Blood Red Fire Shrimp

The blood red fire shrimp (Lysmata debelius) is one of the most striking crustaceans in the marine aquarium trade, known for its intense deep scarlet body, bright white spots along its carapace, and solid white lower legs and antennae. They reach an average size of 2 to 3 inches (5 to 8 centimeters) and are native to the warm tropical waters of the Indo-Pacific. These shrimp act as active cleaners on coral reefs by setting up stations in dark rock overhangs where fish visit to have parasites and dead skin removed. While they perform the same beneficial cleaning duties as other cleaner shrimp species, fire shrimp are naturally secretive and nocturnal. They spend most of the daylight hours tucked inside caves, coming out primarily when food is introduced to the tank.

In a home aquarium, they are completely peaceful and safe around corals and fish. They thrive best in established reef setups with plenty of rockwork caves, stable water parameters, and sufficient trace elements like iodine to help them safely molt their exoskeletons as they grow.