Pederson Cleaner Shrimp

The Pederson cleaner shrimp is a 2–3 cm Caribbean shrimp recognized by its almost completely transparent body, the purple spots on its legs and tail and its thin blue–white lines. In the wild it lives among the tentacles of the corkscrew anemone (Bartholomea annulata) or the Condylactis anemone; it waves its white antennae to attract fish and picks parasites from their skin. Its former name is Periclimenes pedersoni; it has been placed in the genus Ancylomenes since 2010. Those on the market are wild-collected.

• At least 40 liters, a mature and stable reef; ideally a Condylactis or corkscrew anemone. An anemone is not essential, but the shrimp gets used to a new anemone by gradually rubbing against its tentacles.
• Salinity specific gravity 1.023–1.026, pH 8.1–8.4, temperature 24–27°C.
• Reef safe; it does not harm corals.
• It should be acclimated by the drip method for at least 1 hour; copper-based medications are lethal.

Omnivorous. The parasites it collects from fish are not enough in the aquarium; it should be fed finely chopped mysis, brine shrimp and small sinking granules a few times a week.

Peaceful and shy; once settled in its anemone it is visible during the day as well. Several individuals can live together in one anemone.

Good companions: gobies, blennies, cardinalfish, clownfish; sexy shrimp, snails.

Avoid: small-shrimp predators such as hawkfish, wrasses and lionfish; arrow crabs and boxer shrimp.