Sexy Shrimp - Facts On The Tiny Sexy Shrimp

Scientific Name : Thor Amboinensis
Origin : Indo-Pacific
Difficulty : Easy
Minimum Size Tank : 5 Gallons
Temperament : Peaceful
Temperature : 72 - 82°F
Reef Safe : Mostly
Maximum Size : 1/2 inch
Diet : Omnivore

The tiny Sexy Shrimp has enjoyed good popularity among marine hobbyists throughout the years. It is called the sexy shrimp due to the way it is constantly twirling its body even when stationary. They are a type of anemone shrimp that are normally found in association with anemones in the wild.

Curiously named Thor Amboinensis despite their size. Very small, they are well suited to nano and even pico aquariums. Like the Fire shrimp and the Cleaner Shrimp, the Sexy shrimp are commonly found throughout the Indo-Pacific where they are collected in large numbers for the trade. They are also relatively cheap as a result, making them very accessible to all saltwater tank enthusiasts.

Tank mate selection is important. Due to their small size, they are easily harrased and consumed by larger fish. Strictly no basslets, groupers or any other large carnivores. They do well with pygmy angels. Although i'd avoid housing them with large angels just incase.

Upon introduction and acclimation, they will seek out an anemone host. If one is not found they will make do with substitutes from a variety of corals. Mushrooms, Green star polyps, clove polyps are good candidates for a substitute host. The sexy shrimp is a social creature that does well in groups. I've personally kept them in groups of 5 with little friction. Though there may be some infighting now and again.

Sexy shrimp are omnivores that will eat anything meaty and some greens. I''ve noticed grazing from one end to another end of the tank on what seems like microalgae. But upon introducing a few pellets or a tasty morsel of some sort they head straight for it. They are cheap to feed because they are so small. Generally any kind of sinking pellet will do. The quality of said pellet is entirelyup to your discretion.

You can go cheap and pick up inexpensive pellets for a few bucks or offer them a high quality pellet brand like New Life Spectrum. As usual, variety is important so go ahead a feed them some frozen mysis shrimp once in a while. Curiously, in the overview i stated how sexy shrimp were mostly reef safe. This is because they have been known to feast on zoas. This behavior is seen in the wild with groups of sexy shrimp sometimes devouring their anemone host itself. So it is important to keep them well fed. One feeding per day.

The sexy shrimp has been bred in captivity successfully by hobbyists.

There does not seem to be much interest from large scale breeders due to the low sale price of the sexy shrimp.

Males are generally smaller and thinner. It is thought that males have a single white stripe on their abdomen.

Females are larger with a rounded abdomen area. They tend to have a broken white stripe unlike the males.

Pairing them is easy. Simply introduce a male and a female and wait.

Getting them to breed is just as simple. If they are well fed, they will spawn routinely in the aquarium.

This offers a great source of food to the other tank inhabitants. Larvae are fed newly hatched artemia. As they grow, they are trained on other prepared foods other than brine shrimp.

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