Palaemonid Shrimp FAQs 1 Related FAQs: Marine Shrimp, Marine Shrimps 2, Shrimp Identification, Shrimp Selection, Shrimp Behavior, Shrimp Compatibility, Shrimp Systems, Shrimp Feeding, Shrimp Reproduction, Shrimp Disease, Cleaner Shrimp, Banded Coral Shrimp, Dancing Shrimp, Harlequin Shrimp, Pistol Shrimp, Saron Shrimp, Mantis Shrimp, Anemone Eating Shrimp, Cleaner Shrimp, Banded Coral Shrimp, Mantis Shrimp, Anemone Eating Shrimp, Crustacean Identification, Crustacean Selection, Crustacean Behavior, Crustacean Compatibility, Crustacean Systems, Crustacean Feeding, Crustacean Disease, Crustacean Reproduction, Related Articles: Anemone Shrimp, Shrimp, A Few Common Shrimps for the Marine Aquarium by James W. Fatherree, Pontonides unciger in Sipadan, living at the base of a sea whip.

Shrimp compatibility   10/27/16
Hi. I currently have 2 Fire Shrimp and am looking to get a Pederson anemone shrimp and just wanted to know if they are compatible. I have a 200 gallon mixed reef with docile fish, no aggressive fish, and 2 bubble tip anemones.
I'm not worried about any other tankmates except for the Fire Shrimp. I know the sizes are significantly different so just wanted to know if it would be a problem. Thank you.
<These all should be fine in such a large volume. Here's hoping you can find, enjoy the Periclimenes.
Bob Fenner>

Sexy and Anemone Shrimp; incomp. w/ clowns/anemone already established       4/24/14
Dear Wet Web Crew,
Hello again, many thanks for all that you do so generously. I have a curious situation I would like to share with you all. Upon shopping at my local fish store, I found two little critters that caught my attention. A Sexy Shrimp, and an Anemone Shrimp. Now throwing caution to the wind I immediately purchased them both. With jubilant excitement I added both to my tank thinking this would be a great addition to my Rose Bubble tip Anemone. How wrong I was. First was the Sexy Shrimp, upon entering the Anemone he seemed to struggle against the tentacles, eventually settling in between the tentacles on the flat part of the skin. Well my two clowns (Ocellaris) did not take well to this intruder and quickly chased the poor little guy to a crevice deep within the live rock. The Anemone Shrimp was then added hoping it would go better since he was bigger. This went horribly wrong as the poor shrimp got immediately wrapped up by the Anemone to be consumed. Now I question if he really was an Anemone Shrimp in the first place,
<Do you have images? A species name?>
but all my research shows that it was. I have no picture but I describe him as being 3/4 inch long, almost all clear with 2 white spots on his abdomen and 2 more on the tip of his tail. He also had slender pincers with a purple hew to them.
<... could be one of many Periclimenes spp.>
I know this is vague as descriptions go, but why did he get gobbled up so quickly. Is it possibly because of the type of Anemone (Rose Bubble Tip).
I can ad that it is in a 90 gallon tank, with the Anemone being 14-16 inches across hosted by 2 Ocellaris clowns. I assume to never see the sexy shrimp again. Any insights, thoughts, or info to make sense of what happened would be greatly appreciated. I was also hoping to ad a porcelain crab to the Anemone, but now am second guessing.
<I wouldn't be adding any more symbionts for this BTA. Bob Fenner>
Thank you all.
Oscar

Shrimp ID    12/12/13 Hello all, <Kyle awhile> So I have found four of these guys in a shipment of live rock we got at work. I'm not too terribly familiar with most shrimp and was hoping someone there could shed some light. What I Know: Came from the coast of Florida (Gulf side) <Mmm, don't see in Humann & DeLoach> Largest found was around 2" Seem to be terrified of everything Mostly clear with orange speckling/bands Dark, almost black eyes My first guess was some sort of anemone shrimp, though none were found associated with anemones. They aren't inquisitive like cleaner shrimp and bolt away from everything, including their own reflection. They aren't pistol shrimp, unless these just happen to be pacifists that left the pistols behind. The closest ID I could come up with is Brachycarpus biunguiculatus, the Florida Two Claw Shrimp. Unfortunately those pictures seem to show a striped eye (which these don't have) and far more color... Any thoughts? <Might be Brachycarpus biunguiculatus; just juvenile, or regional variation> I know ID is tough without a good rostrum picture, but if they are a glass or anemone shrimp, what are the chances its reef safe? <... the long rostrum; serrated above and below... other char.s. My guess is some species of Palaemonid...> PS: Sorry if the picture isn't great - all I have at work is my cell. Kyle Thaman <Not likely "very problematical" in terms of chewing/eating other desirable reef livestock. Bob Fenner>

