These shrimp are probably the most well known and recognized shrimp for captive reef tanks. These shrimp are considered reef safe though sometimes people report that their shrimp sometimes picks on clams or steals food meant for other corals.

These shrimp are known to clean dead scales and parasites from other fish and often set up a cleaning station where other inhabitants know they can go to get a cleaning. These shrimp can often be found upside down in a cave or crevice swaying back and forth as if saying open for business. Any two skunk cleaners form a pair and will breed often providing your tank with beneficial food that your corals and other critters will love.

Shrimp such as these molt frequently (some say their molting coincides with the cycles of the moon with the full moon being when the shrimp molts, makes sense to me but anyways). Don't be alarmed if you bring your new shrimp home and then find what appears to be your shrimp laying motionless at the bottom of your tank the next morning. More often than not it is simply the discarded shell from the molting process. To be sure, check the shell for a body inside. If it's transluscent and doesn't appear to have anything inside then it,s probably just the shell and the shrimp will be out of hiding as soon as it's new shell hardens. Leave the empty shell in the tank as often it will be cosumed by the shrimp to regain some of the nutrients which the shell contains.

One of the many things a molt accomplishes is the ridding of excess iodine. Many aqaurists dose iodine and an alarming number of these don't bother to test for it. I am a firm believer that you should always test what you dose. Too much iodine can force premature molting for shrimp and it may result in the demise of the shrimp.