HomeShrimp, other crustaceans and pods.
South East Queensland Marine Aquarium and Ocean activities Forum :: SEQMAOAF :: Local marine life found in SEQ and information.
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Shrimp, other crustaceans and pods.
liquidg 24th March 2012, 11:53 am
When shrimp,with exception of lysmata variations, shed their shell to grow in size and subsequently to inform males,(via the excreting hormones as they shed), that they are ready to be fertilized, this puts them at their most vulnerable to attack by many marine life forms.
These, a part from most aquarium fish, include clown fish via shoving the shrimps into the host anemone.
Crustacean species found in standard and resilient to brackish conditions.
Lysmata vittata -peppermint shrimps-hermaphrodites.
These shrimp cannot be trusted with any small shrimp after a shed or with small animals of any kind, also small fish and will harm some corals.
Very common in protected waters with temps from 18c to 30c.
Excellent for tank clean up crew in removal of cyano red algae and any left over foods, completely harmless to all valued tank life and will eat anything offered up.
They also consume young Aiptasia and will keep this pest to near zero.
Very susceptible to predation!
Adult and juvenile peppermint shrimp.
Palaemon serrifer or serenus nick named Boxer/glass shrimp.
These shrimp cannot be trusted with small shrimp after a shed, also small fish and will harm some corals.
Extremely common in tidal waters when temps are from 20c and above, when their food cyano,is in abundance growing on the mud.
Mostly harmless to marine life, will except most any marine foods and an excellent food source to many marine life forms, though they will dominate peppermint shrimp colonies killing them as they shed.
Pistol shrimps
Alpheus papilosus-pistol or snapping shrimp.
Alpheus richardsoni.
Amblyeleotris yanoi or pistol shrimp.
Very common in SEQ
Amphipod-chroestia lota- localy nicknamed Morton bay beach flea.
This one is endemic to east aus, more so south barrier reef to moreton bay to northern NSW and it is a bruiser!
If you can, check out it's weapons, sort of like a mantis!
The amphs weapon, our local amph has a whopper of this thing, its for territorial and breeding issues, our local big guy is a herbivore, that being said it has been known to eat the corals symbiotic algae, usually just xenia I hear cops it, but I have never had this happen, that I could see, lol.
Its not actually categorised as a weapon, but you should see them fight with them!
I have seen one big one kill 5 in seconds!
A red variation.
Amphipod-Cerapus tubularis.
This rarely seen crustacean and poorly documented amphipod acts exactly the same as others amphipods in that they hide in algae, especially hypnea algae.
Harmless in the reef aquarium.
A pic of a large red hermit crab out of its shell.
A video of one out of its shell
Latreutes pymoeus or green shrimp.
not sure on these very common tiny shrimp
None brackish species.
Stenopus hispidus-male, banded coral shrimp.
Very common in waters with stable salinity to temps of no less then 18c.
These can be aggressive to other life forms, though not normally.
They will eat just about anything offered to them. The male has no green/ovaries in its carapace.
Stenopus hispidus-female, banded coral shrimp.
The colour in the carapass, normally a light to bright green, these are the females ovaries.
Video of juvenile
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dAIQEgZPUB4
Gnathophyllum americanum Bumble bee shrimp.
A young couple, obviously the one with the longer defensive nippers is the male,plus the wider of the two had eggs so that was a good sign as to which one is the female.
Very common in the south east and easy to keep a marine aquarium with no predators.
Periclimenes brevicarpalis-anemone shrimp-female.
If the aquarium is free of potential predators, these shrimp do well with any normal marine aquarium conditions and foods.
They do not need a host anemone if safe in the aquarium!
Male and female
video of a mature pair in the wild
https://youtu.be/8lqqM9Ad650
Leandrites cytorhynchus-cleaner shrimp.
Very common in the south east though extremely hard to find with out knowledge of how they live.
The best cleaner of fish compared to any marine aquarium fish or invert.
These shrimp will eat any foods offered up and harm nothing; also they have a slight toxic flesh content to discourage some predation.
Videos of them
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7dYUrN88sk0
https://youtu.be/ZwsaFLTKlh4
A cleaning station
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NB9vGWT-8uA
Lysmata amboinensis-red line shrimp-hermaphrodites.
More info
https://southeastqueenslandm.aforumfree.com/t2548-lysmata-amboinensis-or-redline-cleaner-shrimp-information#9004
These shrimp are A sexual so they need each other to fertilize each other.
To find red line shrimp in shallow water of 1 to 3 feet of water.
