Lysmata amboinensis - Marine Aquarium Livestock UK

Meet the Pacific cleaner shrimp

The Pacific cleaner shrimp (Lysmata amboinensis) is an omnivorous marine shrimp in the family Lysmatidae. WoRMS accepts this scientific identity, while Wikipedia describes the species as widespread across tropical coral reefs, typically at wild depths of 5–40 metres. It suits a keeper prepared to maintain a filtered marine aquarium, measure water chemistry and screen every fish for predation risk.

Its best-known natural behaviour is cleaning larger fish. Parasites and dead tissue from fish form a large part of its wild diet, although the species is omnivorous. In an aquarium, regard any cleaning interaction as natural feeding behaviour rather than an assurance that every fish will be cleaned.

This is a crustacean with a segmented body and a hard external skeleton. Growth involves shedding that exoskeleton, followed by a soft period while the replacement hardens. Rock shelter, clean water and careful observation therefore matter throughout its care, not only when the shrimp first enters the aquarium.

Decide whether it fits your aquarium

• Choose it for: a filtered marine system with rock shelter and fish assessed as reef-safe.
• Prepare to measure: temperature, pH, specific gravity, carbonate hardness, calcium, magnesium, ammonia, nitrite and nitrate.
• Allow for moulting: hiding for a couple of days after shedding can be part of the normal hardening period.
• Plan conservatively: dispatch length is not a mature-size planning figure.

Choose the dispatch size shown on the page

One purchase supplies one shrimp in the selected size. Use the live size selector to choose either 3-5 cm or 5-7 cm. These labels describe the animal’s dispatch length and let you choose the size sent with the order.

The size you select is the size supplied, not the adult size. Do not use either dispatch label to set the permanent aquarium volume or to infer age, sex or life stage. Plan the aquarium around mature needs, filtration capacity, water stability and the behaviour of every proposed tank mate.

Sex is guaranteed only when the selected option explicitly states male or female. This Lysmata amboinensis listing has no sex-guaranteed option.

Some gallery images have been digitally enhanced to improve image quality. They show the listed type of animal rather than guaranteeing the exact markings of the individual supplied, so natural colour and pattern can vary.

Read the offer correctly

• Purchase unit: one live shrimp.
• Dispatch labels: 3-5 cm and 5-7 cm.
• Permanent planning: base space on mature needs rather than the dispatch label.
• Sex: neither size choice carries a sex guarantee.
• Gallery: use the images to recognise the listed species, not to predict the exact individual’s appearance.

Check the fit before ordering

Use the following comparison before choosing this shrimp. The decisive questions are whether the marine system is biologically filtered, whether its chemistry can remain within the recommended range and whether every fish has been assessed as reef-safe. A bright display or ample décor cannot compensate for measurable ammonia, nitrite or an unsuitable predator.

The species’ natural cleaning diet does not remove the need to feed it or maintain the aquarium. It still adds waste to the biological system, and extra food can decay if too much is offered. Introduce livestock gradually so the filter’s beneficial bacterial population can respond to each increase in animals and feeding.

Water values for more sensitive reef inhabitants may require a whole-system plan beyond the broad crustacean range. Decide those values before introduction and make sure the shrimp, fish and other inhabitants are all being managed under one coherent marine routine.

Hold the marine water range steady

Keep the aquarium at 24–26°C, pH 7.9–8.3 and specific gravity 1.023–1.026. OATA’s marine-crustacean sheet gives these as broad group guidance, not a species-specific optimum. It also gives carbonate hardness of 8–12°dKH, calcium of 380–450 ppm and magnesium of 1250–1350 ppm.

Test ammonia and nitrite before introduction and keep both at zero. Nitrate should not exceed 50 mg/l. Continue testing after livestock or feeding increases because the filter’s bacterial population must process the extra waste.

Use the result to make a decision

• If ammonia or nitrite is measurable: postpone the addition and restore both readings to zero.
• If nitrate exceeds 50 mg/l: correct the maintenance problem before introducing the shrimp.
• If a reef inhabitant needs different chemistry: plan the aquarium around the more sensitive inhabitant before combining them.
• If results change after an addition: stop further stocking while filtration and maintenance catch up.

Record results so a change in behaviour can be compared with the aquarium’s chemistry. A normal-looking shrimp does not replace testing, particularly because crustaceans can be stressed by even small amounts of ammonia or nitrite.

