Red Dot Shrimp

This little shrimp probably has more names than any other invertebrate in the hobby. They are also known as: Cleaner Shrimps; Rock Shrimps, Red and White Cleaner Shrimp, Bruun’s Cleaning Partner Shrimp, Cleaning Partner Shrimp, Cleaner Shrimp, Clear Cleaner Shrimp, Floating Shrimp, Red Arrow Cleaning Shrimp, Rock Shrimp, Cleaning Rock Pool Shrimp, Rock Cleaner Shrimp, Spotted Cleaner Shrimp and Jelly Cleaner shrimp. Oddly enough, it was discovered by A.J Bruce and not Anton Brunn.

The small shrimp of many names has a clear translucent body with dark red and white striping as well as red legs. It’s body may also be dotted with red and yellow spots. The shrimp’s attanae and body are translucent. This translucent body is an effective form of camouflage and also means that the hobbyist can clearly see the shrimp’s internal organs.

This particular shrimp can be found in the Indo-Pacific region but other members of this family can be found in warm waters worldwide. They generally live on coral reefs but can be found in other habitats as well. They prefer to reside in caves in the reef’s rockwork so will appreciate a similar aquascape in a home aquarium with ample hiding places. Like other cleaner shrimp, it supplements the food it can find while scavenging by also setting up “cleaning stations” where it will clean dead tissue and parasites off reef fish. The shrimp gets an easy meal and the fish gets cleaned! What makes this shrimp unique is that they will happily live in colonies, as opposed to most other shrimp in the hobby which are territorial. They also serve a useful function as a verstitle member of a tank’s cleanup crew. They are effective scavengers of meaty foods and leftover pellets as well as providing a useful cleaning service for fish. If necessary ,they can be fed chopped squid or high quality pellets. While serving a function similar to other cleaner shrimp, the Anton Brunns Cleaner Shrimp’s colonial nature makes it an interesting and useful member of any home aquarium.