Skunk Cleaner Shrimp (Lysmata amboinensis)

Add a burst of personality and purpose to your reef with the Skunk Cleaner Shrimp. With its striking red and white racing stripe and elegant translucent legs, this little invert is more than just a pretty face—it’s a reef janitor with attitude. Known for its peaceful nature and cleaning behavior, this shrimp will even set up cleaning stations for your fish. Each specimen is healthy, active, and reef-safe.

🧼 Skunk Cleaner Shrimp Care Guide
About Lysmata amboinensis
The Skunk Cleaner Shrimp is a beloved staple in the saltwater aquarium hobby. Recognized for its bold coloration and fascinating cleaning rituals, it will often climb on fish to remove parasites and dead tissue—earning its reputation as nature’s spa therapist. It’s peaceful, hardy, and thrives in community reef tanks.

🌍 Origin
Native to the warm reef waters of the Indo-Pacific, including the Red Sea.

💡 Lighting Requirements
No specific lighting requirements. The shrimp will adapt to your tank’s existing reef lighting, often hiding under ledges or rockwork during acclimation.

🌊 Water Flow
Moderate flow is ideal. The Skunk Cleaner likes areas where detritus can settle but won’t mind active spots if enough rock cover is available.

🍽️ Feeding
While it helps clean up leftover food and detritus, supplemental feeding is key to a healthy shrimp. Offer finely chopped meaty foods, sinking pellets, or freeze-dried plankton. Feed once daily or every other day depending on tank size and bioload.

🤝 Behavior & Compatibility

• Completely reef-safe

• Peaceful with fish, corals, and other inverts

• May be territorial toward its own kind unless introduced as a mated pair or small group

• Known to interact with fish for cleaning—especially tangs, wrasses, and gobies

🔄 Acclimation
Proper drip acclimation is essential—shrimp are sensitive to rapid changes in salinity and temperature. Take your time with at least 45–60 minutes of slow acclimation before introducing it into the display tank.

⚠️ Pro Tip: Avoid housing with aggressive wrasses or predatory fish like large hawkfish or triggers that may see shrimp as a snack.