Peacock mantis shrimp (Odontodactylus scyllarus) care guide
- Group
- Shrimp
- Other names
- Harlequin mantis shrimp, Painted mantis shrimp, Clown mantis shrimp, Cancer scyllarus
- Family
- Odontodactylidae
- Origin
- Indo-Pacific from East Africa to the Mariana Islands; burrows in sediment near coral reefs at 3–40 m
- Water
- saltwater
- Maximum size
- 18 cm
- Temperature
- 24–27°C
- pH
- 8.1–8.4
- Hardness
- SG 1.023–1.025, dKH 8–12
- Minimum tank
- 150 litres
- Care level
- expert
- Temperament
- aggressive
- Reef safe
- no
Care
The peacock mantis shrimp is not a true shrimp but a stomatopod. It is one of the most colourful marine crustaceans: mostly green, with orange legs and leopard-like spots on the front of the carapace, growing from 3 to 18 cm. It is a "smasher": its club-shaped raptorial limbs strike at over 80 km/h with about 1,500 newtons of force, among the fastest strikes of any animal, and the strike creates cavitation bubbles that help crack shells. Its eyes have 12 types of colour receptor and can see polarised light. Set-up: keep it on its own in a dedicated, species-only tank. It digs U-shaped burrows in loose sediment, so give a deep sand and rubble bed and rock it can tunnel under, with all rockwork stable. Large adults can crack glass, so a thick-walled tank or acrylic is safer, and a secure lid is needed. The minimum tank size here is general guidance for an adult. Water: stable reef conditions and good iodine and calcium for moulting. Behaviour: an intelligent, watchful predator that spends much of its time at its burrow entrance. It is valued by some keepers as a pet in its own right, but it is a serious pest if it arrives uninvited: once established in live rock it is very hard to catch. Reef note: it does not eat corals as a rule, but it will kill and eat snails, hermit crabs, crabs, shrimp, clams and fish, so it is marked as not reef safe for a normal mixed reef. Copper: copper-based medicines and some plant fertilisers are toxic to shrimp, snails and most invertebrates. Never dose copper in a tank holding this animal, and check fertiliser and medicine labels before use. Sources: Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Odontodactylusscyllarus). Checked October 2026.
Diet
Predator of hard-shelled animals: in the wild mainly snails, crabs and bivalves, which it smashes open. In the aquarium feed meaty foods such as whole shell-on shrimp, mussels, cockles, clams and crab, two or three times a week. Use feeding tongs, not fingers.
Breeding
Sexes can be told apart by the male's copulatory appendages at the base of the last walking legs. Pairs share burrows in the wild and the female broods an egg mass in the burrow. The larvae are planktonic for a long period and raising them in captivity is very rarely achieved.
Compatibility and tank mates
Keep alone. It eats snails, hermit crabs, crabs, shrimp, clams and fish, including fish that sleep near the bottom. Corals are mostly left alone, but it may damage them while burrowing or hunting. Never keep two together unless they are a pair in a very large system.
Last updated 8 October 2026. Community-edited care guide on Aquatic-Auctions.