Size the aquarium conservatively

Use an aquarium as large as practicable and plan this shrimp under OATA’s larger-crustacean route, where aquarium volume varies by species. Do not treat a dispatch label as the basis for a permanent minimum. The 3-5 cm and 5-7 cm choices describe the shrimp sent, while the long-term decision must account for mature needs, filtration capacity and the complete livestock plan.

A larger water volume can only help when it is paired with suitable filtration and maintenance. It is not a substitute for zero ammonia, zero nitrite, controlled nitrate or compatible tank mates. Conversely, a filter cannot make an unsuitable predator safe for a shrimp.

Check the whole system

• Biological capacity: the filter must process waste from the shrimp and every other inhabitant.
• Physical structure: rock must create grazing surfaces and protected hiding places.
• Water plan: the chosen temperature, pH, salinity and mineral values must work for all inhabitants.
• Stocking pace: add livestock slowly so beneficial bacteria can increase with the waste load.
• Predation screen: every fish must be assessed as reef-safe before the shrimp is introduced.

Make the stocking assessment with the intended adult community in mind. A plan that only works while an animal is at dispatch size is not a permanent plan. Include future feeding, shelter use and filtration demand when deciding whether the aquarium has enough capacity.

When comparing aquariums, favour the system that gives more scope for rock shelter, effective filtration and gradual stocking. The correct decision is the one that maintains the required chemistry after feeding and livestock are added, rather than the one that merely has space for the shrimp on arrival.

Build filtration before stocking

A filter is essential. Marine filtration can use live rock with sufficient water flow, an internal or external filter, or a sump-based filter. A protein skimmer can also help water quality by removing dissolved organic waste before it breaks down into more harmful substances.

The RSPCA explains biological filtration as the action of beneficial bacteria that convert toxic ammonia to nitrite and then to the safer nitrate. The aquarium filter must be well set up and maintained so this process continues as animals and feeding add waste.

Prepare before the shrimp arrives

1. Run a biologically mature filter suitable for the complete marine aquarium.
2. Test the water and confirm ammonia and nitrite are both 0 mg/l.
3. Check that nitrate does not exceed 50 mg/l.
4. Confirm that water can remain at 24–26°C, pH 7.9–8.3 and specific gravity 1.023–1.026.
5. Make sure live or artificial rock creates grazing areas and sheltered retreats.

Increase livestock slowly. Each new animal and every increase in feeding asks the bacterial population to process more waste. Adding animals faster than that population can grow can lead to new tank syndrome, with ammonia and nitrite rising to levels that can make invertebrates ill or kill them.

Check filters regularly for blockages and clean them without destroying the bacterial population. If filter media needs attention, rinse it lightly in aquarium water removed during a partial water change. Do not run it under the tap because chlorine or chloramine may kill the established beneficial bacteria.

Give each moult a safe retreat

Provide live or artificial rock because it supplies grazing surfaces and hiding places for a freshly moulted shrimp. Arrange the structure so the shrimp can withdraw from open areas while its replacement exoskeleton hardens.

Crustaceans grow by shedding their hard external skeleton. An empty shell in the aquarium can therefore be a normal moult rather than the body of the shrimp. After shedding, the new exoskeleton takes a couple of days to harden, and hiding during this period is common.

Read the signs in order

• An empty, shrimp-shaped shell appears: look for the live animal in its usual retreats before drawing a conclusion.
• The shrimp hides after shedding: leave its shelter undisturbed and continue checking water quality.
• The soft period continues unusually: compare its condition with carbonate hardness, calcium, magnesium, ammonia, nitrite and nitrate results.
• Shedding appears incomplete: treat it as a health warning and inspect both the animal and the aquarium conditions.

Rockwork earns its place here for two separate reasons. It creates areas where the shrimp can graze during ordinary activity, and it provides cover during the vulnerable hardening period. A decorative arrangement without usable retreats does not meet both needs.

Observe from outside the aquarium rather than repeatedly disturbing a hidden shrimp. Continue the normal testing and maintenance routine while checking whether movement and feeding return as the new exoskeleton hardens.

Feed an omnivorous cleaner

Feed this omnivorous shrimp a varied marine diet. Its natural diet includes parasites and dead tissue taken from fish, while OATA’s aquarium guidance for marine crustaceans includes small frozen foods such as brine shrimp, pellets and nori algae sheets.

Build extra feeding around suitably small meaty items while retaining variety through pellets and nori. Cleaning interactions with fish are part of the species’ biology, but they do not replace a managed feeding plan. Natural grazing and food already present in the aquarium will affect how much extra food is needed.

