Little Shop of Coral
Banded Coral Shrimp (Stenopus hispidus)
Banded Coral Shrimp (Stenopus hispidus)
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The Banded Coral Shrimp is a striking reef invert with bold red and white banding and long white antennae. It is famous for its “boxing gloves” claws and its habit of hanging upside down in caves and overhangs. This shrimp can be a great addition to the right tank, but it is more territorial than cleaner shrimp, especially toward other shrimp, so it is best kept as a single specimen in most setups.
Why we love it
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Bold red and white banding with a dramatic look
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Fun behaviour and lots of personality, especially at feeding time
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Often sets up a home cave and becomes a visible feature of the rockwork
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Great scavenger for leftover food
Care and Compatibility
Care Level: Easy to Moderate
Temperament: Semi-aggressive (territorial)
Reef Safe: Yes, with caution
Diet: Omnivore (scavenger)
Adult Size: ~3 to 4"
Minimum Tank Size: 30 gallons recommended
Ideal Parameters
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Temperature: 24 to 26 C (75 to 79 F)
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Salinity: 1.024 to 1.026
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Stable alkalinity and calcium support healthy molts
Feeding
Banded Coral Shrimp are easy to feed and will scavenge, but they appreciate occasional targeted feeding.
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Frozen mysis, brine shrimp, chopped seafood
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Sinking pellets for inverts
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Leftover fish food and frozen food scraps
Target feed near its cave to ensure it gets food in busy tanks.
Tank and Setup Notes
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Provide caves and overhangs, it prefers shaded areas and will claim a home spot
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Stable salinity is important, shrimp are sensitive to swings
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Use guards on powerheads and overflows where possible
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It may molt regularly, leave the molt in the tank for a day since it can recycle minerals
Compatibility Tips
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Can be territorial with other shrimp, especially in smaller tanks
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Best kept singly, or as a bonded pair in larger tanks with plenty of space
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May catch very small shrimp such as sexy shrimp, and can harass smaller cleaner shrimp
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Generally safe with corals, but avoid housing with predators like triggers, puffers, hawkfish, and larger wrasses
Acclimation and Health
Drip acclimation is recommended. It may hide more after introduction and during molts. Once settled, it is typically hardy as long as salinity and temperature remain stable.
Collapsible content
LIGHT
LOW: Place coral at the bottom of the tank. Depending on the type, coral may need to be placed off sand and therefore mounted on a ceramic disc of piece of rock.
MEDIUM: Place coral at mid-range of the tank. Best placed/glued on top of a rock scape at mid-range height.
HIGH: Place coral from mid range to just below water level. SPS coral are shallow growing so they require and are able to tolerate intense light.
FLOW
LOW: Most soft coral do well with a small, gentle pulse. There are certain corals that can even be placed in areas of indirect flow, meaning places aside a rock structure or set into a entrance to a cave style space.
MEDIUM: Many LPS types of coral prefer medium pulse current. Most Euphyllia or corals that have more tissue structure connected to their skeleton, don’t like to be in a high flow area like the direct flow of the wave pump.
HIGH: Similar to high light, SPS enjoy being in some heavy current. Most LPS and SPS that branch encrust or plate prefer high flow that simulates the top water waves.
SKILL
ENTRY: While some may say beginner level, "Entry" is a good term to be used when starting out in the world of corals and marine life. Prior to adding livestock, you want to ensure that your reef has the proper parameters including zero levels of ammonia and nitrite. Seeing traces of nitrate in your waters is a good sign - just keep them at a lower level of 2ppm to 10ppm. Maintaining correct temperature and salinity are a huge factor to stable parameters. Starting to monitor your PH, alkalinity, calcium and magnesium is a great habit to get into to keep a successful reef.
While some soft coral don’t require too much light, having a proper reef light that puts out the proper pars is very important. You'll also want to have a good amount of flow and protected rock areas, as placing corals in their happy spot is ideal for success.
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