Shrimp ID     2/8/17 Hi crew <Hey Cathy> Thanks for the great resource I received this shrimp from lfs instead of emperor shrimp I ordered. I speculate possibly a marbled Saron? <Yes; and very nice pix!? What do you think ?? Is it possible to tell if male or female from photo, I know I'm pushing? <Is possible. Here's my spiel from WWM Re: "Saron marmoratus Olivier 1811), Marble or Saron Shrimp. Found throughout the tropical Indo-Pacific. Usually collected out of Hawai'i for the U.S., the Red Sea for European markets. Usually found in pairs in the wild. Will fight to the death if same sex individuals are placed together. Males with much longer first pair of walking/fighting legs. Get along fine with fishes, other crustaceans. Female shown. Eat all types of food, reclusive, nocturnal." This is a female> Tried to give you idea of size. Is this reef safe as I have sexy shrimp and mandarin fish which I don't want it to decide is food. Putting it in QT tank for the moment. <IF there's room, and this shrimp doesn't get hungry... Thank you for sharing. Bob Fenner>

Shrimp ID     2/8/17 Hi crew <Cath> Further to email just sent about ID'ing this shrimp sent to me by mistake Managed to get photo from above as well hope this all helps <Ah yes; same response! BobF>

Shrimp ID   11/7/11 Crew, <Phil We have an established marine tank and have recently noticed this shrimp in the tank. <Mmm, where?> It is sort of hairy, all we have ever put in the tank were peppermint shrimps, but that was way back, never seen them. Any ideas? <I can't make out what you're referring to in your pic... Maybe tempt it out w/ food to get a better image> Regards Phil <And you, Bob Fenner>

Shrimp ID   11/7/11 Bob, <Phil> Got him right in the light Looks like something from pre historic days!! <Ahh! Looks to be a Saron sp. Please see here: http://wetwebmedia.com/saronshrimp.htm and the linked FAQs file above. BobF> Regards Phil Re: Shrimp ID   11/7/11 Many thanks!!! Phil H <As many welcomes. Neat animals. B>

Re: Mystery shrimp  2/10/09 Thanks Bob. Assuming all Saron much of a muchness: nocturnal, territorial predators unsuitable for reef tanks, better in robust communities? Cheers, Neale <Actually... IMO/E, this genus is best in Reef Settings... of LARGE size (hundreds plus gallons)... always have found them out in about (by night) in such, tussling with other males or looking for females, food... BobF>
Re: Mystery shrimp, Saron  2/10/09 Really? I've always thought of them as the marine equivalent of freshwater Macrobrachium. Calfo & Fenner (2005) don't seem to say much positive about them either. Cheers, Neale <All species are a bit "large", "clunky"... more marauders than careful about walking around immobile invertebrates... but are as I state/d, found in/amongst tropical reefs... B>

LynnK chimes in Re: Neale's Mystery Shrimp: Saron spp. 2/10/09 Hello Crew, <Hello Neale> Came across this chap yesterday. I'm guessing it's some kind of Saron spp.; can anyone do any better? <It does indeed look like a Saron spp, specifically Saron inermis. The only problem is that I can't quite tell how large the individual is in the photograph. S. inermis supposedly only reaches about 3cm in length. By the way, there's a photo in Julian Sprung's Invertebrates A Quick Reference Guide, on page 167, that's as close to a dead-on match as you can ever hope to find (even down to the markings on the head). It's identified as a male Saron inermis. There are also two photographs in Helmut Debelius' Crustacea Guide of the World (pg 141). One is of a female with a combination of more rust/orange and whitish markings, while the other is a male with the same brown and off-white/yellow tones as the one in J. Sprung's book as well as your individual.> Cheers, Neale <Take care, Lynn>

Mystery shrimp  2/10/09 Hello Crew, <Neale> Came across this chap yesterday. I'm guessing it's some kind of Saron spp.; can anyone do any better? Cheers, Neale <My best guess is S. inermis. Will put in Lynn's in-folder for her input. BobF>

Saron marmoratus shrimps Hello everyone! <Hi there> I just bought two shrimps ? Saron marmoratus ? for my refugium, from the look of them I would say they are both females. <I have never seen males sold in the trade... quite different, much longer "legs"> I don't usually buy a creature that I don't know about, but when I saw them, I couldn't resist. I read everything there was on your site and some on the web, but I can't find a site than would say more than half a page. And they don't even say the same thing from one site to the next. 1 to 3 inches, reef safe to not reef safe, aggressive to Gets along fine with fishes and other crustaceans.  Since I put them in my refugium with only pods, algae and one hermit crab (Should I transfer the crab in my tank?) I think both Saron shouldn't cause to much problems.  <Mmm, I'd say not "very" reef safe... can/will at least walk over corals... will eat other crustaceans, mollusks, worms if hungry> And now for my request (Asking with lots of pretty please) could you direct me on a web site than devote more that a few words on them. Thank you for your time. Karine <Don't know of such a site... perhaps a visit to a large (college) library, a search of the literature there... But am pretty sure that you will find there is precious little written re the genus's practical husbandry... With good notes, photographs, you could write such up... Bob Fenner>

