Imperial Shrimp

Care Summary

The Imperial Shrimp is a jewel-toned commensal shrimp that lives on sea cucumbers and nudibranchs in the wild, and it's one of the most visually stunning small shrimp you can add to a reef display. It needs a host organism to thrive, most commonly a large sea cucumber like a tiger tail, and a stable reef environment with pristine water quality. The challenge is that without a suitable host it will become stressed and decline, so sourcing a compatible host animal before adding the shrimp is a must, not an afterthought. It feeds on the mucus and detritus from its host naturally, but offering tiny meaty foods like baby brine or reef roids broadcast near the host will help supplement its nutrition in captivity.