Taxonomic info    12/11/12
Hi WWM crew,
I came across this page, http://65.36.157.188/condyanemones.htm, and thought to send a few taxonomic corrections to you:
Condylactis passiflora is an unaccepted name; the accepted name is Condylactis gigantea
(http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=458658).
Mithrax cinctimanus was moved into the genus, Mithraculus by H. P. Wagner, 1990, Zool. Verh. (Leiden) 264:48-53. Accepted name: Mithraculus cinctimanus.
Although not on that web page, the Pederson's cleaner shrimp, also a symbiont found with C. gigantea and Bartholomea annulata (ringed or corkscrew anemone) has moved from the genus Periclimenes to the genus Ancylomenes by Okuno and Bruce (2010) Designation of Ancylomenes gen. nov., for 'Periclimenes aesopius species group' (Crustacea: Decapoda: Palaemonidae), with the description of a new species and a checklist of congeneric species. Zootaxa 2372: 85-105. Accepted name: Ancylomenes pedersoni.
Sincerely,
Nancy Sheridan
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
Fish and Wildlife Research Institute
100 8th Ave SE
St. Petersburg, FL 33701
http://myfwc.com/research/
<Thank you for these updates. As principally a hobbyist site, we do tend to "lag" (e.g. not recognizing the addition, movement of genera, species in Veron's recent Scleractinia works), be more of lumpers than splitters taxonomically... but it is important to provide current systematics. Will post your input here re these species. Bob Fenner>
Re: Taxonomic info, Condylactis conservation     12/11/12
Thanks for the reply and you're welcome for the info. Also, in case you haven't heard, a three-year prohibition on the recreational and commercial harvest of Condys in Florida state and federal waters went into effect Nov. 1, 2012. For more info, please see - http://myfwc.com/news/news-releases/2012/october/24/marine-life/.
Nancy
<Ah, I thank you for this note as well. Have a long-standing disregard for the use of Actinarians in the ornamental trade... not worth their extraction in my view. Cheers, Bob Fenner>

Couple of hitch hikers torch coral with host? possible anemone 2/10/12 Hello Bob and crew! <Mike> I have a client that bought an Australian gold torch coral from me and has informed me that it has a buddy hanging out in him! This is the first I've seen since importing these beauties and had him take the best pick of the little guy he could. I know the pic of the torch is a tough one to see the shrimp, my client has said he is clear which makes sense in the picture but most visible is the white V staring right at the camera. <Yes; I see this. Some species of Palaemonid... likely a Periclimenes sp.> Please find him attached and while on the hitch hiker topic I've attached a pic of another guy I'm guessing is a type of anemone that came in on a Zoanthid rock from Kupang!? <Got me... but IS neat!> I have heard the sexy shrimp will host to the torch, <Some definitely do. Have photographed them numerous times in the wild on Euphyllias> any education you can give me is much appreciated on both of these guys. As always WWM is and I refer to clients and everyone in the hobby the best place for information, so much I even have a link to you on my site! Hope Bob can make it to Denver again soon! <Wish I was there right now! W/ my flannels on of course!> Thanks! Mike Snyder www.thecoralshop.com < http://www.thecoralshop.com/> <Welcome. BobF>

Re: Couple of hitch hikers torch coral with host? possible anemone 2/10/12 Thanks Bob! You'd need your flannels for sure!! Pardon my ignorance on the Periclimenes safe to let him hang out in the torch within my clients display? Thanks! Mike <Indeed it is... there are valid arguments for the positive effects of these relationships... to all parties. BobF>

Shrimp ID 8/27/11 I just got this guy off the WYSIWYG Live Aquaria Divers Den. It was labeled as a Commensal Urchin shrimp, *Stegopontonia commensalis. *After some research I do not believe this is the correct ID for this little guy. Have any ideas? <Mmm, the only thing really off here is the red colour in place of black for most all specimens of this species that I've seen. Bob Fenner> Thanks, Jesse Rain

Shrimp ID: Likely Family: Palaemonidae -- 5/3/10 <Hello, Lynn here today.> Found this shrimp is a tide pool of the Gulf of Mexico near Tampa. Looks to be some type of coral or anemone shrimp it is female with eggs and it also has two pincer-like arms kind of like a coral banded shrimp. Any ideas? <It looks like something in the family Palaemonidae, a huge group of shrimps that includes many transparent and near-transparent species. Unfortunately, I'd need detailed photos showing the rostrum (the beak-like projection at the head), as well as the legs and various antennae/antennules in order to confirm the ID even to family level. Identifying to genus level would require even more detail. Please see the following links for more information and photos for comparison: Grass shrimp in general: http://www.dnr.sc.gov/cwcs/pdf/grassshrimp.pdf Palaemonetes vulgaris (commonly sold as "Common Shore Shrimp" to marine hobbyists): http://www.mariculturetechnology.com/images/SWShrimp.jpg Palaemonetes pugio females with eggs: http://www.ucs.louisiana.edu/~rtb6933/shrimp/Phero.html Family Palaemonidae: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/palemonidae.htm Take care, Lynn Z>

