The Peppermint Shrimp, also known as the Veined Shrimp, or Caribbean Cleaner Shrimp, is part of the "cleaner" shrimp family, but is considered to be more of a scavenger. Its yellowish white body has several distinctive longitudinal red stripes. The Peppermint Shrimp is sometimes confused with its Pacific cousin, Rhynchocinetes durbanensis, which has a pointed nose and inter-spaced white stripes over its body.

First described in 1850, the Peppermint Shrimp is usually found living in the vertical shafts of the reef, sometimes in the core of the pipe sponges. It is very sociable and will live peacefully with almost all reef inhabitants. On occasion, it has been known to eat the Aiptasia anemone (glass anemone) that are found in the live rock of reef aquariums and on the glass. It will not tolerate copper or high levels of nitrates in the aquarium. It will also require iodine for proper molting of its carapace.

The Peppermint Shrimp species has been successfully bred by commercial fish farms, but it will rarely breed in the average home aquarium.

In addition to what it obtains from scavenging, its diet can consist of most types of prepared foods, and possible pieces of fresh fish.

The Western Atlantic Peppermint Shrimp complex Lysmata wurdemanni has been reclassified in 2006 by Andrew L. Rhyne and Junda Lin based on their morphology and color pattern. See the article here. In general, peppermint shrimp from different regions can easily be identified to species level by their color patterns. Our peppermint shrimp from either the Florida Keys or the Gulf of Mexico and are most often Lysmata boggessi, a species proven to consume Aiptaisa (Rhyne et al. 2004). We occasionally receive other species from the Lysmata wurdemanni complex, we have consulted with Dr. Rhyne and he has confirmed that all species of peppermint shrimp he has tested in the laboratory consume Aiptasia. Differences in exact collection location often dictates what species we have in stock. The exact species that will be shipped to your door is one of the following listed below. The exact species you receive will vary based on the time of year, weather conditions, freight space, and inventory levels. All of the following species make ideal scavengers and prey on the pest anemone Aiptasia pallida.

Florida Bay and Atlantic – L. wurdemanni
Caribbean – L. ankeri
Florida Bay and Gulf of Mexico – L. boggessi
South Western Florida Keys – L. rafa

Approximate Purchase Size: 1/2" to 1-1/4