At a glance the quick version
Looks how to spot one
Thin exoskeleton that is moulted as the shrimp grows
A compact shrimp in deep blood red, sprinkled with white dots on the head shield and legs, with long bright white antennae. Its rear walking legs have white tips. Depending on where it was collected, the white dots may cover only the head area or the whole body.13
Personality what they are like
Peaceful with fish and corals. It is fairly shy and likes dim caves, but may squabble with others of its own kind in a small tank.3
Daily activity how busy a day looks
Mostly nocturnal. It spends the day sheltering in caves and comes out more after dark to scavenge and clean fish.3
Grooming and care the hands-on bits
Rated easy to keep. It needs stable, copper-free water and adequate iodine for healthy moulting, and should be acclimated slowly.3
Home where they are happiest
A marine reef aquarium with live rock, caves and shaded overhangs. LiveAquaria gives 72-78 °F (about 22-26 °C), pH 8.1-8.4, dKH 8-12 and specific gravity 1.023-1.025. In the wild it is recorded at around 20-30 m depth. No minimum tank size was given by the sources.32
Food basics what goes in the bowl
Carnivorous scavenger. In aquariums it accepts frozen, freeze-dried, live and flake foods, and in the wild it also picks parasites and dead tissue off fish.31
Company who they like around
Can live alone or in a pair. Because every individual can act as both sexes, any two can breed, but several in a small tank may bicker.13
The story where it all began
The fire shrimp was formally described by A. J. Bruce in 1983 and named after Helmut Debelius, who collected the first specimens. It quickly became one of the most popular cleaner shrimps in the reef aquarium hobby.1
Fun facts for the dinner table
- 1
Its species name honours German underwater photographer and author Helmut Debelius, who sent the first specimens for identification.1
- 2
Any two fire shrimp can pair up and breed, because each one can act as a hermaphrodite.1
- 3
A pair can release a fresh batch of larvae roughly every week.1
- 4
A similar-looking shrimp from the Maldives was later split off as its own species, Lysmata splendida.1
Recognised by the official bits
- Taxonomy (via SeaLifeBase)
- Described by A. J. Bruce in 1983. Order Decapoda, genus Lysmata.2
- SeaLifeBase
- Not evaluated by the IUCN.2
The care rhythm Furry Diary remembers it for you
A typical home-care rhythm for a Blood Red Fire Shrimp. It is our own starting plan, not a vet's advice, and you can change every line in the app.
- FeedingDepends on species, many feed from the light and the watervaries
- Salinity checkevery week
- Water testevery week
- Top-upTop up evaporation with fresh RO water, not salt waterevery day
- Water changeAbout 10 to 20% of the waterevery 2 weeks
- Light checkevery month
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Where this comes from
Every breed page shows where each fact comes from. If we got something wrong, sorry, we are pet people, not a science magazine. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.
- Lysmata debelius (Wikipedia) en.wikipedia.orgused for names, range, size, appearance, reproduction, history, fun facts
- Lysmata debelius, SeaLifeBase sealifebase.seused for author and year, depth range, conservation status
- Blood Red Fire Shrimp, LiveAquaria liveaquaria.comused for care level, water parameters, behaviour, diet, max size, colour variation
Checked 2026-09-30. Text is written in our own words from these sources.