Amano Shrimp

Common Name: Amano Shrimp, Yamato Shrimp
Scientific Name: Caridina Multidenata
Genus:  Caridina
Wild Origin: Japan, Taiwan
Adult Size: 2+ in (Listing is for juvenile specimen 0.75-1.5" average)

**Note:  All livestock orders will come carefully packaged with solid wall Styrofoam insulation and shipped via 1-day shipping only. No additional insulation is needed for your livestock.

The Amano Shrimp is the OG of all freshwater shrimp. Popularized in the 1990s by aquascaper Takashi Amano, this species revolutionized the hobby by proving to be an invaluable asset to any algae clean-up crew. Larger and hardier than most dwarf shrimp, Amanos are famous for their voracious appetite for nuisance algae, including the stubborn hair and string varieties that other shrimp ignore. They feature a translucent body decorated with a pattern of broken tan or brown horizontal lines and a subtle stripe running down the back.

Amano Shrimp are incredibly resilient and long-lived, often reaching 2–3 years in a stable environment. Unlike delicate "Bee" shrimp, Amanos are tolerant of a very wide range of water parameters, making them the perfect companions for community tanks with larger fish. They are active, peaceful, and constantly on the move, scavenging every corner of the shrimp aquarium to keep the ecosystem balanced and pristine.

Check out our guide on the different substrates that can help achieve ideal water parameters for these shrimp: Best Substrate for Shrimp

 Key Features & Important Notes

• Tank-raised specimen
  
• Renowned for eating hair algae, string algae, and the most common nuisance varieties.
• Larger than Neocaridina, making them less likely to be preyed upon in community tanks.
• Thrives in a massive range of pH and temperature settings once acclimated.
• To increase survival rates, please allow 2-3 business days after placing an order to properly prepare live animal shipments

Recommended Water Parameters
Listed information should be treated as general guidelines only. We encourage you to do thorough research before committing to keeping any livestock.

• Temperature Range: 65°–84°F
• pH:  6.5-8.0
• TDS: 80- 450 ppm
• GH: 1-15 dGH
• KH: 1-10 dKH

Recommended Tank Size
10+ gallons, minimum. While they can fit in 5-gallon setups, their high activity level and size make them much better suited for 10-gallon tanks or larger.

Diet
Omnivorous. Amano Shrimp are primarily algae eaters. They will scavenge for biofilm, decaying plant matter, and leftover fish food. We recommend supplementing their diet with plant-based pellets, spirulina, and blanched vegetables to ensure they receive proper minerals for molting.

Breeding
Breeding Amano Shrimp is uniquely challenging. They require brackish water for breeding, and raising their young beyond the larval stage is demanding. Amano Shrimp are sensitive to water quality, making them more expensive in the aquarium trade. They are often wild-caught, have a lifespan of 2-3 years in captivity, and require special care during introduction to their new environment.

While females will often become "berried" in freshwater, the larvae require a transition into brackish or saltwater to survive their early life stages before returning to freshwater as juveniles. Because of this complex "low-order" reproductive cycle, most Amano Shrimp in the hobby are either wild-caught or raised in specialized professional facilities.

Check out our blog article to learn more about how to breed freshwater shrimp.