Fun Amano Shrimp Facts For Kids

The Amano shrimp (Caridina multidentata) is from the family Atyidae. This algae-eating shrimp is found in the wild parts of Japan, Taiwan, and Korea. It is a freshwater shrimp as it inhabits freshwater marshes and streams.

The body of this algae-eating shrimp is transparent and has dots in a row that are reddish-brown in color. The eyes of this shrimp are large and black in color.

It has long antennae and the legs are also nimble and long and the tail is broad and also transparent. It is easy to differentiate between a male and female Amano shrimp.

A male tends to get attracted to the female through scent and tries to mount the female Amano shrimp.

After some time, the female will let the chosen male mate, and thus, fertilization of the Amano shrimp eggs takes place. Then, these eggs are released and these eggs go through the various stages in brackish water, that is, larval stages.

It has been recorded that in captivity, it is difficult to breed this shrimp, but when the female of this species releases pheromones, a male is housed in the same tank, and in heat, a male tends to swim around the female.

Their lifespan is known to be two to three years. Some other names for this shrimp include algae shrimp, Japanese shrimp, and Yamato shrimp. It is very gripping to know and learn about this shrimp and if you like read about shrimp and mantis shrimp, too. 
 

Amano Shrimp Interesting Facts

What type of animal is an Amano shrimp?

The Amano shrimp is a type of shrimp.

What class of animal does an Amano shrimp belong to?

It is classified under the class of Malacostraca.

How many Amano shrimps are there in the world?

There is no estimation of the total population of these shrimps but it has been recorded that around 200 distinct species of Caridina are distributed all across the globe.

Where does an Amano shrimp live?

These shrimps are found in wild parts of Japan, Taiwan, and Korea.

What is an Amano shrimp's habitat?

The types of habitat that these shrimps inhabit include freshwater marshes and streams. When keeping one as a pet, the water conditions should also be kept in mind as this shrimp requires a specific type of water temperature and ph balance.

Who does Amano shrimp live with?

These shrimps tend to live in groups.

There are certain things that you need to keep in mind when choosing this shrimp as a pet. You must be careful while choosing Amano shrimp tank mates.

It is compatible with some fishes and crustaceans or aquatic animals like apisto borelli, Bolivian ram, pearl gourami, lemon tetras, blue ram, black neon tetra, cory, and dwarf neon rainbow. Other compatible tank mates include cherry shrimp and ghost shrimp.

How long does an Amano shrimp live?

The Amano shrimp lifespan is around two to three years.

How do they reproduce?

It has been observed that the Amano shrimp gets attracted to the scent of the females and in the heat, it tries to mount the female.

During this period, the males of this species tend to get agitated and an increase in their diet is also observed.

After some time, the female will let the chosen male mate, and thus, fertilization of the eggs takes place. Then, these eggs are released and these eggs go through the various stages in brackish water, that is, larval stages.

It has been recorded that in captivity, it is difficult to breed this shrimp, but when the females of this species release pheromones, males are housed in the same tank, and in heat, males tend to swim around the female.

What is their conservation status?

These shrimp species are classified as Least Concern for their conservation status.

Amano Shrimp Fun Facts

What do Amano shrimps look like?

The Amano shrimp has a transparent body with some points that are the reddish-brown line that is broken. The dorsal part of the Amano shrimp has a stripe that is white-colored and this stripe extends from the head towards the tail.

The eyes of this shrimp are black and these eyes are large.

It has long antennae and the legs are also nimble and long and the tail is broad and also transparent. The lower dot row is enlarged in females and thus, it is easy to tell apart the males and females of this shrimp.

How cute are they?

These shrimps are not considered cute.

How do they communicate?

Not a lot is known about the communication of these shrimps. The males and females are seen to be drawn to each other by scent for breeding.

How big is an Amano shrimp?

This shrimp is known to be upwards of 2 in (5 cm) long. It is similar or slightly larger than a ghost shrimp and quite a bit smaller than a peacock mantis shrimp.

How fast can an Amano shrimp run?

The speed of movement of this shrimp is not known.

How much does an Amano shrimp weigh?

The weight of this shrimp species is not known.

What are the male and female names of the species?

Males and females of this species do not have any specific names.

What would you call a baby Amano shrimp?

The baby of this shrimp does not have any specific names. It is simply called a baby Amano shrimp.

What do they eat?

This shrimp species is known to be an algae eater. Algaes that these species eat include brush algae, various types of string algae, and hair algae. The Amano shrimp diet is omnivorous but it tends to mostly feed on soft algae and this is why it is known as the algae-eating shrimp.

When keeping them as pets, it will be required to feed the shrimp as the Amano shrimp diet is comparatively larger than the others. It could be given spirulina flakes, algae wafers, and pellets.

It also feeds on biofilm. These shrimp make quite great pets as the Amano shrimp care is quite easy and manageable and does not require a lot of attention. They tend to keep the tanks clean by eating algae.

Are they poisonous?

This shrimp species is not aggressive or dangerous.

Would they make a good pet?

These shrimps make great pets for the tank as they eat all the algae in the tank and keep the tanks clean. Amano shrimp care is easy and manageable as they do not require much hands-on attention.

The preferred water conditions of this shrimp consist of hard water that is well-circulated with moderately moving currents. The appropriate range of temperature for the Amano shrimp is 70-80 F (21-27 C). It is also believed that the Amano shrimp tends to thrive in higher temperatures, that is, its metabolism and activity increase.

Although the Amano shrimp feeds on algae and leftover food particles of fish food from the bottom, because of its comparatively larger size than other shrimps, it will be required to feed the shrimp food as the Amano shrimp diet is comparatively larger than the others. It could be given spirulina flakes, algae wafers, and pellets.

It also feeds on biofilm. These algae eaters can be quite aggressive during food grabbing.

You need to be very careful when choosing Amano shrimp tank mates as this shrimp is incompatible with a lot of aquatic animals. This shrimp is incompatible with large fishes like cichlids, arowanas, and oscars and large invertebrates like tangerine lobster, crayfish lobster, and the cobalt blue lobster.

Amano shrimp should be kept in a group of around six shrimps. This helps to reduce the dominant or territorial behavior.

Did you know...

Some other common names of the Amano shrimp include algae shrimp, Japanese shrimp, japonica Amano shrimp, and Yamato shrimp.

The Amano shrimp (Caridina multidentata) was introduced around the early 1980s by Takashi Amano in the aquaria world.

Initially, it was named and known as Caridina japonica but in 2006, it was renamed as Caridina multidentata.

Amano shrimp tends to hide a lot among aquarium plants like green Cabomba and this problem is faced by beginners or first-time shrimp keepers.

It has been observed that this freshwater shrimp might sometimes die when added to the tank due to the stress from changes in water parameters and transport.

What fish can live with Amano shrimp?

Fishes that are good tankmates for the freshwater aquarium for Amano shrimp include apisto borelli, Bolivian ram, pearl gourami, lemon tetras, blue ram, black neon tetra, cory, dwarf neon rainbow, guppies, bushynose pleco, danios, hillstream loaches, cardinal tetra, Otocinclus or some other freshwater fish. Other options for the Amano shrimp tankmates include cherry shrimp and ghost shrimp.

Other fishes include harlequin rasbora, platy, and mountain minnows.

How long can Amano shrimp live out of water?

Some shrimps can live for about one day without or outside of water.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other arthropods from our promethea moth facts and Io moth facts pages.

You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable Amano shrimp coloring pages.