You will never find large ones in water shallower then 15 feet, just when it is warm and heaps coming through at their planktonic stage and find a nice warm home at the depth they were living in that plankton to live with a protector or they would not survive with out one and now its time live a short life, they don’t make it to even near medium in size in these sort of spots, but from 20c=Septemberish to 20c=Mayish temps, they are there.
They don't survive winter at this site and most everything aquarium species died by September back some 20 years here before climate change came to pass. But these guys still can't handle the lowish temps still in play.
Look for places that the tide brings in very open ocean waters without much temps variation and the salinity varies rarely, at those sites it is as I typed earlier on!
With reef protection of at least 70 percent swell energy reduction they can be found in waters from roughly 10/15 feet and deeper, with full on swell affected areas its 40feet plus and deeper and the protector that I typed is an eel, with out an eel near by that they clean and it in turn protects them, with out the eel they can not exist!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Hence the name I always called them till the more trendy names set in, eel cleaner shrimp.
You can believe what you like that is shown on tv or where ever, the eel is always near by as they clean the other fish!
Very susceptible to predation from each other and many other tank life forms when they shed.
Video of one killing another after a shed.
https://youtu.be/NJ6OO8jILEU
The species of eel that, with out one near by, most red lines could not survive in the wild.
Rhynchocinetes uritai-hingebeak shrimp.
Very common in waters from 4o feet deep and below, usually in very large communities normally.
Not suited to reef tanks.
Adult and juvs together
community of hing beaks that number in the hundreds quite often.
Video of community of hingebeaks
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQPXT2LiDwA
Hymenocera picta or harlequin shrimp.
In the past these were very common in SEQ, now where there are Luzon sea stars, you will find harlequins..
They were common until the keeping of them in reef aquariums became popular in the 90s, along with one commercial collector in particular taking any and all star fish for the trade from reefs in SEQ, this literally decimated the sea stars numbers for a time which as a consequence reduced the chances of seeing any of these shrimps.
The sea stars are back as of 5 to 10 years ago and so are the harlequin’s numbers.
They are harmless in a reef tank and a little awkward to feed as they only eat the tiny legs under the sea stars arms and soft fleshy parts of sea stars.
Best option is to acquire sea stars and freeze their legs in salt water to avoid drying out and the harlequins will let you know that they are in need of another leg by waiting at the front glass or wandering around more then usual.
Harlequin shrimp pairs.
Adult pair in the wild, both are large adults indicated by the coloration.
How to ID a squat lobster
Porcelain crabs and squat lobsters are all labelled galatheid crabs can look similar and there is not much else marine wise that has this shape, but the best way to make sure it is a squat is to check its tails extends past the last leg like a lobsters tail does.
Now strictly speaking, squats, porcelains and hermits are so closely related science wise and to average folk, they could all be the same family due to legs, tail and body configuration.
A way to be sure, a porcelains tail is more like a flap that folds under compared to the squats.
Just fold its tail out and you will know, oh and if it is a squat, which I am near sure Robs right about, there are at this stage at least 800 to 900 species known and many more unidentified and most are tiny and very shy.
Harmless mate, large species are rare!
Most squats are quite often semi symbiotic with other life forms, you know for hiding or for food scraps.
Elegant squat lobster, or crinoid crab.
Some other local squat lobster varieties.
Petrolisthes sp- porcelain crab.
These herbivores are found in the millions along the none surf shoreline in muddy rock pools.
Microprosthema scabricaudatum or lima shrimp or robust boxer shrimp.
Usually living with a scallop, this particular Microprosthema is rarely seen.
Neopetrolisthes sp- porcelain anemone crabs
Very common in SEQ and completely harmless!
Achaeus japonicas-gorilla crab
Pair in anemone
https://youtu.be/r7x48IsglBA
Lissocarcincus orbicularis or harlequin crab or sea cucumber crab. These harmless crabs are very common in SEQ in varying patterns and quite often the are found living very close to any types of anemones for protection, as well as on the sea cumber. Very reef safe!
Other examples.
Unknown-reef crab.
Calappa sp-box crab.
A video of one
https://youtu.be/yRcjp26ISYU
A common hing beak shrimp
Amboinensis thor or sexy shrimp, the more pale one is the female.
Very common in SEQ in open waters and estuaries.
Reef safe and very easy to keep.
Decorator crabs.
Video of deco crab
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tv9ObXnX9_g
These crabs are not overly reef safe, unless you have large lps or sps as they don’t normally grab these to decorate themselves with as camouflage.
They are scavengers rarely, but might harm anything like fish or other invertebrates. Most left over meat food types that make it to the bottom of your tank, will sustain them nicely.
