TankBud

Blue / purple coral banded shrimp

Stenopus tenuirostris

Also known as Blue Boxer Shrimp, Blue Banded Coral Shrimp

SaltwaterShrimp

Blue / purple coral banded shrimp (Stenopus tenuirostris)
Rickard Zerpe · CC BY 2.0

Care at a glance

Temperature
75–81°F
24–27°C
pH
8.1–8.4
Adult size
1.6 in
4 cm
Minimum tank
11 gal
40 L
Temperament
Mostly peaceful
Social behavior
Solitary
Own kind
One male per tank
Tankmates
With caution
Swim level
Bottom
Diet
Carnivore
Difficulty
Easy
Breeding
Hard
Rarity
Common
Reef safe
Reef safe with caution
Family
Stenopodidae
Origin
Indo-Pacific (Indonesia and Australia to French Polynesia)

Overview

The blue / purple coral banded shrimp is a small boxer shrimp that hides among the rockwork of a reef tank. It is easy to keep.

Did you know

The blue / purple coral banded shrimp shares its name with a much larger red and white relative. It stays small enough to disappear into a single piece of live rock.

Caring for the blue / purple coral banded shrimp

Give the blue / purple coral banded shrimp at least 11 gal (40 L). Like any boxer shrimp, it wants rockwork with crevices. Leave enough open room that its long antennae and legs are not constantly brushing coral polyps or anemone tentacles. Both can sting or irritate it.

Keep the water at 75 to 81°F (24 to 27°C) with a pH of 8.1 to 8.4. It accepts most meaty frozen foods and will pick parasites off accommodating fish.

The blue / purple coral banded shrimp is reef safe with caution. It leaves coral alone but will not tolerate other Stenopus, and it can be feisty with unrelated shrimp in tight quarters. Keep it alone or as a true mated pair. Breeding it is hard.

Good to know

The blue / purple coral banded shrimp is the smallest of the commonly kept Stenopus species. It has a blue violet body, with the same red and white banded claws and antennae as its larger cousins. Its blue color and small size tell it apart at a glance from Stenopus hispidus and the gold-toned Stenopus species.

In the wild

The blue / purple coral banded shrimp is recorded across the Indo-Pacific, from Indonesia and Australia as far as French Polynesia. It lives on and around coral reef structure at shallow depths down to roughly 15 m.

Common questions

What size tank does a blue / purple coral banded shrimp need?

A blue / purple coral banded shrimp needs at least 11 gal (40 L). It spends most of its time in the bottom.

What temperature and pH does a blue / purple coral banded shrimp need?

A blue / purple coral banded shrimp is comfortable at 75–81°F (24–27°C) with a pH of 8.1–8.4.

What does a blue / purple coral banded shrimp eat?

A blue / purple coral banded shrimp eats most meaty frozen foods. It will also pick parasites off fish that allow it.

How big does a blue / purple coral banded shrimp get?

An adult blue / purple coral banded shrimp reaches about 1.6 in (4 cm).

Related species