Not furry either, still lovely.
Coral Banded Shrimp
Stenopus hispidus
Also called Banded coral shrimp, Banded boxer shrimp, Banded cleaner shrimp, Boxing shrimp
From Pan-tropical: coral reefs of the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans, from Canada and Brazil to Madagascar, Southeast Asia, Australia and New Zealand12
At a glance the quick version
Looks how to spot one
Spiny exoskeleton, moulted as it grows
A long-legged shrimp with a see-through base colour boldly banded in red and white across the body, tail and its big third pair of legs, which carry large pincers held up like a boxer. The antennae are long and white, and the body is covered in tiny spines.12
Personality what they are like
Peaceful with fish and corals but intolerant of other banded coral shrimp, apart from its own mate.21
Daily activity how busy a day looks
Lively and fond of scurrying around rockwork, though it often hides in a cave with only its antennae showing.2
Grooming and care the hands-on bits
Considered hardy and fairly easy. Acclimate slowly, keep water stable and copper-free, and supplement iodine to support moulting.2
Home where they are happiest
A marine aquarium with caves and rockwork. LiveAquaria gives 72-78 °F (about 22-26 °C), pH 8.1-8.4, dKH 8-12 and specific gravity 1.023-1.025. In the wild it lives on reefs below the tide line, down to about 210 m. No minimum tank size was given by the sources.21
Food basics what goes in the bowl
Carnivorous scavenger that takes frozen and flake foods in aquariums. In the wild it also cleans parasites and damaged tissue from fish.21
Company who they like around
Keep singly or as a mated pair only. Wild pairs are monogamous and hold small territories of 1-2 m across.12
The story where it all began
Described by Olivier in 1811, the coral banded shrimp is one of the most widespread cleaner shrimps on tropical reefs worldwide. Its bold bands and boxing pose have made it a long-time favourite in marine aquariums.12
Fun facts for the dinner table
- 1
It waves its long white antennae in a kind of dance to invite fish to be cleaned.1
- 2
Unusually for an invertebrate, it can recognise individual members of its own species, probably by scent.1
- 3
It holds its large pincer legs raised like a boxer, which gave it the nickname boxing shrimp.2
- 4
It has been found as deep as 210 m.1
Recognised by the official bits
- Taxonomy (via Wikipedia)
- Described by Olivier in 1811; family Stenopodidae.1
The care rhythm Furry Diary remembers it for you
A typical home-care rhythm for a Coral Banded Shrimp. It is our own starting plan, not a vet's advice, and you can change every line in the app.
- FeedingDepends on species, many feed from the light and the watervaries
- Salinity checkevery week
- Water testevery week
- Top-upTop up evaporation with fresh RO water, not salt waterevery day
- Water changeAbout 10 to 20% of the waterevery 2 weeks
- Light checkevery month
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Where this comes from
Every breed page shows where each fact comes from. If we got something wrong, sorry, we are pet people, not a science magazine. Tell us at support@furrydiary.app and we will fix it.
- Stenopus hispidus (Wikipedia) en.wikipedia.orgused for names, range, size, appearance, depth, behaviour, pairing, history, fun facts
- Banded Coral Shrimp, LiveAquaria liveaquaria.comused for care level, temperament, water parameters, max size, diet, social needs
Checked 2026-09-30. Text is written in our own words from these sources.