Saron shrimp Hello to all of you who are a lifeline to those of us who are saltwater aquarium enthusiasts and a big thanks. I have read all the books written by Mr. Calfo and Mr. Fenner and loved each book. Full of great information. Now for my question. I have a 55 gallon SW aquarium with a big fat yellow tang, a maroon and gold clownfish and a coral beauty, 2 skunk cleaner shrimp, 2 blood shrimp, 3 peppermint shrimp, Featherduster, Sally Lightfoot, various snails for cleanup purposes. I recently purchased a lovely large colt coral and it's been doing great but something is taking big bites off the branches. I had a big arrow crab that had overgrown my tank and he was hanging out in that area so I blamed him and since he really had gotten much too large for my tank, I gave him to a friend. Last night I got up to see if I could see anything else that might be the culprit, though since giving up the arrow crab I have not seen any damage, I saw what I think was a Saron shrimp hanging out in that same area. I knew that shrimp was in my tank, came in as a hitchhiker with some coral but he had never caused any trouble whatsoever and he is hard to find and very hard to see since he blends in so well with the live rock. Anyway, will these shrimp eat corals? I know they are carnivorous and aggressive but have not had any death in my tank and because he is sooo hard to catch, have let him be.  He was sitting on a rock with yellow polyps on it. Should I assume this shrimp to be the culprit and tear my tank down to catch him? I have a lot of coral in my tank and do not want it destroyed. I  have soft corals, Zoanthids and mushrooms in my tank. I have lots of live rock so trying to catch anything is just about impossible without causing an avalanche. Thanks in advance for any helpful information you can give me. Oh yes, one more thing. I have just purchased a canary wrasse to help control the Bristleworm population. They give me the creeps. The arrow crab was SUPPOSED to do that but he would not eat a Bristleworm if you dangled it in front of him.<Yes, they are not known to be big Bristleworm eaters although some aquarists have witnessed it.> LOL. I try not to overfeed and have a Remora C skimmer that does a good job. I can't even trap a Bristleworm so I don't think I would be successful in trapping this shrimp. Once again thanks so much to all of you who give your time so willingly to contribute to the success of this wonderfully rewarding hobby. <Janiece, I believe the Saron (Marble shrimp) is the culprit.  They are not reef safe and are harmful to some corals and other invertebrates.  I think if you got a mantis shrimp trap and bait it, then put the trap near him, you might have a shot at catching it. The only safe coral with this shrimp would be the leather coral.  Good luck trapping.  James (Salty Dog)> Sincerely, J. Howell

Saron shrimp: reef safe? Nope 1/30/04 Hi! I am planning to get a Saron shrimp and I checked your website for more info on Saron shrimps, but I couldn't find anything that says whether they are reef-safe or not, as I've received mixed opinions on them. So, may I know whether I could keep this shrimp in a reef-setting without corals getting pestered. Andrew Lee <an easy one, mate... Saron shrimp are categorically un-safe with benthic invertebrates. They are generally opportunistic and commonly attack bivalves (including Tridacnid clams), harass other bottom dwelling fishes and invertebrates. And frankly are opportunistic scavengers/bullies. Anthony>

Green Hawaiian Shrimp I am considering purchasing a green Hawaiian shrimp with my next order.. But I can't find any information as to compatibility with tank mates... Anything I should take into consideration.. I have a little bit of everything in my tank... feather worm, sea apple, Brittlestar, starfish, tangs, damsels, mandarins, clowns, Foxface, shrimp, snails, crabs, etc.. Please give me some info on this shrimp.. I have learned my lesson on purchasing without checking compatibility the hard way before.... Thanks, Leeann  < Mainly if your livestock will eat the new Shrimp... not the other way 'round. What sort of shrimp and crabs do you already have?... If you have the mix you list and they're healthy, you're doing many things right.... the new Shrimp might bug the feather worm if it's really hungry... but may I point out the Sea Apple may be the biggest problem... on its own. Keep your eye on it... otherwise, I wouldn't worry about the Hawaiian one with. Bob Fenner>

Green Marble Shrimp? Greetings Mr. Calfo, <Greetings, Robert> I have a 55 gallon tank. I currently have 2 Perculas and a handful of Caulerpa. I would like to get your opinion on the following potential future inhabitants: <thank you kindly for caring to know my opinion> Hermit Crab Green Marble Shrimp Marine Betta Will all of them get along? The green shrimp is classified as a carnivore but do they eat algae as well?