This is one an example of how they will take from your aquarium, what they want to decorate themselves with.
Before
Later
same one some years alter.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Schizophrys dama variations.
These, a part from most aquarium fish, include clown fish via shoving the shrimps into the host anemone.
Crustacean species found in standard and resilient to brackish conditions.
Lysmata vittata -peppermint shrimps-hermaphrodites.
These shrimp cannot be trusted with any small shrimp after a shed or with small animals of any kind, also small fish and will harm some corals.
Very common in protected waters with temps from 18c to 30c.
Excellent for tank clean up crew in removal of cyano red algae and any left over foods, completely harmless to all valued tank life and will eat anything offered up.
They also consume young Aiptasia and will keep this pest to near zero.
Very susceptible to predation!
Adult and juvenile peppermint shrimp.
Palaemon serrifer or serenus nick named Boxer/glass shrimp.
These shrimp cannot be trusted with small shrimp after a shed, also small fish and will harm some corals.
Extremely common in tidal waters when temps are from 20c and above, when their food cyano,is in abundance growing on the mud.
Mostly harmless to marine life, will except most any marine foods and an excellent food source to many marine life forms, though they will dominate peppermint shrimp colonies killing them as they shed.
Pistol shrimps
Alpheus papilosus-pistol or snapping shrimp.
Alpheus richardsoni.
Amblyeleotris yanoi or pistol shrimp.
Very common in SEQ
Amphipod-chroestia lota- localy nicknamed Morton bay beach flea.
This one is endemic to east aus, more so south barrier reef to moreton bay to northern NSW and it is a bruiser!
If you can, check out it's weapons, sort of like a mantis!
The amphs weapon, our local amph has a whopper of this thing, its for territorial and breeding issues, our local big guy is a herbivore, that being said it has been known to eat the corals symbiotic algae, usually just xenia I hear cops it, but I have never had this happen, that I could see, lol.
Its not actually categorised as a weapon, but you should see them fight with them!
I have seen one big one kill 5 in seconds!
A red variation.
Amphipod-Cerapus tubularis.
This rarely seen crustacean and poorly documented amphipod acts exactly the same as others amphipods in that they hide in algae, especially hypnea algae.
Harmless in the reef aquarium.
A pic of a large red hermit crab out of its shell.
A video of one out of its shell
Latreutes pymoeus or green shrimp.
not sure on these very common tiny shrimp
None brackish species.
Stenopus hispidus-male, banded coral shrimp.
Very common in waters with stable salinity to temps of no less then 18c.
These can be aggressive to other life forms, though not normally.
They will eat just about anything offered to them. The male has no green/ovaries in its carapace.
Stenopus hispidus-female, banded coral shrimp.
The colour in the carapass, normally a light to bright green, these are the females ovaries.
Video of juvenile
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dAIQEgZPUB4
Gnathophyllum americanum Bumble bee shrimp.
A young couple, obviously the one with the longer defensive nippers is the male,plus the wider of the two had eggs so that was a good sign as to which one is the female.
Very common in the south east and easy to keep a marine aquarium with no predators.
Periclimenes brevicarpalis-anemone shrimp-female.
If the aquarium is free of potential predators, these shrimp do well with any normal marine aquarium conditions and foods.
They do not need a host anemone if safe in the aquarium!
Male and female
video of a mature pair in the wild
https://youtu.be/8lqqM9Ad650
Leandrites cytorhynchus-cleaner shrimp.
Very common in the south east though extremely hard to find with out knowledge of how they live.
The best cleaner of fish compared to any marine aquarium fish or invert.
These shrimp will eat any foods offered up and harm nothing; also they have a slight toxic flesh content to discourage some predation.
Videos of them
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7dYUrN88sk0
https://youtu.be/ZwsaFLTKlh4
A cleaning station
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NB9vGWT-8uA
Lysmata amboinensis-red line shrimp-hermaphrodites.
More info
https://southeastqueenslandm.aforumfree.com/t2548-lysmata-amboinensis-or-redline-cleaner-shrimp-information#9004
These shrimp are A sexual so they need each other to fertilize each other.
To find red line shrimp in shallow water of 1 to 3 feet of water.
You will never find large ones in water shallower then 15 feet, just when it is warm and heaps coming through at their planktonic stage and find a nice warm home at the depth they were living in that plankton to live with a protector or they would not survive with out one and now its time live a short life, they don’t make it to even near medium in size in these sort of spots, but from 20c=Septemberish to 20c=Mayish temps, they are there.
They don't survive winter at this site and most everything aquarium species died by September back some 20 years here before climate change came to pass. But these guys still can't handle the lowish temps still in play.
