Saron marmoratus

(Olivier, 1811)

Marble Shrimp

Range: Indo-West Pacific Ocean: Red Sea to Hawaii.

Size: 2 inches (5 cm)

Natural Environment: Inhabits coral reef environments and usually seen among corals and in rubble areas and not seen at depths below 40 feet (12 m).

General Husbandry: Occasionally seen in the home aquarium trade.

Fairly hardy and do well, except in reef aquariums where their favorite meal is coral polyps.

Will take a variety of meaty foods, e.g., small pieces of fish/shrimp flesh, and once sensing food entering the aquarium, will usually come out of hiding and go directly towards the food. Feed once daily.

These are solely nocturnal animals, and have the ability to change colors to match their background. Yet, they are usually a mottled green, becoming a light red at night.

Should be maintained singly or in mated pairs. Males have much longer foreclaws than females, sometimes as long as their body. The female has a very pronounced curved abdomen.

Taxonomy:

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Arthropoda

Class: Malacostraca

Order: Decapoda

Family: Hippolytidae

Genus: Saron

FYI: NOT SAFE WITH CORALS.

Experience Level: Intermediate

Diet: Omnivore

Temperament: Peaceful

Aquarium Environment: Fish-only aquarium

Coral Safe: No

Fish Safe: Yes

Invertebrate Safe: Yes

Acclimation Time: Shrimp are 'very' sensitive to specific gravity/salinity changes. Therefore, be sure to adjust the bag's water to that of the aquarium in which it will be placed by slowly adding small amounts of aquarium water to the bag every few minutes. In most cases, this process should take at least 15 minutes.

Aquarium Hardiness: Moderately hardy

Calcium (Ca): 380 - 430 mg/l

Alkalinity: 2.5 - 3.0 meq/l

Phosphate (PO4): <0.05 mg/l

Magnesium (Mg): approx. 1350 mg/l (relate to specific gravity) Extremely important for molting!

Strontium (Sr) 8 - 10 mg/l

Iodine (I) Trace element additives containing iodine should be used as recommended by their makers, as iodine is also vital for the molting process.

Temperature Range: 72 - 83°F (22 - 28°C)

Minimum Tank Size: 30 gallons

Lighting: PAR ratings N/A

Water Movement: WM 1 - 2

Specific Gravity: 1.023 - 1.025

pH: 8.0 - 8.4