At a glance the quick version
Looks how to spot one
Tiny, smooth exoskeleton, moulted roughly monthly
A very small, chunky shrimp in olive to reddish brown with neat, symmetrical white patches outlined in thin blue lines. It holds its tail curled up high over its back.12
Personality what they are like
Peaceful and surprisingly bold for its size, but best kept away from fish that hunt small shrimp.2
Daily activity how busy a day looks
Constantly on the move in a small way, swaying its upturned tail as it walks around its host anemone or coral.12
Grooming and care the hands-on bits
Easy, hardy and fairly fast growing. Keep water copper-free with low nitrate, and ensure enough iodine for its regular moults.2
Home where they are happiest
A marine reef aquarium, ideally with a host such as a carpet anemone or mushroom corals. LiveAquaria gives 72-78 °F (about 22-26 °C), pH 8.1-8.4, dKH 8-12 and specific gravity 1.023-1.025. No minimum tank size was given by the sources.12
Food basics what goes in the bowl
Carnivore that grazes plankton and mucus from its host. In aquariums offer a varied mix of plankton, flake, frozen and small meaty foods.12
Company who they like around
Often kept in small groups, and happy to share a host anemone with others of its kind.1
The story where it all began
The squat anemone shrimp was described by de Man in 1888 and is found on shallow reefs across several oceans. Its swaying dance earned it the trade name "sexy shrimp", and it is a popular choice for small reef tanks.12
Fun facts for the dinner table
- 1
Its nickname comes from the way it sways its raised tail back and forth as it walks.2
- 2
It lives among the stinging tentacles of anemones and mushroom corals without coming to harm.1
- 3
Larvae can settle in several anemone species but may prefer the type their parents lived in.1
- 4
At about 1.3 cm long, it is one of the smallest shrimps kept in reef aquariums.1
Recognised by the official bits
- Taxonomy (via Wikipedia)
- Described by de Man in 1888; family Thoridae.1
The care rhythm Furry Diary remembers it for you
A typical home-care rhythm for a Sexy 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.
- Thor amboinensis (Wikipedia) en.wikipedia.orgused for names, range, size, appearance, hosts, diet, reproduction, history
- Sexy Anemone Shrimp, LiveAquaria liveaquaria.comused for care level, temperament, water parameters, colours, diet, moulting
Checked 2026-09-30. Text is written in our own words from these sources.