Set the portion by what happens next

• If all food is consumed without accumulation: continue observing the shrimp’s activity and condition before the next feed.
• If food remains uneaten: reduce the next portion and remove the excess before it breaks down.
• If the shrimp ignores food: check water chemistry and look for other changes in activity, colour, movement or moulting.
• If natural grazing is limited: include an appropriate extra feed rather than assuming cleaning behaviour will meet its needs.

Many crustaceans graze through the day, so set feeding frequency according to natural food in the aquarium and the animal’s response. Avoid a rigid schedule that ignores uneaten food. Excess breaks down and releases toxic waste, increasing the demand on filtration and maintenance.

Use the water tests as feedback on feeding. Ammonia and nitrite must remain at 0 mg/l, while nitrate must not exceed 50 mg/l. A feeding routine that repeatedly leaves waste or pushes those readings in the wrong direction needs smaller portions and closer control.

Keep a weekly maintenance rhythm

At least once every week, change 25% of the aquarium water. A siphon can remove solid waste from the substrate during the change. Match routine maintenance with testing so visible cleanliness and measured water quality are considered together.

Weekly sequence

1. Observe the shrimp’s movement, colour, feeding response, limbs, antennae, eyes and exoskeleton.
2. Test ammonia, nitrite and nitrate, then check pH, specific gravity and the other planned marine values.
3. Change 25% of the water.
4. Use removed aquarium water to rinse filter media lightly when cleaning is needed.
5. Check the filter for blockages and confirm that water is moving through it correctly.
6. Clean the protein skimmer regularly if the system uses one.
7. Record any change in livestock, feeding or test results before making the next stocking decision.

Keep ammonia and nitrite at 0 mg/l and nitrate at no more than 50 mg/l. If either toxic nitrogen compound appears, make no further livestock additions while safe water conditions are restored.

Never run filter media under the tap. Chlorine or chloramine may kill the beneficial bacteria established in the media. Light rinsing in water removed during the change reduces bacterial loss while allowing debris to be cleared.

Review maintenance after every increase in livestock or feeding. Beneficial bacteria need time to increase as waste production rises. The weekly water change remains a routine requirement, while additional corrective work should be driven by test results and the animal’s condition.

Follow the arrival sequence

Receive the parcel in person and begin with the sealed parcel. Follow the Tropical Fish Co delivery and Live Arrival Guarantee policy in this order:

1. Start filming while the parcel is still sealed, with the outer box visible.
2. Open the parcel in one continuous take.
3. Show the shrimp still inside the sealed bag before anything is disturbed.
4. Inspect the parcel on the day it arrives.
5. Float the bag for 20–30 minutes before releasing the shrimp.
6. Release the shrimp without pouring the bag water into the aquarium.

Keep the continuous video with the order number. For a Live Arrival Guarantee claim, contact us on the day the shrimp arrives and include the video showing the sealed parcel, the continuous opening and the animal still in its sealed bag.

The animal is hand-bagged in pure oxygen and placed in an insulated box, with a heat pack when the weather calls for it. Someone must be at the delivery address to receive the live animal, and the parcel must be opened and inspected that day.

Prepare the aquarium before opening

Separately from the parcel procedure, confirm that ammonia and nitrite are 0 mg/l and that the planned marine values are in range before release. Add livestock slowly so the established beneficial bacteria can respond to the increased waste and feeding.

After release, observe movement, coordination and use of shelter. Rock retreats are particularly important if the animal moults around the introduction period, because a newly shed exoskeleton takes a couple of days to harden.

Respond to health changes with tests and observation

Watch for changes in movement, colour, temperament, body condition, moulting and feeding. A single observation should lead to closer inspection and water testing, while several changes together require prompt attention to the aquarium conditions.

Keep shelter accessible while you observe. Normal post-moult hiding can last while the new shell hardens, but difficulty shedding, prolonged softness or loss of coordination belongs in the warning list.

Use measurements to guide the next action. Ammonia and nitrite must be zero, nitrate must remain at no more than 50 mg/l, and the marine values should remain within the planned range.

Exclude fish that are not reef-safe

Keep this shrimp only with fish assessed as reef-safe. OATA’s marine-crustacean guidance says reef-safe fish will generally mix with these invertebrates, while fish that are not reef-safe are likely to predate on them and should not be kept together.

This is an unconditional exclusion. Rockwork may give a freshly moulted shrimp somewhere to hide, but it does not turn a predatory fish into a compatible tank mate. The shrimp’s cleaning behaviour also does not remove predation risk.

