TankBud

Sexy shrimp

Thor amboinensis

Also known as Squat Anemone Shrimp, Dancing Shrimp, Ambon Anemone Shrimp

SaltwaterShrimp

Sexy shrimp (Thor amboinensis)

Care at a glance

Temperature
75–81°F
24–27°C
pH
8.1–8.4
Adult size
1.2 in
3 cm
Minimum tank
5 gal
20 L
Temperament
Peaceful
Social behavior
Social
Swim level
Bottom
Difficulty
Easy
Breeding
Medium
Rarity
Common
Reef safe
Reef safe
Family
Thoridae
Origin
Circumtropical (Indo-Pacific, Caribbean)

Overview

A peaceful, gregarious nano-reef shrimp that lives in groups and is at its best in a tank without large predators, since anything that eats small shrimp will make short work of it. Reef safe as a rule, though a rare individual may nip at SPS or coral polyps, especially if underfed. Keep several together for the classic dancing cluster on a host anemone or coral.

In the wild

A tiny circumtropical shrimp that lives among the tentacles of sea anemones and corals in shallow reefs, recorded with at least a dozen different anemone genera. In the aquarium it does best in a peaceful nano or reef tank where it can adopt a host anemone or a bubble-tip, hammer, or other coral to perch on. It stays in the open on its host rather than hiding in rock.

Good to know

Thor amboinensis lives with anemones in commensal symbiosis: the shrimp gains shelter and camouflage while the anemone is largely unaffected, unlike the tighter mutualism of clownfish. It constantly bobs its raised abdomen and tail, the 'dancing' motion that gives it its name, likely as a signaling or balance behavior. It does fine without a host but is far more settled with one.

Did you know

It perches right in the stinging tentacles of anemones that would kill most other shrimp, and a small group bobbing together on a bubble-tip anemone is one of the most charming sights in a nano reef.

Symbiotic relationships

Shrimp and crabs that live in anemones

Several small crustaceans live where almost nothing else can: among the tentacles of an anemone. Sexy shrimp perch in the tentacles in a cluster, bobbing their tails in the display that named them. The white-spot anemone shrimp is near transparent apart from its spots and lives on carpet anemones. The porcelain anemone crab sits at the anemone's edge and filters plankton from the water with two fan-like arms. Pederson's cleaner shrimp lives in the Caribbean corkscrew anemone and cleans fish from there. In every case the anemone is a bodyguard: its sting keeps off the small fish that would eat the shrimp. The anemone gains little, and the white-spot shrimp will nibble its host's tentacles when it is hungry.

Give each of them its anemone. Sexy shrimp take a rock flower anemone, a bubble tip or a carpet. The white-spot shrimp and the porcelain crab want a carpet anemone or a long tentacle anemone, both of which need a mature tank at the tank size their profiles list. Pederson's shrimp wants a corkscrew anemone or a condy. Without a host they perch on a coral or hide in the rock and are picked off by any fish that eats shrimp, so they suit a peaceful nano reef. A clownfish will evict them from an anemone it has claimed.

Every symbiotic relationship in the catalog

Weekly picks

Tank mates

Sexy shrimp is a peaceful, social species that keeps to the bottom. These picks share a community profile with it, are safe together in both directions, and overlap on water type, temperature and pH.

Check the full mix in the stocking calculator

Common questions

What size tank does a Sexy shrimp need?

A Sexy shrimp needs at least 5 gal (20 L). It spends most of its time in the bottom.

What temperature and pH does a Sexy shrimp need?

A Sexy shrimp is comfortable at 75–81°F (24–27°C) with a pH of 8.1–8.4.

How big does a Sexy shrimp get?

An adult Sexy shrimp reaches about 1.2 in (3 cm).

Related species