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Crabs and shrimp make interesting reef pets and also double as part of a cleaner crew. Crabs and shrimp can become opportunistic feeders if there is nothing to eat in the aquarium. Keep this in mind when purchasing shrimp, not all of them are 100% reef safe. Most likely they will not harm your corals but there is always an exception to the rules. Also the require a tank with low nitrates and are intolerant of copper based medications. Heres a list of the most common shrimp and crabs avalible at local fish stores.
Peppermint shrimp: Great cleaner and most will eat aptasia. They are also fun to watch as they sway back and forth under a rock. They get along great with other shrimp and are relatively inexpensive. Though they can still food from corals and on some accounts have turned to polyps for food. They will also eat bristle worms along with any decaying organic mater in the tank.
Skunk cleaner shrimps: Great reef shrimp, and cleaner crew. This shrimp will not only clean up around the reef, but will also clean fish. After introduced to the tank, the skunk cleaner shrimp will open up a cleaning station where it will feed off of parasites and dead organisms found on the fish's skin. It also will eat decaying organic matter in the tank. This shrimp is also a shrimp that will get along with other shrimp in the aquarium.
Coral Banded shrimp: This is a larger shrimp that has beautiful markings and can come in different variations of color. The coral banded shrimp is a great cleaner also, but overtime may become aggressive and territorial. This shrimp will eat decaying matter, bristle worms, small snails, and possibly even smaller hermit crabs.
Harlequin Shrimp: Great shrimp for a well established reef tank. This shrimp feeds on starfish and can easily lower the population of astrea starfish in a reef aquarium. This shrimp is recomended for more advanced aquarist due to there picky apitite for echinoderms, mainly starfish, but ocationaly erchins. Meaning you will have to feed this shrimp starfish, which also means this shrimp can become some what expensive to keep.
Emerald Crab: Great Cleaner for a reef tank, and will even on occasion will eat bubble and hair algae. Though this crab will mainly stay hidden till night fall it is fun to watch it crawl across the rock work. It will eat any decaying organic mater in the tank, but will some times eat fish that have become sick and are no longer able to escape its claws.
Sally light foot crab: Also another great cleaning crab. Have even seen this crab eat coraline algae off the side of a tank. This crab is faster and also out grows the emerald crab. Though its main source of food is decaying mater and uneaten food, it will also eat sick fish that can not escape its claws.
Arrow crab: An interesting addition to any reef aquarium, this crab will also keep the tank clean of uneaten foods and decaying matter. The draw back to this crab is that it can pic on and possibly eat feather duster worms and shrimp in the aquarium. This crab also becomes opportunistic (as with all crabs) when there is insufficient food it my try to eat corals.
This is just info on some of the most common shrimp and crabs available. I encourage you to do more research when considering making any new additions to your saltwater aquariums.
Peppermint shrimp: Great cleaner and most will eat aptasia. They are also fun to watch as they sway back and forth under a rock. They get along great with other shrimp and are relatively inexpensive. Though they can still food from corals and on some accounts have turned to polyps for food. They will also eat bristle worms along with any decaying organic mater in the tank.
Skunk cleaner shrimps: Great reef shrimp, and cleaner crew. This shrimp will not only clean up around the reef, but will also clean fish. After introduced to the tank, the skunk cleaner shrimp will open up a cleaning station where it will feed off of parasites and dead organisms found on the fish's skin. It also will eat decaying organic matter in the tank. This shrimp is also a shrimp that will get along with other shrimp in the aquarium.
Coral Banded shrimp: This is a larger shrimp that has beautiful markings and can come in different variations of color. The coral banded shrimp is a great cleaner also, but overtime may become aggressive and territorial. This shrimp will eat decaying matter, bristle worms, small snails, and possibly even smaller hermit crabs.
Harlequin Shrimp: Great shrimp for a well established reef tank. This shrimp feeds on starfish and can easily lower the population of astrea starfish in a reef aquarium. This shrimp is recomended for more advanced aquarist due to there picky apitite for echinoderms, mainly starfish, but ocationaly erchins. Meaning you will have to feed this shrimp starfish, which also means this shrimp can become some what expensive to keep.
Emerald Crab: Great Cleaner for a reef tank, and will even on occasion will eat bubble and hair algae. Though this crab will mainly stay hidden till night fall it is fun to watch it crawl across the rock work. It will eat any decaying organic mater in the tank, but will some times eat fish that have become sick and are no longer able to escape its claws.
Sally light foot crab: Also another great cleaning crab. Have even seen this crab eat coraline algae off the side of a tank. This crab is faster and also out grows the emerald crab. Though its main source of food is decaying mater and uneaten food, it will also eat sick fish that can not escape its claws.
Arrow crab: An interesting addition to any reef aquarium, this crab will also keep the tank clean of uneaten foods and decaying matter. The draw back to this crab is that it can pic on and possibly eat feather duster worms and shrimp in the aquarium. This crab also becomes opportunistic (as with all crabs) when there is insufficient food it my try to eat corals.
This is just info on some of the most common shrimp and crabs available. I encourage you to do more research when considering making any new additions to your saltwater aquariums.
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