Amano Shrimp are known for their exceptional ability to consume large amounts of algae, their peaceful nature and busy-body personality all of which has made them very popular.  Their resilient and hardy nature makes them perfect for people looking to try invertebrates in their tank for the first time.

Amano Shrimp are native to Asia, specifically Japan, China and also Taiwan. They will live in large troupes within freshwater rivers and streams. Only the adults live in freshwater, the larvae require brackish water to hatch and survive and once they mature they head up to the freshwater rivers.

Behavior If you plan on keeping Amano Shrimp it is recommended that you do not keep them alone. You should keep them in a group of at least 6 to help reduce any dominant behavior. In addition to keeping them with their own species, you can also keep them with other peaceful Shrimp such as Cherry Shrimp and Ghost Shrimp.

When kept in an aquarium they should live between 2-3 years. Usually, the risky time is the first few weeks after they are added to your tank. So if they survive that, they should live a long life.

Tank Conditions Your tank should be thoroughly planted. This provides them with lots of shelters and gives them comfort.  Use plants such as Java Moss and Green Cabomba and if you want to add even more hiding places for them you could consider Shrimp tubes. You can also add wooden branches into the tank.  Second, only add them to established tanks; debris and algae are crucial for them and this won’t be present in newly setup tanks.  For substrate, use small rocks and pebbles to emulate the river beds of Japan.  A shrimp feeding dish is recommended to prevent food from dropping down between the pebbles and rotting.

They are reasonably hardy invertebrates and can withstand a wide range of water conditions.  In their natural environment, they are used to river currents so a hang on back filter works best for them. They need to be kept in at least a 40 litre aquarium which you can keep at least 5 Shrimp.  As a rule of thumb, you can add 1 Amano Shrimp per 8 litres.   But, it obviously depends on the number, and species, of fish you have in the tank.  They have such a small bioload that you don’t need to worry about overstocking the tank.

Compatibility  They are an incredibly peaceful species and have no real means to defend themselves. You can include peaceful, small to mid-sized, community fish, other shrimp or snails with your Shrimp. The following list of fish typically does well with them:

Cherry Shrimp, Ghost Shrimp, Bamboo and Vampire Shrimp, Mystery Snails, Nerite Snails, Malaysian Snails, Guppies,Tiger Barb, Neon Tetras, Otocinclus Catfish, Cory Catfish, Bristlenose Pleco etc.

You should not keep your Shrimp with any large or aggressive fish. The following list will give you a good indication of which types of fish to avoid:

Cichlids, Goldfish, Arowanas, Bettas, Oscars, Large Plecos, Crayfish, Gourami etc.

When choosing take mates use the rule of thumb: “if it can fit in their mouth, then exercise caution”.

Feeding Amano Shrimp are famous for feeding on algae.  They are known as being one of the best cleanup crews in the hobby and will devour plant debris, leftover food, and algae.  They will eat hair algae, brush algae, most types of string algae, and are one of the few things that will even eat black beard algae. However, there is a trick to their success; they are only really good algae eaters when they’re hungry. To get them hungry you have to refrain from feeding them food so they will go after the algae.

They have also been known to eat dead fish. Unfortunately due to their reputation, many people believe that they only need algae and leftovers to survive, this is not true. They will always need their diet supplementing. Obviously the more amounts of algae and debris in the tank for them to graze on, the less supplementing they will need.

They are actually omnivores, so will eat both meat and plant matter.  The core of their diet should consist of a high-quality pellet or algae wafer. However, you can also feed them on sinking pellets, frozen foods, and vegetables.

Care Amano Shrimp are one of the hardiest and least demanding invertebrates and they don’t require much specialist care.

They are surprisingly resilient to ammonia spikes; however if at all possible avoid rapid any pH or temperature drops.

You should pay special attention to them when they molt; this is when they are most vulnerable. You should expect them to shed monthly if they are well fed and feel secure.

Just like Cherry Shrimp and most other invertebrates, you should avoid anything with Copper (medications and ornaments) in the tank as it is toxic to most invertebrates. Be sure to check the labels as many fish foods and medication contain Copper.