At a glance the quick version
Looks how to spot one
Thin, mostly see-through exoskeleton that is moulted as it grows
A slender, glassy shrimp with a clear to creamy body crossed lengthwise by thin red stripes, giving it a candy-cane look. Egg-carrying adults show bright green eggs under the tail.12
Personality what they are like
Peaceful and sociable with most reef animals, and comfortable living alongside other invertebrates.2
Daily activity how busy a day looks
A busy scavenger that is most active in lower light, picking over rocks for leftovers.21
Grooming and care the hands-on bits
Easy to keep in an established marine tank. Keep water copper-free with low nitrate and provide some iodine for moulting.2
Home where they are happiest
A marine reef aquarium with live rock and plenty of hiding places. LiveAquaria gives 72-78 °F (about 22-26 °C), pH 8.1-8.4, dKH 8-12 and specific gravity 1.020-1.025. No minimum tank size was given by the sources.2
Food basics what goes in the bowl
Carnivorous scavenger that eats detritus, leftover food and decaying matter, plus parasites and dead tissue picked from fish. Some individuals eat small Aiptasia anemones. Offer prepared foods and the odd piece of fresh fish.12
Company who they like around
Gets along well in groups and with other invertebrates.2
The story where it all began
The peppermint shrimp was first described by Gibbes in 1850 from the coast of Florida and South Carolina. Reef keepers took it up as a natural way to control nuisance Aiptasia anemones, and DNA work has since shown that the name actually covers several near-identical species.12
Fun facts for the dinner table
Recognised by the official bits
- Taxonomy (via Wikipedia)
- Described by Gibbes in 1850 from Key West, Florida and Charleston, South Carolina. Genetic studies show the name covers a group of several look-alike species, and many shrimp sold under it belong to related species such as Lysmata boggessi.1
The care rhythm Furry Diary remembers it for you
A typical home-care rhythm for a Peppermint 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 wurdemanni (Wikipedia) en.wikipedia.orgused for names, range, size, appearance, taxonomy, reproduction, diet, history
- Peppermint Shrimp, LiveAquaria liveaquaria.comused for care level, water parameters, social needs, diet, captive breeding
Checked 2026-09-30. Text is written in our own words from these sources.