Sexy Shrimp Care: Tank Setup, Breeding, Lifespan Tips, and Everything You Need to Know!

This article will provide brief guidelines for maintaining sexy shrimp. I’ve been keeping a small group of these guys for quite a while now, so we’re going to go over the basic requirements as well as some interesting things that I’ve observed so far. But overall, they’re really interesting, fairly easy to care for, and just generally fun to watch. However, there are a few important things to be aware of.

Key Information

Distribution and Size

As Wikipedia says, they have quite a large distribution and can be found in the Red Sea, the Indian Ocean, the Pacific Ocean, the Caribbean Sea, the Gulf of Mexico, and around the Canary Islands. They generally grow between 1 and 2.5 centimeters in size, which isn’t all that big, and they can live up to about three years as long as you have really good water parameters, sometimes even a bit longer.

Sexing Sexy Shrimp

Sexing them is relatively easy, as females typically have a larger abdomen compared to males. And you’ll see an example here in this picture. She’s quite chunky, and if you look really closely, she’s also got eggs. Males are very similar in shape, though the back section is quite a lot skinnier.

Tank Size and Setup

The minimum tank size and setup for sexy shrimp is about 5 gallons, though 10 gallons is going to be easier for all the usual reasons. Bigger is always easier to care for. But they are perfectly suitable in something as small as a 5-gallon tank.

Most importantly though, you need to remember that these guys aren’t entirely reef-safe. They have a habit of picking at coral polyps and stressing certain corals out, which can eventually cause them to die, especially if you have quite a few sexy shrimp in your tank.

Zoas are a perfect example of this, so if you have a big Zoa collection, sexy shrimp probably aren’t something you want to keep around. The same goes for any of the expensive SPS coral types. Therefore, sexy shrimp thrive best in tanks with anemones, soft corals, macroalgae, and other hardy, less delicate organisms.

But if you’re not too concerned about this, you can happily keep them in a full-blown SPS tank, but you may notice a few issues here and there.

Tank Setup Details

Setting up a tank for these guys is pretty simple. You just need some live rock, some macroalgae, and some types of corals. And they’ll do perfectly fine.

• Flow: Low to moderate, though I’ve had them jumping around and moving in some of the high-flow sections without too many issues. Variety is key, and you’ll probably have plenty of different flow areas in your tank anyway, so this shouldn’t be too much of an issue.
• Lighting: Any kind of reef lighting that you currently have set up will be perfectly fine.

If you wish to support the symbiotic relationship between sexy shrimp and anemones, ensure that your tank’s lighting, flow, and other parameters are optimized for anemone health. The sexy shrimp will fit inside these parameters anyway.

Water Parameters

The most important thing is stability. Any changes in your tank should happen really, really slowly.

• Temperature: 24 to 28°C (75 to 82°F)
• Salinity: 1.023 to 1.025
• pH: 8.1 to 8.4
• Nitrates: Around 10 or below
• Ammonia and Nitrites: 0
• Phosphate: Low but never zero

Symbiosis with Anemones

Sexy shrimp have a symbiotic relationship with anemones, particularly carpet anemones and rock flower anemones, though they’ll also host bubble tip anemones and other types you may have in your tank.

They aren’t too fussy about what kind of anemone they host, so they’ll move into pretty much anything without too many issues.

Important Note on Adding Anemones

Do not add anemones to a really new tank. The general rule is to wait at least six months before adding an anemone to your tank. After six months, you should have fewer issues.

Anemone Options

Here’s a short list of some anemone options you might like to try if you want to keep these guys with sexy shrimp:

• Carpet anemones
• Rock flower anemones
• Bubble tip anemones

They also seem to enjoy corals like Kenya tree and Sinularia, and they occasionally hang out in Xenia too.

Feeding Sexy Shrimp

Their diet is pretty straightforward. They’re omnivores and feed on detritus, microalgae, mucus from their host anemones, and pretty much anything else.

I typically feed them a combination of flake food, brine shrimp, and finely chopped shrimp, which I also offer to my anemone. They scavenge around the tank during the night, but this extra bit of food gives them a nice little boost.

Tank Mates

When choosing tank mates, stick to smaller fish. Avoid predators, as sexy shrimp are quite small and can be easily eaten. Clownfish don’t seem to be interested in eating them, and damsels and most gobies seem fine too.

Just remember: if something fits in a fish’s mouth, they’ll probably try to eat it, so always be cautious.

Breeding Sexy Shrimp

Breeding sexy shrimp is possible in captivity, though it takes a bit of work. I haven’t tried it myself yet, but I plan to in the future. As I have not yet attempted breeding, I have included a helpful blog for further reference. There aren’t many blogs on “General Fish Care” about this, so this one is definitely a good resource.

Common Problems

• Overfeeding: If you have too many sexy shrimp, they may bother your corals to the point of killing them by constantly picking at them.
• Predators: Avoid big or aggressive fish that could kill and eat your shrimp.
• Salinity Fluctuations: Sexy shrimp are quite sensitive to changes in salinity. Stability is key.

This is why I suggest keeping them in a slightly bigger tank — a 10-gallon tank makes it easier to maintain stable conditions than a 5-gallon one.

Observations from My Experience

When I first got them, they were very active and visible for the first four weeks — out every day, roaming around the tank. After that, they slowly explored further into the tank and have become almost fully nocturnal. They hide during the day but roam around quickly at night.

They’re also super social, usually sticking to tight groups rather than wandering off alone. Currently, mine are in my macroalgae tank with a few corals, and while they used to spend time in the coral, they now prefer hiding in the Caulerpa at the back of the tank.

Final Thoughts

That wraps it up for this guide! If you have anything extra to add, drop it in the comments. I love hearing other people’s opinions and learning from their experiences.