Anemone Shrimps Preferring Non-anemone Host!? - 04/17/2006 Hi guys! <And Gals! Hello.> Quickly and firstly a massive thanks for all the info. on this site, brilliant! <Glad you've enjoyed it and thank you.> Anyway, I have recently acquired a pair of Periclimenes brevicarpalis (sorry for the lack of italics) <No need to be.> Anemone shrimp. <Neat!> I have a Heteractis crispa which currently hosts a pair of small Clarkii clowns, and a couple of 'vacant' bubble tips yet my shrimpies seem to have taken more of a liking to a rather large Catalaphyllia. <Different strokes as they say...> Can you see any problems in this scenario re: either nutrition or some other symbiotic relationship that may be missing? <I think you'll be just fine here. No worries.> Thanks so much! <You're welcome. - Josh>

Anemone shrimp disturbing BTA? 1/27/06 Hi guys Really hope you can shed some light on this. Tank is just under 2 years old, all parameters stable. Have had a Bubble Tip Anemone for a few months now. It settled in nicely, never moved much, feeds and looks healthy. We bought an anemone shrimp this weekend. He went straight in the BTA and the nem hasn't stopped moving since. I was just wondering if the shrimp could be disturbing or annoying it in any way? The BTA is about 5" when fully open and the shrimp is about 1" <Can, do at times> Any ideas would be appreciated. I am now considering returning the shrimp to the shop if the men doesn't settle by the weekend Many thanks Jo <Takes time... Bob Fenner>

Jawfish compatibility with sexy shrimp - 1/6/06 Hi! Happy New Year! A short one. I have sexy shrimps (Thor Amboinensis) as well as other shrimps in my system (90 gal, LR and DSB) and am thinking about adding a Jawfish. Would the Jawfish be a danger to the sexy shrimps? <Shouldn't be a problem. James (Salty Dog)> Thanks! <You're welcome> <<Mmm, what species of Opistognathidae...? W/o their Cnidarian host/s the Thor shrimp at least will likely be consumed here. RMF>> Dominique
Re: Pholodichthyid compatibility with sexy shrimp - 1/6/06 Thanks and Mmm... while we are at it... same question (the last on that topic) for an engineer goby with a sexy shrimp... no danger? Sorry for the paranoia, but they are so small and these fishes have such large mouths. <These questions are easily found on the Wet Web Media. Do search there before sending your query, please. http://www.wetwebmedia.com/pholodichthyidae.htm James (Salty Dog)>

Sexy Shrimp and Anemone Relation/Necessity 12/5/05 Hi All, <Hello.> First off, I just want to thank you all for you time and dedication <You're welcome. Can't speak for everyone but while this can be time consuming it is very fun for me.> I just discovered your site a few days ago and have been looking over it (and related links) with relish! <You just discovered us? Well welcome, you have lots of reading to do.> It has answered many of my questions. <Glad to hear it!> Though I've been keeping freshwater fish for over ten years, I only recently turned to saltwater--about a year. Now all my freshwater tanks are gone, replaced with two 55gal saltwater tanks and one 29 gallon (not including hospital tanks). The 29gal (set up for about 6 months) currently has two small (1.25 inch) CB Ocellaris clowns, a couple hermit crabs and assorted snails, 30# live rock, some xenia and lots of seaweed. It has a skimmer and a nice sand bed, with low to moderate water movement. This tank is destined for H. kuda seahorses (captive bred, of course). I'll most likely be moving the clowns. <Okay sounds good, be sure to read as much as you can before saddling up'¦pun intended.> My question: I'd like to put some sexy anemone shrimps in the 29gal tank (or possibly another) but I've read that they do very poorly without a host anemone. <In my experience this is not true at all. I find their relationship to anemones much like that of the clownfish/anemone relation. Amazing to observe but not necessary for them to thrive at all. Provided a good diet (marine of a marine origin) these animals are quite easy to care for in my experience. Also they will adapt to other hosts (coral) and such as Euphyllia and Leathers.> Would the shrimp adopt some other type of coral (such as xenia, or green star polyps--both of which are spreading like wildfire in my reef system) that would not be noxious to the seahorses? If so, do you have suggestions? <See above.> Thank you for all your help. Blythe.
<Adam J.>