Camel Shrimp (Dancing Shrimp, Candy Shrimp)


camel shrimp (Rhynchocinetes durbanensis)

The camel shrimp (Rhynchocinetes durbanensis) is a small marine shrimp from the Indo-Pacific. It is also commonly called the dancing shrimp or the candy shrimp.

It belongs to the family Rhynchocinetidae.

It is a scavenger and will eat almost all marine aquarium fare. Due to its feeding habits it helps to keep the aquarium clean; eating food that has fallen into crevices that larger animals can't get to.

Unlike other small marine shrimps of similar size, the camel shrimp is not a cleaner shrimp, meaning that it doesn't remove the parasites from fish like the cleaner shrimps do.

Camel shrimps (dancing shrimps) like to be kept together in groups of at least six. A solitary specimen is unlikely to be happy.

You should provide lots of rockwork in their aquarium for hiding places. If you keep this shrimp in a reef tank be forewarned that they sometimes bother soft corals.

Males can usually be distinguished from females because their claws are larger.

Camel shrimp can generally be purchased for between $5-7 each.