Invertebrates
Peppermint Shrimp.
A candy-striped little shrimp best known for eating nuisance Aiptasia anemones — a reef-safe cleanup helper and scavenger. Peaceful and beginner-easy; keep a small group in a 10-gallon-plus reef with rockwork to hide in.
We keep this species at our Erie store. Come and see it in the tanks, or call (814) 456-9445 and ask what we have in right now.
Sea Cave keeps this species. You will find these in the tanks at 660 East 14th Street in Erie. We never ship live animals.
- Condition
- new
- Fulfillment
- Local pickup — Erie, PA
We never ship fish, coral, or invertebrates — every animal here is one you meet in person. Each one is acclimated and health-checked in-house before it goes out into the display tanks. This is a species we keep, and what is swimming on any given day changes with the deliveries, so please call (814) 456-9445 before you drive in.
Care at a glance
What to know before you take one home.
- Care level
- Beginner
- Temperament
- Peaceful
- Community
- Community safe
- Adult size
- 2"
- Min tank size
- 10 gallons
- Diet
- Omnivore
- Scientific name
- Lysmata spp.
Good tank mates
Peppermint shrimp are peaceful and reef-safe, doing well in community reef tanks with most fish, corals, snails, and other shrimp, and they can be kept in groups. They are best known for eating nuisance Aiptasia anemones, but should be kept away from large predatory fish like hawkfish, big wrasses, and triggers that may hunt them. They generally leave healthy corals alone, though a hungry shrimp may occasionally pick at a coral or eat very small ornamental shrimp.
Good to know
Peppermint shrimp are one of the few reef-safe animals that reliably eat pest Aiptasia anemones, making them a popular natural cleanup choice.
What is in the tanks and each animal's temperament vary — call (814) 456-9445 for pairing advice.
Good tankmates
Plays well with.
Species we’d keep in the same tank, with why each pairing works. What is in the tanks and each animal’s temperament vary — call (814) 456-9445 for advice on pairing.
New to stocking a tank? Read our guide on which fish live together.
Ultra Black Ice
Small, peaceful, and reef-safe. Clownfish are not predatory toward mobile invertebrates and have no documented history of harassing or consuming peppermint shrimp. One of the most widely confirmed reef-community pairings.
Firefish Goby
Completely reef-safe and confirmed to ignore ornamental shrimp. Multiple sources document that Firefish show no predatory interest in anything they cannot swallow whole and coexist peacefully with peppermint shrimp, snails, and hermit crabs.
Green Chromis
Peaceful, small schooling damselfish that is fully reef-safe. Not known to prey on or bother shrimp or other invertebrates. Widely documented as compatible with reef cleanup crews including peppermint shrimp.
Visit the store
660 East 14th Street,
Erie, PA.
Mon–Fri 12–6 · Sat 11–4 · Sun closed. Call ahead on livestock — what's on the floor rotates.