Pretty Aquatic Pets: 10 Most Beautiful Shrimps
by nobert soloria bermosa on Mar 28, 2009 with 52 Comments
Will you put these lovely creatures in a tank or will you serve these for dinner?
Shrimps are found widely around the world in both fresh and salt water. Shrimps are widely caught and farm for consumption. Shrimps are also becoming popular as aquatic pets. Here are some beautiful species of shrimps for your aquarium.
1. Harlequin Shrimp
This shrimp is not just beautiful but also unique in appearance amongst shrimps. This colorful creature named Hymenocera picta is a very popular for aquariums. This pretty aquatic creature is found in the Indian Ocean and dwells in coral reefs, where it lives on a diet of starfish. It also has unusual front legs that are shaped like paddles. Harlequin shrimps only grow up to 2 inches.
A Harlequin Shrimp is completely reef safe, but should not be kept by beginners. Its diet is solely star fish. It will not harm any other tank inhabitants. It will hide most of the time until a star fish is added to the tank. It can over power its prey even at 10 times their size. Its front legs act as a pseudo needle type projection that temporarily paralyzes the prey, enabling the shrimp to flip them over and carry them off. This is a vicious little shrimp, as it consumes starfish alive. The harlequin will keep the starfish alive by feeding on it for about a week, until it is all eaten up. Considering this, it is difficult to keep a constant food supply for this pet.
This lovely-looking marine animal is also commonly known as Dancing Shrimp, Clown Shrimp and Painted Shrimp.
2. Zebra Mantis Shrimp
Your aquarium will surely look beautiful with this brightly colored species of mantis shrimp found across the Indo-Pacific area is called Lysiosquillina maculate. It is commonly known as the Zebra Mantis Shrimp or Striped Mantis Shrimp. This pretty shrimp is the “world’s largest mantis shrimp” which can grow up to 40 cm.
3. Banded Coral Shrimp
This so-called Stenopus hispidus shrimp-like crustacean although it looks like a shrimp and has the word shrimp in its name, it is not a true shrimp. The body of Banded Coral Shrimp is covered with short spines, which are used in defense. It can use the tail to escape backwards rapidly and is considered as a cleaner shrimp and hang around openings in the reef and sponge.
Coral Banded Shrimp is a popular aquarium pet because of its cleaning activities. It removes dead tissue, algae and parasites from larger fish, and may even clean the fingernails of hands that are carefully reached towards it.
Other common names of this good-looking marine creature include Banded Boxer Shrimp, Banded Prawn, Coral Banded Shrimp and Barber-pole Shrimp.
4. Bamboo Shrimp
This adorable species of shrimp from Southeast Asia which is commonly called Bamboo shrimp is a filter-feeding shrimp. They are sold in the US and UK as community tank invertebrates. Bamboo Shrimps can grow up to 5 inches long.
Bamboo Shrimps require extremely low maintenance as aquatic pets and they are absolutely harmless to all tropical fish, because they have fans in place of claws. Other common names of Bamboo Shrimp include Flower Shrimp, Wood Shrimp and Marble Shrimp.
5. Cherry Shrimp
This colorful freshwater species of shrimp scientifically named Neocaridina heteropoda is commonly kept in aquariums. Full-grown cherry shrimp reach about 4 cm (1.5 in) in length. They prefer clean water, with a pH of 6.5-8, and a temperature of 18-30°C (65-85°F). Cherry shrimp are omnivores and can live up 1 to 2 years.
6. Pacific Cleaner Shrimp
Have you seen the movie “Finding Nemo”? The character Jacques in the Pixar animated film “Finding Nemo” is a Pacific cleaner shrimp. This omnivorous species of cleaner shrimp, Lysmata amboinensis, will generally scavenge and eat parasites and dead tissue. It is naturally part of the reef ecosystem, and is widespread in the Red Sea and Indo-Pacific tropical regions. The Pacific Cleaner Shrimp is also known to eat its own kind during mating season. Once reproduction has occurred and the eggs have been fertilized the shrimp acting as the male may consume the female
As indicated by its common name, it is safe and beneficial in salt water tanks since it will clean both the tank and occasionally other fish within the tank. This creature has the amusing habit of attempting to clean anything moving in the tank, and won’t hesitate to come right up to their owner’s hand and pick at it.
Other common names for this shrimp include Skunk Cleaner Shrimp and Scarlet Cleaner Shrimp.
7. Spotted Cleaner Shrimp
This attractive species of shrimp common to the Caribbean Sea commonly known as Spotted Cleaner Shrimp is one of the most beautifully colored shrimp. Its scientific name is Periclimenes yucatanicus. This shrimp live in sea anemone and sway its body and wave its antennae in order to attract fish from which they eat dead tissue, algae, and parasites.