Screen every proposed fish

1. Identify the exact fish rather than relying on a broad community label.
2. Determine whether that fish is regarded as reef-safe.
3. Exclude it if it is not reef-safe.
4. If its status is unclear, delay the combination and ask us for a stocking and compatibility assessment.
5. Confirm that the whole aquarium can share one suitable water plan.
6. Provide rock shelter for grazing and the post-moult hardening period.

Do not convert an uncertain fish into a cautious recommendation. Uncertainty means the combination still needs screening. Equally, a reef-safe classification is a first compatibility gate rather than a promise about every individual interaction. Continue observing movement, hiding, damaged appendages and changes in aggression after introduction.

No universal list of compatible corals, snails, crabs or other shrimp follows from the fish rule. Assess another invertebrate on its own biology and care needs before adding it to the same aquarium.

Use a repeatable compatibility check

Apply the same sequence whenever the community changes. First screen for predation, then compare water needs, shelter and filtration demand. Passing one step does not cancel a failure at another.

For example, a fish being calm at the time of inspection does not replace the reef-safe screen. Conversely, a system containing only reef-safe fish still needs suitable chemistry and biological capacity. Compatibility is the result of all these checks together.

When considering another crustacean, do not assume that a shared marine label makes the pair suitable. Marine crustaceans differ widely in behaviour and dietary needs, and some scavenger species such as lobsters and crabs may prey on slow-moving aquarium inhabitants. Review each candidate independently.

You can browse the marine invertebrate collection for other animals to assess, but treat each page as a separate care and compatibility decision rather than a recommendation to combine them.

Get answers to common buyer questions

How big does Lysmata amboinensis get?

The 3-5 cm and 5-7 cm figures are dispatch lengths. Treat neither label as a mature-size figure; plan permanent aquarium space conservatively around the shrimp’s mature needs, filtration demand and complete livestock community.

What size aquarium does Lysmata amboinensis need?

Use an aquarium as large as practicable and plan Lysmata amboinensis under OATA’s larger-crustacean route, where volume varies by species. Base the decision on mature needs, filtration, rock shelter, water stability and the complete stocking plan rather than dispatch length.

How many Lysmata amboinensis can I keep together?

Each purchase supplies one Lysmata amboinensis. Treat every additional shrimp as a separate stocking decision and assess aquarium space, filtration demand, shelter, feeding and all existing inhabitants before adding another.

Is Lysmata amboinensis suitable for beginners?

A beginner should choose Lysmata amboinensis only after establishing a filtered marine aquarium and learning to test salinity, temperature, pH, ammonia, nitrite and nitrate. Readiness depends on completing those tasks consistently rather than relying on a simple care label.

What does Lysmata amboinensis eat?

Lysmata amboinensis is omnivorous, and its wild diet includes parasites and dead tissue from fish. Offer suitably small meaty foods such as frozen brine shrimp, with pellets and nori for variety, adjusting extra food to natural grazing and removing excess.

What temperature and pH does this cleaner shrimp need?

OATA’s marine-crustacean group guidance is 24–26°C, pH 7.9–8.3, specific gravity 1.023–1.026 and carbonate hardness 8–12°dKH; keep ammonia and nitrite at 0 mg/l and nitrate at no more than 50 mg/l.

Is this cleaner shrimp aggressive or likely to nip fish?

Its feeding biology includes cleaning parasites and dead tissue from fish. Observe every interaction rather than assuming identical behaviour from every animal, and investigate changed aggression, damaged appendages, unusual hiding or reduced activity.

Which animals can this shrimp live with?

Keep it only with fish assessed as reef-safe. OATA says fish that are not reef-safe are likely to predate on marine crustaceans and should not be kept with them; assess other invertebrates separately rather than treating them as universal companions.

How does this shrimp arrive alive in the UK?

Start filming while the parcel is sealed, before floating the bag. It is hand-bagged in pure oxygen and placed in an insulated box, with a heat pack when needed; open in one continuous take, show the shrimp in its sealed bag, then float the bag for 20–30 minutes before release.

References used for identity and care

• WoRMS: accepted scientific name, family and taxonomic identity for Lysmata amboinensis.
• Wikipedia: species natural history, tropical coral-reef distribution, wild depth and omnivorous cleaning diet.
• OATA: marine-crustacean water, aquarium, filtration, feeding, moulting, maintenance, health-observation and compatibility guidance.
• RSPCA: general aquarium guidance on biological filtration and nitrogen-waste processing.