Swfotw-blood shrimp

[Dory]

Sorry guys for not doing it in a while!! Here it is!

Latin name: Lysmata debelius

Common names:
-Fire shrimp
-blood shrimp
-scarlet cleaner shrimp

In a home aquarium the blood shrimp requires an over hang to hang under. Under the overhang it should have a lower light intensity.

It is like a cleaner shrimp and will sometimes set up a “cleaning station” where it cleans the dead parasites of fish. They are generally reef safe and usually don’t harm any other inhabitants in the aquarium.

In the aquarium the shrimp shouldn’t have high levels of nitrates or any copper in their water. They require high levels of iodine.

These shrimp are scavengers and will eat pretty much every thing you feed your tank.

Can’t live with:
-filefish
-parrotfish
-puffers
-sharks
-rays
-triggers

Can live with:
-anthias
-blennies
-cardinals
-cromis
-Clownfish
-damsels
-dartfish
-basslets
-Dragonets
-gobies
-jawfish
-tangs
-sturgens
-corals

Take caution when putting them with:
-angels
-anglers
-batfish
-boxfish
-butterflies
-eels
-foxfaces
-rabbits
-groupers
-grunts
-sweetlips
-hawkfish
-hogfish
-lions
-squirrel fish
-wrasses

[Michael_Lambert]

Very Good..........


:D

[cancruiser]

Kewl... thanks Dory! :)

[neemo]

Thanks Dory.

I love the blood shrimp-- have two of them and whenever people come over and look at the tank they are amazed at the colour of the shrimp.

[Cellenzweig]

I love mine too! He's always hanging out on the bottom of an overhang, but I never knew it was common with them. Thanks for the great info Dory!

[psiico]

Some detail on what to expect for newbs with regards to them being generally reef safe:

Mine did kill and eat another blood shrimp, I bought 3 originally. It's been two since the third day I had them. They also killed and ate a peppermint the day I added two of them. They leave the other one alone, though. And from time to time they slice the ends from my featherduster's "feathers." Lastly, when feeding my open brain raw shrimp/scallops I either have to make sure they have their own pieces or chase them away from the brain untill it ingests the food. Sometimes they drop their own food and go for what the brain has anyway.

So yes, they are generally reef safe. I love them, I wouldn't get rid of them for anything, simply stunning to look at. I love the color. In my case they are prolific breeders too. That may be related to why they killed the other one.

And thanks for the SWFOTW Dory, it's a valuble service.

[Dadeo]

Good write up Dory. If you could add a picture to future SWFOTW I think it would be a bonus...nice to look at a sample while reading about it.

[Cellenzweig]

Good write up Dory. If you could add a picture to future SWFOTW I think it would be a bonus...nice to look at a sample while reading about it. I was thinking the same...

[TJ_Burton]

Here, I will give Dory a hand!
A pic... :)

[Lazer Bubble]

Great job i am always anticipating the next one!!! Can't wait for another one. Maybe you could do the bangaii cardinal or the neon goby as your interested in them. Just a seggestion for the future. Thanks again!!!

Adam

[SteveO]

great job Dory. I've always loved the blood shrimp and couldn't picture my tank without one. Again, GREAT JOB and keep up the good work!!

Steve

[cmkr.jackson]

Great info keep it up. I too have one of these guys and he's my favorite shrimp but he is always hiding:( Every time I think he's dead he comes out and makes a brief appearance and dissappears back within the bowels of my LR. Now maybee if I get asecond...HEHEHEEE

[xexxxe]

I've seen some darker bloods and lighter kind as well, mine is lighter red... and i was told that the lighter ones are from Sri Lanka region and darker ones are hmm... can't remember... are there any differance between them at all?

by the way... my pair of bloods are making babies like krazy... first batch about a month ago... babies are about almost 1cm... and all over my tank... and will release again tonight or tomorrow... along with my skunk pair... i've been feeding them rotifers... but when they do get bigger... what should i try feeding?

[rayjay]

Those "babies" aren't bloods, they are mysid shrimp and won't get much bigger.
You won't be able to produce baby bloods in a standard aquarium set-up.

[xexxxe]

Those "babies" aren't bloods, they are mysid shrimp and won't get much bigger.
You won't be able to produce baby bloods in a standard aquarium set-up.

are mysid shrimps red in color????

[rayjay]

Mysids come in a few shapes and colors and translucent. The ones in my tank have a distinct red in them that looks about the colour of the red in cleaner shrimp.
When I first discovered the ones in mine, I actually thought they were cleaner shrimp, but they never got any bigger, and eventually, when I got a computer, an experienced hobbyist straitened me out.
I then did a Google search for mysid, and was surprised to find so many different shrimp in the mysid family. There are a lot of pictures on the internet of various mysid, but the one I have was hard to find, and, now years later, I don't know just where to steer you.
I guess you could do your own Google and see what comes up.

[rayjay]

Sorry, I doubled this one.

[xexxxe]

i see... well, we'll just have to wait and see.. because i never had these shrimps before; until my bloods and cleaners started releasing eggs... which was only about 6 week ago... and prior to that... never had one anywhere in the tank...

cheers!

[psiico]

I'm with you xexxxe. I never had them until my shrimp started breeding and since they've stopped I have them no more. Could be coincidence but I don't think so. I was told they were mysids as well. He's right you won't be able to raise them in your tank though, you'll have to remove them and house them seperately, and they'll still probably die. Cleaners are easier then bloods I hear but I read both are much harder then peppermints to breed. Bloods in particular are hit or miss even for experianced commercial breeders. Just what I've read.

[xexxxe]

I see... i got most of the larger ones in the refugium... and in overflow box... I started growing rotifers and phyto for partially that reason... rotifers should help them going through metamorphoses... and with my bangais expecting delivery in next week(it's been two weeks now... still carrying eggs and refusing to eat :king: ... poor guy what a life eh... )

anyways... yeah i am not getting too much hopes up but i am hoping some will survive in refugium... some of the larger ones about 10mm... gettin pretty big now compared to the newer one's...

i'll keep you guys posted~ thanx for the tip...

one more thing... do you know what those commercial breeders do different or special breeding shrimps?

cheers :rockon:

[rayjay]

Check the Breeders Registry for available information.

[psiico]

Yeah, check the breeder's registry. I read a bunch of info there. Also try these links:

http://www.reefsuk.com/CaptiveBreeding/Articles/BreedingCleanerShrimp.html

(sometimes that link doesn't work for me, go to www.reefsuk.com and navigate to captive breeding and shrimp)

http://www.wetwebmedia.com/shrimpreprofaqs.htm

This site might have some info:

http://www.tmc-ltd.co.uk/Hatchery/latest.asp

Here's info on a book I've been considering buying:

http://saltaquarium.about.com/cs/fprswaqbooks/fr/aafprpshrimpboo.htm

Hope this helps.