Look for places that the tide brings in very open ocean waters without much temps variation and the salinity varies rarely, at those sites it is as I typed earlier on!
With reef protection of at least 70 percent swell energy reduction they can be found in waters from roughly 10/15 feet and deeper, with full on swell affected areas its 40feet plus and deeper and the protector that I typed is an eel, with out an eel near by that they clean and it in turn protects them, with out the eel they can not exist!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Hence the name I always called them till the more trendy names set in, eel cleaner shrimp.
You can believe what you like that is shown on tv or where ever, the eel is always near by as they clean the other fish!
Very susceptible to predation from each other and many other tank life forms when they shed.
Video of one killing another after a shed.
https://youtu.be/NJ6OO8jILEU
The species of eel that, with out one near by, most red lines could not survive in the wild.
Rhynchocinetes uritai-hingebeak shrimp.
Very common in waters from 4o feet deep and below, usually in very large communities normally.
Not suited to reef tanks.
Adult and juvs together
community of hing beaks that number in the hundreds quite often.
Video of community of hingebeaks
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQPXT2LiDwA
Hymenocera picta or harlequin shrimp.
In the past these were very common in SEQ, now where there are Luzon sea stars, you will find harlequins..
They were common until the keeping of them in reef aquariums became popular in the 90s, along with one commercial collector in particular taking any and all star fish for the trade from reefs in SEQ, this literally decimated the sea stars numbers for a time which as a consequence reduced the chances of seeing any of these shrimps.
The sea stars are back as of 5 to 10 years ago and so are the harlequin’s numbers.
They are harmless in a reef tank and a little awkward to feed as they only eat the tiny legs under the sea stars arms and soft fleshy parts of sea stars.
Best option is to acquire sea stars and freeze their legs in salt water to avoid drying out and the harlequins will let you know that they are in need of another leg by waiting at the front glass or wandering around more then usual.
Harlequin shrimp pairs.
Adult pair in the wild, both are large adults indicated by the coloration.
How to ID a squat lobster
Porcelain crabs and squat lobsters are all labelled galatheid crabs can look similar and there is not much else marine wise that has this shape, but the best way to make sure it is a squat is to check its tails extends past the last leg like a lobsters tail does.
Now strictly speaking, squats, porcelains and hermits are so closely related science wise and to average folk, they could all be the same family due to legs, tail and body configuration.
A way to be sure, a porcelains tail is more like a flap that folds under compared to the squats.
Just fold its tail out and you will know, oh and if it is a squat, which I am near sure Robs right about, there are at this stage at least 800 to 900 species known and many more unidentified and most are tiny and very shy.
Harmless mate, large species are rare!
Most squats are quite often semi symbiotic with other life forms, you know for hiding or for food scraps.
Elegant squat lobster, or crinoid crab.
Some other local squat lobster varieties.
Petrolisthes sp- porcelain crab.
These herbivores are found in the millions along the none surf shoreline in muddy rock pools.
Microprosthema scabricaudatum or lima shrimp or robust boxer shrimp.
Usually living with a scallop, this particular Microprosthema is rarely seen.
Neopetrolisthes sp- porcelain anemone crabs
Very common in SEQ and completely harmless!
Achaeus japonicas-gorilla crab
Pair in anemone
https://youtu.be/r7x48IsglBA
Lissocarcincus orbicularis or harlequin crab or sea cucumber crab. These harmless crabs are very common in SEQ in varying patterns and quite often the are found living very close to any types of anemones for protection, as well as on the sea cumber. Very reef safe!
Other examples.
Unknown-reef crab.
Calappa sp-box crab.
A video of one
https://youtu.be/yRcjp26ISYU
A common hing beak shrimp
Amboinensis thor or sexy shrimp, the more pale one is the female.
Very common in SEQ in open waters and estuaries.
Reef safe and very easy to keep.
Decorator crabs.
Video of deco crab
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tv9ObXnX9_g
These crabs are not overly reef safe, unless you have large lps or sps as they don’t normally grab these to decorate themselves with as camouflage.
They are scavengers rarely, but might harm anything like fish or other invertebrates. Most left over meat food types that make it to the bottom of your tank, will sustain them nicely.
This is one an example of how they will take from your aquarium, what they want to decorate themselves with.
Before
Later
same one some years alter.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Schizophrys dama variations.
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liquidg- Posts : 2782
Join date : 2010-02-02
Location : Brisbane bayside
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South East Queensland Marine Aquarium and Ocean activities Forum :: SEQMAOAF :: Local marine life found in SEQ and information.
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