8. Palaemon Serratus
This lovely-looking aquatic animal with the scientific name of Palaemon serratus is actually a species of true shrimp despite its common name “Common Prawn”. It is found in the Atlantic Ocean Mediterranean Sea and Black Sea. Common Prawn can live 3 to 5 years. Females grow faster than males, and the population is highly seasonal, with a pronounced peak in the autumn.
9. Pederson’s Shrimp
The scientific name of this species of pretty and transparent shrimp is Periclimenes pedersoni and belongs to Palaemonidae family. This creature is mainly carnivores that eat small invertebrates and can be found in any aquatic habitat except the deep sea. This shrimp will most likely look elegant in an aquarium.
10. Peacock Mantis Shrimp
Peacock Mantis Shrimps are scientifically named Odontodactylus scyllarus are one of the most beautiful and colorful species of shrimp. They are endemic to the Indo-Pacific regions and may grow up to 18 cm. They are primarily green in color, with orange legs and leopard-like spots on the anterior carapace.
The Peacock mantis Shrimp is a popular aquatic pet because of its bright colors and active behavior but are definitely not reef safe. It will eat most other tank occupants and a large specimen is capable of breaking very thick aquarium glass. It is for these reasons that they are often kept as solitary creatures in acrylic tanks. It is a burrower in the wild but will readily accept a suitably sized length of PVC pipe as a surrogate lair. They are active, intelligent, curious animals, capable of interacting with their keepers.
Additional tidbits about shrimps;
- Shrimps can live in schools and can swim rapidly backwards.
- Shrimp are an important food source for larger animals from fish to whales.
- Shrimps have a high resistance to toxins in polluted areas, and may contribute to high toxin levels in their predators.
- Together with prawns, shrimp are widely caught and farmed for human consumption.
Hope you enjoyed this. Thank You!
For more aquarium pets see
Pretty Aquatic Pets: 18 (More) Beautiful Shrimps
Popular Amphibian Pets: World’s Most Beautiful Frogs
Brightly Colored Snails: Beautiful Aquarium Pets
Fantastic and Unique Breed of Goldfish
For more weird and exotic pets see
Bizarre and Exotic Pets: Weird and Unique Turtles
World’s Most Colorful and Unique Squids
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Published in: Pets
lindalulu | Mar 28, 2009 | Reply
Wonderful article and filled with such colorful pictures!
CHAN LEE PENG | Mar 28, 2009 | Reply
Excellent article with stunning photos!
imaginearea | Mar 28, 2009 | Reply
Wow! The underwater world is filled with such beautiful creatures…thanks for reminding me of this.
rutherfranc | Mar 28, 2009 | Reply
aaargh! I`m allergic to eating shrimp… loved reading about them however.. thanks for sharing info about this beautiful creatures..
Debra. | Mar 28, 2009 | Reply
Excellent article, Norbert! I have thumbs this up!
Kate Smedley | Mar 28, 2009 | Reply
I enjoyed this and learned a lot, thank you for a great article and beautiful photos.
Judy Sheldon | Mar 28, 2009 | Reply
I love eating shrimp and had no idea there was such a variety. I learn so much from you Nobert. You are an amazing wealth of knowledge! Love the pics too!
Liane Schmidt | Mar 28, 2009 | Reply
Wow… I had no idea that these shrimp even existed – - wonderful article!
Blessings.
Sincerely,
-Liane Schmidt.
Betty Carew | Mar 28, 2009 | Reply
Awesome nobert, i didn’t see any of these before they are just beautiful, to beautiful to be on someone’s plate lol
C Jordan | Mar 28, 2009 | Reply
An excellent article and beautifully illustrated.
Juancav | Mar 28, 2009 | Reply
These colorful creatures deserve be a pet.
MJPatrick | Mar 28, 2009 | Reply
simply gorfeous creature!
Lost in Arizona | Mar 28, 2009 | Reply
Wow! That was a pretty spectacular article with really extraordinary images. Too cool!
The Quail | Mar 28, 2009 | Reply
Mother Earth has awesome beauty beneath her waters too.
Twoface | Mar 28, 2009 | Reply
The shrimps are so adorable! I love the striped one… though it scares me that it eats starfish alive. >.
PR Mace | Mar 28, 2009 | Reply
Wonderfully educational article. The photos were so brillant. They looked like underwater spiders. I never know there were so many different shrimp.
Unofre Pili | Mar 28, 2009 | Reply
Wow! Very colorful shrimps and captivating shrimps. They’re like birds under sea.
valli | Mar 28, 2009 | Reply
Colorful shrimps indeed.
Alexa Gates | Mar 28, 2009 | Reply
those are beautiful! and soo colorful!
DA Cournean | Mar 28, 2009 | Reply
Absolutely amazing. And all this time I thought there were only jumbo and colassal! Great article nobert.
Likha | Mar 28, 2009 | Reply
There still are many amazing things in this world waiting to be discovered. Thanks for unraveling the beauty of God’s creation.
antonio2godoy | Mar 28, 2009 | Reply
Thats interesting especially with the beautiful pictures.
