Saron Shrimp

The Saron shrimp is recognized by its marble-like body patterned in green, brown and cream and the small tufts on its back. This pattern provides perfect camouflage on rock rubble covered with algae and encrusting organisms. It can change its color to some extent to match its surroundings; at night it usually looks more reddish. The front claws of males are thin and even longer than the body.

Because it is a hardy, hungry scavenger, it is often kept in fish-only aquariums and reefs with stony corals. However, it is not considered fully reef-safe; when hungry it may pick at small polyps, zoanthids and clam mantles. Specimens in the trade are wild-collected. Other species of the genus may also be sold under the name "Saron."

It ranges from the Red Sea and East Africa through the Indian Ocean and Southeast Asia to Australia and Hawaii. It lives mostly in lagoons, among coral rubble and rock fragments, usually in water shallower than 12 meters. In 2013 it was also recorded off the coast of Lebanon; it most likely reached the Eastern Mediterranean through the Suez Canal.

• Volume: at least 75 liters for a pair, with a live rock layout full of caves and shaded corners.
• Water: salinity 1.023–1.026 specific gravity, pH 8.1–8.4, temperature 24–27°C. Magnesium and iodine are important for molting; values should be kept stable.
• Reef compatibility: Reef-safe with caution. Stony corals are usually safe; zoanthids, small-polyp soft corals and clams are at risk.
• Acclimation and medication: Acclimate by the drip method for at least 1 hour; copper-based medications are lethal.

Omnivorous. In the wild it sifts fine sand at night to collect detritus and plankton and also eats carrion that falls to the bottom. In the aquarium it accepts frozen mysis, chopped shrimp and mussel, and sinking granules. Giving a small piece of food near its cave 3–4 times a week before the lights go out greatly reduces the chance of it turning to corals.

Nocturnal; during the day it waits motionless among the rocks, relying on its camouflage. When threatened it retreats into its cave and, if necessary, escapes with a sudden leap. It is peaceful toward fish, but it may bother very small shrimp and molting shrimp.

Good companions: clownfish, cardinalfish, gobies, blennies; cleaner and fire shrimp, hermit crabs, snails.

Avoid: hawkfish, large wrasses, triggerfish and lionfish; dwarf shrimp, coral gardens dominated by zoanthids, and clams.

The best arrangement is singly or one pair. Two males in the same aquarium chase each other with their claws; in a small aquarium this can end in the death of the weaker individual. In very large aquariums several individuals can be kept together only with plenty of caves.

The female carries the fertilized eggs under her swimming legs and releases the larvae into the water at night. The larvae go through a long planktonic stage; raising them in a home aquarium is practically impossible.

• Molting: it sheds its shell every few weeks; if it cannot find a place to hide during this period, it is open to attack.
• Lost claw: a claw lost through fighting or stress grows back over a few molts.
• Sudden deaths: copper, rapid salinity changes and low oxygen.

Males have very long, thin front claws that can exceed their body length. Females have short claws; the first pair of legs bears brush-like bristles and the tufts on the back are denser.