About Skunk Cleaner Shrimp
Reef-safe, charismatic, and actively cleans parasites off your fish. One of the most rewarding inverts in the hobby.
Cleaner Shrimp set up cleaning stations and your fish learn to visit them. They are peaceful and reef-safe. Acclimate slowly — they are sensitive to salinity swings; drip acclimate over 1–2 hours.
Notes from the editors
What it looks like. Cream body with a thick red horizontal stripe down the back. Sets up cleaning stations and approaches fish to remove parasites.
In your tank. Charismatic and useful — actively cleans parasites off fish that learn to visit. One of the most rewarding inverts in the hobby. Pairs work in any size system.
Care notes. Reef-safe and peaceful. Acclimate slowly via 1–2 hour drip — sensitive to salinity swings. Will molt every 4–6 weeks; the molt looks alarming but is normal.
Sourcing and feeding. Wild-collected from Indo-Pacific reefs; widely available ($25–50). Omnivore — anything meaty, plus parasites picked from fish. Will accept pellets and frozen foods readily.
Care info is a starting point, not a guarantee. Individual specimens, water chemistry, and tankmate dynamics vary. Verify against multiple sources and adjust to what you observe. See our terms & disclaimers.
Related invertebrates
Sources & attribution
- Taxonomy and accepted name from the World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS AphiaID 241289).
- Description content adapted from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Photo: Tommy Kronkvist · CC BY-SA 3.0 (via iNaturalist or Wikimedia Commons).