Ruby Hawk | Mar 28, 2009 | Reply
How could anyone eat these colorful little creatures? Not me.
Christine Ramsay | Mar 29, 2009 | Reply
These are beautiful. I had no idea that shrimps could look like this. An excellent article.
Christine
Loreta Dorington | Mar 29, 2009 | Reply
Oh, Nobert, even if shrimps are my favorite meal, I don’t think I have the heart to eat these beautiful creatures. I’ll just go for fresh vegetables and fruits, thank you.
Joe Dorish | Mar 29, 2009 | Reply
Never knew there were so many different shrimp! Great article!
Jacob | Mar 29, 2009 | Reply
Not trying to be nitpicky, but I just wanted to let you know that the zebra mantis shrimp and the peacock mantis shrimp are not actually shrimp. They are another type of crustacean known as stomatopods, more closely related to lobsters than shrimp. Also the second picture of the peacoock mantis shrimp is actually another species of mantis shrimp, not sure which. Great article though, I really enjoyed it.
JK Kristie | Mar 29, 2009 | Reply
I wonder if they all taste the same. =D
Edward J Rodrigues | Mar 29, 2009 | Reply
are all the ships edible…
Lauren Axelrod | Mar 30, 2009 | Reply
Yummy. I love shrimp.
M J katz | Mar 30, 2009 | Reply
So beautiful to look at…as long as you’re not a starfish or other aquatic animal these creatures want to eat!
Personally…I prefer my shimp to be pink and white, and ’swimming’ in melted butter!
Loading | Mar 30, 2009 | Reply
I loved the Spotted Cleaner Shrimp.
CutestPrincess | Mar 30, 2009 | Reply
aww… they are really pretty with impressive colors!
Anna Storer | Mar 30, 2009 | Reply
Well researched article. We call saltwater ones prawns,and freshwater ones, yabbies.Either way the are an amazing animal.
My favourte-Garlic Prawns in white wine sauce served with fresh continental garden salad and garlic bread, washed down with bubbly!
Anna Storer | Mar 30, 2009 | Reply
P.S. – Just added your article to all my feeds.
Truth | Mar 30, 2009 | Reply
Mantis Shrimp aren’t shrimp. Harlequin are definitely the winners though.
Radhika | Mar 31, 2009 | Reply
very beautiful and nice information
Eunice Tan | Mar 31, 2009 | Reply
Whoa Nobert, it is the first time I see these beautiful creatures. Their colors are really beautiful.
Melody Arcamo Lagrimas | Mar 31, 2009 | Reply
They look so exquisite and brilliant.
riskrocks007 | Mar 31, 2009 | Reply
good article
Verniel Cutar | Apr 1, 2009 | Reply
Hi Nobert. I really enjoyed this article so much. You always come up with the best ideas and pictures to fascinate readers. That’s why this article is on # 2 spot in hot content as I write this comment.
Cheers and more success to you!
S A JOHNSON | Apr 1, 2009 | Reply
wow so beautiful
Katie | Apr 1, 2009 | Reply
Wow, who knew shrimp could be beautiful! Growing up in Louisiana, all I knew was to pinch the head and suck the tail!
Shari86 | Apr 3, 2009 | Reply
Wow, beautiful pictures, and the article is very informative as well.
aizjane | Apr 3, 2009 | Reply
WOW! This is my first time to see the different kinds of shrimps. Its really nice. They are colorful and beautiful to watch. Nice article.
MMV Abad | Apr 3, 2009 | Reply
Amazing article my friend… as usual. Congratulations!
R J Evans | Apr 5, 2009 | Reply
Great article, Nobert. I never thought of these little guys as potential pets before!
Dugg at http://digg.com/pets_animals/Shrimps_as_Pets_Why_not
and blogged at
http://www.webphemera.com/2009/04/shrimps-as-pets-why-not.html
thestickman | Apr 5, 2009 | Reply
Very nice!
Mark Gordon Brown | Apr 5, 2009 | Reply
beautiful little critters indeed
510stack | Apr 6, 2009 | Reply
I hate mantis shrimp. I had one hitchhike in on some live rock and it wrecked havoc. Killed many fish except my yellow wrasse that burrowed at night in the sand. At first I heard a loud snapping sound every so often like a firecracker had been thrown against the glass. This is how the Mantis stuns its prey. It even killed my little Octopus. Finally I had to disassemble the whole reef piece by piece and place each rock in a five gallon bucket with no saltwater,to flush him out. 24 hours later it was at the bottom of the bucket,only 3/4″ long and brown in color. Bad little dude. The Pitbull of shrimp. But I miss my Peppermint Shrimp most of all.
Yovita Siswati | Apr 13, 2009 | Reply
awesome list!
Anne McNew | Apr 20, 2009 | Reply
great write. very beautiful photos too.