Blue coral banded shrimp (Stenopus tenuirostris) care guide
- Group
- Shrimp
- Other names
- Blue boxer shrimp, Blue banded coral shrimp, Blue boxing shrimp
- Family
- Stenopodidae
- Origin
- Indo-Pacific, including French Polynesia; benthic at 0–15 m
- Water
- saltwater
- Maximum size
- 4 cm
- Temperature
- 22–26°C
- pH
- 8.1–8.4
- Hardness
- dKH 8–12, SG 1.023–1.025
- Care level
- beginner
- Temperament
- semi_aggressive
- Reef safe
- yes
Care
The blue coral banded shrimp, or blue boxer shrimp, is a small Indo-Pacific relative of the familiar banded coral shrimp. Its body is blue, and its long claws and tail are banded in red, sometimes with white; it has long white antennae. It reaches about 4 cm, smaller than Stenopus hispidus. It lives on the bottom of shallow reefs, hiding in crevices, and cleans fish of parasites and dead tissue. In the aquarium it is fairly hardy once settled but must be acclimatised slowly to avoid salinity and pH shock. It does not tolerate high nitrate or copper, and needs correct iodine levels to moult properly. It suits reef and invertebrate tanks of any size, but keep only one, or a mated pair, in smaller tanks: Stenopus shrimp fight their own kind and other Stenopus species. Provide caves in the rockwork. It also hunts bristle worms, helping keep their numbers down. Copper-based medicines and some plant fertilisers are toxic to shrimp, snails and most invertebrates. Sources: LiveAquaria (liveaquaria.com/products/banded-coral-shrimp-blue); SeaLifeBase (sealifebase.se/summary/Stenopus-tenuirostris.html). Checked October 2026.
Diet
A carnivore and scavenger that cleans parasites and dead tissue off fish and hunts small worms. It accepts most flake and frozen foods, plankton and small meaty items such as mysis and chopped seafood.
Breeding
Sexes are separate. Mated pairs may form in the aquarium and females carry eggs, but captive breeding is usually unsuccessful because filtration and skimmers destroy the tiny planktonic larvae.
Compatibility and tank mates
Reef compatible and safe with corals. Keep singly or as a true pair; it fights other Stenopus and may harass other small shrimp. Larger predators such as hawkfish, lionfish, triggers and big wrasses may eat it.
Last updated 8 October 2026. Community-edited care guide on Aquatic-Auctions.