Description
Peppermint Shrimp (Lysmata boggessi)
The peppermint shrimp is quite popular in the hobby for its beauty and relative hardiness. It is particularly desirable, however, for its habit of feeding on Aiptasia (glass) anemones. Additionally, it effectively scavenges wastes such as uneaten food, dead snails, etc. As the peppermint shrimp is completely reef-safe, it is an indispensable member of any clean-up crew. See below for more information.
Size and Care Requirements
- Purchase Size: 0.5″-1″ (length)
- Max Size: 1.75″
- Water Parameters: 72-78° F, dKH 8-12, pH 8.2-8.4, sg 1.023-1.025
- Color: Pink/off-white with red striations
- Reef-Safe: Yes
- Diet: Omnivore. Peppermint shrimp do not require supplemental feeding when housed in a saltwater aquarium where Aiptasia and/or leftover fish food is present. As scavengers, these shrimps will wander the live rock in your reef aquarium searching for Aiptasia or wastes. However, if the animal completely eliminates all pest anemones and waste, it can be offered supplemental feedings of most prepared fish foods.
Peppermint Shrimp Species Information
The peppermint shrimp (Lysmata boggessi) comes from the Florida Keys, Key West and the Gulf of Mexico where it prefers shallow reef habitats. It most commonly occurs on the roofs of caves and crevasses, but may also be found within vase sponges or on the blades of seagrass.
Totally reef-safe and proven to consume glass anemones, it has for long been a favorite shrimp among marine aquarium enthusiasts. It is also important to note that this shrimp will not harm desirable anemone species. It cannot be safely kept with predatory fishes such as triggerfish, lionfish and hawkfish. Fairly social, it is somewhat less territorial than many other shrimp species. It regularly spawns in aquaria; though the young generally do not survive under typical aquarium conditions, they do provide a great source of nutrition for zooplanktivorous animals (e.g. many corals). In addition to being a sustainable alternative to wild-caught shrimp, it makes a great addition to any clean-up crew that will help to control and eliminate accumulations of solid organic waste.
Benefits of Aquacultured Invertebrates
Captive-bred peppermint shrimp provide a huge advantage over wild-caught specimens. Because they are cultured in captive conditions, they are better adapted to living in an aquarium and tend to be more disease resistant. They are also better able to handle the stress of shipping. By purchasing captive-bred organisms, you are supporting the aquaculture of marine organisms and helping make our hobby sustainable!
AlgaeBarn keeps these peppermint shrimp in an invertebrate-specific system to minimize the transfer of fish parasites and other unwanted hitchhikers.
100% Alive on Arrival (AoA) Guarantee
We guarantee that every peppermint shrimp we sell will be Alive On Arrival and in good health. Should they arrive in any other state, we will either replace them free of charge (including shipping). If the total livestock loss is less than $40, we will issue store credit. For more information, please also visit our 100% Alive On Arrival Guarantee page.
Mary Cantu (verified owner) –
Love my pepermint shrimp they ate all the aptasia in my tank and continue to keep things nice and clean .Great buy.
lr25 (verified owner) –
just received these as a first addition to my new tank, all arrived alive and healthy. They come out of their hiding spots when I come near the tank. Really happy with this purchase!
Jeff Henley (verified owner) –
I just purchased 5 peppermint shrimp yesterday and they arrived very well packaged and alive. I’m happy with the purchase, but I would caution anyone thinking of purchasing to make sure you consider the size. I really didn’t pay attention to the description and was surprised at how small they are (.5″- 1″). I’m going to keep them in my QT tank until they get big enough to not get eaten by just about every fish I have in the display tank. We’re calling them the snack pack for now. The upside is I had four small Aiptasia in that QT and three of the four are already gone in less than 24 hours of them being introduced.
Preston Widmer –
I bought 1 because I had seen a couple of small Aiptasia, well the morning after placing him in the tank the few Aiptasia I had seen were gone (pretty impressive). However, by the morning after that he had started in on one of my acans. Just so we are clear this is an acan that was very healthy and growing steadily up until the peppermint shrimp was added. I don’t know if the shrimp was starving or what, but i’m jamming food down his throat, but if he doesn’t stop his nibbling I’ll be spearing him.
