Atlantic skunk cleaner shrimp (Lysmata grabhami) care guide

Group

Shrimp

Other names

Atlantic white-striped cleaner shrimp, Caribbean skunk cleaner shrimp, Hippolysmata grabhami

Family

Lysmatidae (formerly Hippolytidae)

Origin

Tropical and subtropical Atlantic: Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, Bermuda, Canary Islands, Madeira and Cape Verde

Water

saltwater

Maximum size

6 cm

Temperature

22–26°C

pH

8.1–8.4

Hardness

dKH 8–12, SG 1.023–1.025

Care level

beginner

Temperament

peaceful

Reef safe

yes

Care

The Atlantic skunk cleaner shrimp is a tropical Atlantic cleaner shrimp, the sister species of the far more commonly traded Indo-Pacific skunk cleaner shrimp, Lysmata amboinensis. The two look almost identical: a yellowish body and legs with a continuous white stripe running from head to tail, edged on each side by a red stripe, and long white antennae. Many shrimp sold as 'skunk cleaners' are L. amboinensis, so check the stated origin (Caribbean or Atlantic for L. grabhami); care is the same for both. It grows to about 6 cm. In the wild it runs cleaning stations on shallow reefs, waving its white antennae to attract fish such as groupers, parrotfish and tangs, then climbing onto them to pick off parasites and dead skin. In aquaria it does the same and some fish will even let it into their mouths and gills. It is a useful extra defence against parasites, but not a cure for disease. Keep it in a mature reef or marine tank with live rock and caves. Our sources give no tank size; a pair is commonly kept in tanks from about 100 litres. Like other cleaner shrimp it is intolerant of high nitrate, swings in salinity or pH, and copper. Drip-acclimatise over at least an hour. Iodine and stable calcium and magnesium help it moult cleanly. Keep it singly or in pairs; groups can work in large tanks. Copper-based medicines and some plant fertilisers are toxic to shrimp, snails and most invertebrates; never treat a display tank holding this shrimp with copper. Sources: Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lysmatagrabhami); LiveAquaria care sheet for the look-alike L. amboinensis (liveaquaria.com/products/scarlet-skunk-cleaner-shrimp). Checked October 2026.

Diet

In the wild it lives partly on the parasites and dead tissue it cleans from fish. In the aquarium it also scavenges and takes most foods: frozen mysis and brine shrimp, chopped seafood, flake, pellets and freeze-dried foods. Make sure some food reaches it at feeding time; a well-fed shrimp still cleans.

Breeding

Lysmata shrimp are hermaphrodites: each adult can act as male and female (general knowledge; our sources do not describe its breeding), so any two adults can form a breeding pair. Pairs in aquaria often carry green eggs under the tail and release larvae at night shortly after a moult. The larvae are planktonic for weeks and need special rearing tanks and live foods, so they are normally lost to filters and fish in a display tank.

Compatibility and tank mates

Safe with corals, clams and most invertebrates. Peaceful with nearly all reef fish, including many that would eat other shrimp, because they recognise it as a cleaner, but hawkfish, lionfish, large wrasses, triggers, some groupers and predatory crabs and shrimp may eat it, especially after a moult. Usually tolerates its own kind in pairs.

Last updated 8 October 2026. Community-edited care guide on Aquatic-Auctions.