caribbean anemone shrimp?

[sod]

i bought two caribbean anemone shrimp and identified them as periclemenes yucatanicus. i was wondering if you have any information on these shrimp.

[rshimek]

Hi,

Here is some information on Periclimenes.

There are several transparent shrimp species found on sea anemones and other animals, world wide in the tropics. Most of these have been assigned to the genus Periclimenes.

These are slender shrimps, generally reaching maximal lengths of four or five centimeters. They often have violet or white markings on their body or appendages, generally the animal is mostly transparent, but those species living on sea fans or crinoids are often brightly colored to match their host. Many Periclimenes species have the long white antennae characteristic of cleaner shrimps, and may actually be cleaners, although definitive data are lacking. Other species, particularly those from the Indo-Pacific areas do not appear to be cleaners.

Their cryptic color and behavior of hiding on their host or nestling down in amongst the anemones’ tentacles leaves no doubt that they are getting protection from their host. Presumably this protection would be from visual predators such as fishes.

At least some species are also implicated in grazing on their host. They also apparently eat tentacles or other bits of anemone flesh. They may also eat anemone mucus or scavenge carrion. On other animals they may steal food from food grooves (crinoids) or eat polyps (sea fans).

Most of the species seen in the aquarium are from anemones and will do best in them. In an aquarium they would do best on a larger anemone, as the anemone needs to be large enough to have reserves to withstand the low-level but continual predation by the shrimps. The shrimps will obviously do best under the same conditions that support best growth of their hosts. They should not be kept in a tank without their hosts. Although they may live for a short while, they will be continually stressed by the absence of a host, and this will leave them prone to disease. They may need their host for proper nutrition as well.

Interesting or Useful References:

Bruce, A. J. 1992. Two new species of Periclimenes (Crustacea: Decapoda: Palaemonidae) from Lizard Island, Queensland, with notes on some related taxa. Records of the Australian Museum. 44:45-84.

Guo, C. C., J. S. Hwang and D. G. Fautin. 1996. Host selection by shrimps symbiotic with sea anemones: A field survey and experimental laboratory analysis. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology. 202:165-176.

Fautin, D. G., C.-C. Guo and J.-S. Hwang. 1995. Costs and benefits of the symbiosis between the anemone shrimp Periclimenes brevicarpalis and its host Entacmaea quadricolor. Marine Ecology Progress Series. 129:77-84.

Gwaltney, C. L. and W. R. Brooks. 1994. Host specificity of the anemone shrimp Periclimenes pedersoni and P. yucatanicus in the Florida Keys. Symbiosis. 16:83-93.

Nizinski, M. S. 1989. Ecological distribution, demography and behavioral observations on Periclimenes anthophilus, an atypical cleaner shrimp. Bulletin of Marine Science. 45:174-188.

Spotte, S., R. W. Heard, P. M. Bubucis, R. R. Manstan and J. A. McLelland. 1991. Pattern and coloration of Periclimenes rathbunae from the Turks and Caicos Islands (British West Indies), with comments on host associations in other anemone shrimps of the West Indies and Bermuda (North Atlantic Ocean). Gulf Research Reports. 8:301-312.

[sod]

THANK YOU
the info helped me decide not to get more anemone any reccomendation for a shrimp only tank with corals. right now i have 3 pepermints and 1 anemone. what are shrimp that breed readdly and wouldnt eat their offspring. in other words are there any shrimp that can have their offspring raised in the same tank.

[Davida]

I took this photo in Cozumel last summer. I'd love to have one in a tank sometime.

<img src="http://albums.photopoint.com/j/View?u=624404&a=7300155&p=24787932&Sequence=0&res=high">

[rshimek]

Hi,

Originally posted by Davida
I took this photo in Cozumel last summer. I'd love to have one in a tank sometime.

Just keep in mind if you do so, it will be eating the anemone it is on. They are pretty (I have similar pix I also took in Cozumel 17 years ago), but they are basically anemone lice.

sod,

You asked: in other words are there any shrimp that can have their offspring raised in the same tank?

In a word, no. Shrimp life histories are such that they have extended planktonic larval periods. While it is theoretically possible to have one make it from hatched egg to small shrimp in a tank, I suspect it significantly more likely that all politicians would turn out to be honest. In other words, the probability of this event would be so close to zero as to be indistinguishable from it.

[sod]

what are shrimp that are reef safe and and will contribute to my corals stomac and look good at the same time.

i was looking into dancing anemone shrimp, harliquin shrimp(questionable), and sharon shrimp species. are these reef safe and easily paired?

david i got mine at reeftopia.com if you are interested they are varicious eater mine is about 1 in long and it eats half its weight in arthropods. mine has no host anemone and roams my tank.

[rshimek]

Hi sod,
Originally posted by sod
what are shrimp that are reef safe and and will contribute to my corals stomac and look good at the same time.

If you mean what shrimp are reef safe and will feed your corals (by producing offspring get eaten as larvae), I would suggest getting a pair of scarlet cleaner shrimp (either Lysmata grabhami or Lysmata ambionensis, the two species are almost identical). These animals are beautiful and hardy.

i was looking into dancing anemone shrimp I don't which species you are referring to by that name.

harliquin shrimp(questionable)
This one is a definite NO. They feed only on live starfish.

, and sharon shrimp species.
I think you mean Saron species. Saron species appear to be predatory on small animals, including small polyps such as zoanthids, star polyps, and perhaps small corals.

Basically, I don't think any of the ones you have listed are good animals for a reef tank.

[sod]

those were the three shrimp i wasnt sure of about how safe they are with corals. right now i have trio of peppermint that are breeding and i might get depending on local prices 3 or 4 cleaner shrimp. i think i have some juvinile peppermints living in my tank now buy they hide to much and they are very small.

[rshimek]

I would like to see a photo of your "juvenile" peppermint shrimp. All of the species of Lysmata have a very long planktonic period, and so far I know of no hobbyist who has managed to get them through it. My suspicion is that you are seeing some other kind of crustacean.

[sod]

i dont have a digital camera but im going to get one as soon as i get the cash. the shrimp(might be weird mydsis) are a little bigger than most my mydsis shrimp about 1cm long they are a translucent red and seem to be nocturnal no like my mydsis i have no preditors in the tank besides the 3 peppermints and the one anemone shrimp and i have a skimmerless carbonless system. i have had crab larva survive in this system and have had the anemone shrimp larvae survive 2 weeks before i couldnt see them any more. so i do think they are peppermints but i cant tell for now. i will try to get a photo as soon as i get the cash for a camera