Regina Delph –
So many different shrimp wow
John Grover –
Arrived DOA, was on his side, no movement, and was “tiny” for $12.
chellesocean (verified owner) –
My order of TigPods, Brine Shrimp and a Peppermint shrimp arrived today.
The Shrimp is sooooo adorable! Lively and looks to be in excellent health 🙂
Both jars of tig pods and brine shrimp are moving about – no issues.
Thank you for a great shipment, everything was packed wonderfully and came quickly!
[Can’t wait to place an order for my clam next 😉 ]
-Michelle Yingst
CBO (verified owner) –
Arrived well packaged, active, and apparently hungry for aiptasia! Within a week all visible aiptasia was gone. They seem to also have a taste for spaghetti worms and happily eat any leftover fish food including pellets and brine shrimp (they have impressive appetites).
Rob Freve (verified owner) –
Ordered 5. Received 3.
eddiebryant84 (verified owner) –
DOA and very small. Water volume was maybe half a cup for a 2-3 day journey. Refunded $12 but everything in my order was dead. Second item was free so I do not qualify for a replacement to be sent. This means high shipping costs again. Shop locally, or make the drive to a decent shop.
Dillon Harrington (verified owner) –
Great customer service, lousy product. Original order of 6 pepp shrimp did not arrive despit fedex confirming delivery. Customer service sent out a replacement order ASAP! Five stars for that. However, the shrimp are babies and not lmature enough to be placed in an active tank. I guess if you have a small qt tank you could patiently grow them out before adding them to your display tank. Basically, they are useless and will become fish food. I would not buy these unless you are willing to deal with dime sized babies for $12 a piece. Your lfs will have full sized shrimp.
matthew.k.wyatt (verified owner) –
Was skeptical to buy but it arrived alive and is still alive. Only see him every now and then but I also have no aptasia so 100%
Mary Budin (verified owner) –
These shrimp are nothing but expensive fish food. My dottyback popped one in his mouth within minutes of them being put in the tank. I’m thinking the other two are probably dinner by now too. I guess I didn’t pay attention to the size when I ordered them as I was thinking at the price, they would be what you would typically get in an LFS. I’ve learned my lesson.
Mary Budin (verified owner) –
I guess I didn’t read the description well enough. These peppermint shrimp are tiny. My dottyback sucked one up as soon as it was put in the tank. I’m sure the other two will be gone soon. I’m not sure why algae barn would sell such small shrimp for this price. Expensive fish food.
bezag (verified owner) –
Received my shrimp today, EXACTLY as described above. All 3 shrimp were between .5″-1″. Anybody that’s unhappy that these shrimp are too small, didn’t read the description and I have zero sympathy for you. AlgaeBarn has (once again) described the organisms they sell perfectly. Following acclimation the shrimp were released and immediately began doing their thing. Very happy with the purchase.
Emerald (verified owner) –
I ordered 5 peppermint shrimp and 2 were very tiny and the other three were small. Probably not a great purchase if they are going into a large display tank, but I had plans to put them in my coral quarantine tank and they were perfect for that. They arrived very healthy and are voracious aiptasia eaters! I had an order of corals come in with a bunch of baby aiptasia on it and they were all gone over night!
Thomas & Harder (verified owner) –
TOO SMALL! Extremely small peppermint shrimp, not suitable for a large aquarium, I purchased 9 shrimp to help control aptasia and by day 2 all of them had gone through the overflow and are in the sump. Extremely unsatisfied.
Ian (verified owner) –
Purchased 6 of these for a small tank with minor aiptasia problem. They wiped out all of the aiptasia in just a couple of days. Witnessed one pepperemint actively ripping apart my frogspawn a couple days later. Caught the batch and passed them along to another person dealing with aiptasia. Gave him a disclaimer about their love of coral as well.
They did their job, ate the aiptasia but then they switched to my corals as a food source. Not as guaranteed reef safe as everyone says.
Paul Patterson (verified owner) –
I never see them but they ate all my aiptasia.