiding spots. A minority of individuals have been reported picking at LPS or SPS polyps at night, so newly added specimens are worth monitoring in coral-dense systems.

Breeding

Being simultaneous hermaphrodites, any two adults can pair and reproduce without needing distinct sexes. After mating, the female carries a saddle of eggs under her abdomen for roughly two weeks before releasing free-swimming larvae. The larvae pass through several planktonic stages over a couple of months and are rarely raised successfully in home aquariums, so most specimens in the trade are wild-caught or produced by specialized breeders.

Health

Fire shrimp are notably sensitive to ammonia, nitrite, and elevated nitrate, so they should only go into an established tank with stable water chemistry. Incomplete molts can occur if iodine or trace element levels run low, so periodic dosing or regular water changes are recommended. Slow, careful acclimation is important since sudden parameter swings can cause fatal shock.

Sources

1. Blood Red Fire Shrimp Care: Lysmata debelius cleaner shrimp
2. Fire Shrimp (Lysmata debelius) – Little Shop of Coral
3. Fire Shrimp Care: Size, Reef Safety, Diseases and Mates
4. Blood Red Fire Shrimp

More Cleaner shrimp

Scarlet Skunk Cleaner Shrimp