Golden coral banded shrimp (Stenopus scutellatus) care guide

Group

Shrimp

Other names

Gold coral banded shrimp, Golden coral shrimp, Gold banded boxer shrimp

Family

Stenopodidae

Origin

Western Atlantic: Bermuda, the Caribbean and West Indies, Gulf of Mexico, south to northern Brazil; 10–113 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

Minimum tank

75 litres

Care level

beginner

Temperament

semi_aggressive

Reef safe

with_caution

Care

The golden coral banded shrimp is a small Caribbean boxer shrimp. It has a spiny yellow body, long white antennae, a much enlarged third pair of legs with long claws barred red and white, and an orange-red and white tail tip. It grows to about 4 cm. It lives on coral reefs, in caves and among coral rubble, usually as a male-female pair, waving its antennae from a crevice to advertise its cleaning service. Name note: the trade name gold banded coral shrimp is also used for the Indo-Pacific Stenopus zanzibaricus, which is what LiveAquaria sells under that name. Check which species you are buying. The care below applies to both, but only S. scutellatus comes from the Atlantic. Tank set-up: a reef or fish tank with live rock, caves and overhangs. Give it enough room that its long antennae do not brush stinging corals or anemones. Keep one shrimp or a true mated pair, because boxer shrimp will not tolerate others of their own kind and may harass smaller shrimp of other species. Acclimatise slowly to avoid salinity and pH shock; it does poorly with high nitrate or copper, and needs correct iodine levels to moult. Water: about 22–26 °C, pH 8.1–8.4, dKH 8–12 and specific gravity 1.023–1.025. Behaviour and role: it cleans parasites and dead skin from fish, but is shyer than the larger banded coral shrimp (Stenopus hispidus) and often works from inside its crevice. Boxer shrimp also hunt bristle worms, which helps keep them in check in reef tanks. Copper: copper-based medicines are toxic to shrimp, snails and most invertebrates, and some plant fertilisers carry copper too. Never treat a display tank holding this animal with copper; treat fish in a separate hospital tank, and drip-acclimatise new arrivals slowly. Sources: Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stenopusscutellatus); LiveAquaria (liveaquaria.com/products/banded-coral-shrimp-gold, listed there as Stenopus zanzibaricus). Checked October 2026.

Diet

Carnivorous scavenger. In the wild it eats parasites such as isopods and bits of dead skin from fish, plus small organisms. In the aquarium it takes frozen mysis and brine shrimp, plankton, flake and small meaty foods, and hunts bristle worms.

Breeding

Pairs are male and female and show elaborate mating behaviour; the female carries eggs under the tail. Paired shrimp may spawn regularly in aquariums, but the larvae are planktonic and are usually lost to filtration, skimmers and fish, so home breeding is rarely successful. A pair is best bought as an already bonded pair.

Compatibility and tank mates

Peaceful towards fish and corals, but one per tank (or a mated pair) because it fights its own kind and may bully or kill smaller shrimp such as Lysmata and Thor. Eaten by hawkfish, lionfish, triggers and large wrasses. Keep its antennae away from stinging corals and anemones. Reef safe with caution because of other shrimp.

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