Keeping Amano shrimp: an aquarium for adult animals

Adult Amano shrimp, Caridina multidentata, live in freshwater. Provide a furnished, covered aquarium with functioning biological filtration, grazing space and suitable food. Buy them only if you intend to care for them after the visible algae problem disappears.

Check three aspects of the aquarium

• Accessible living space: distribute wood, plants and other surfaces with refuges. Design for adult animals and the whole stock, not just their shop size.
• Secure boundaries: close gaps around hoses and cables with suitable material without obstructing ventilation or filtration. Shrimp can climb.
• Water and food: compare measured conditions with appropriate species information and the existing group. Observe feeding to check that shrimp actually reach food alongside fish.

Caridina does not automatically mean a low-KH bee aquarium with active substrate here. Use the water-choice guide for your available source. Do not judge water quality solely from clarity or a reputation for Amano being hardy.

Grazers still need a diet

Keepers describe Amano as active grazers that also carry away offered food. This is a reason to check food access, not proof that all algae or scraps supply complete nutrition. The separate Amano feeding article helps select a portion for your aquarium.

Eggs do not mean a freshwater colony

A female can carry eggs in a freshwater aquarium. Larvae nevertheless have a separate development requiring saline water, investigated for C. multidentata by Kondo and colleagues. That research does not justify adding salt to the adult aquarium. If your aim is juveniles growing in one freshwater tank, compare Neocaridina davidi.

With sudden climbing, reduced activity or losses, investigate changes in water, oxygen provision, additions or food. Use the problem approach rather than automatically treating the behaviour as an ordinary escape attempt.

Sources and scope

• Kondo, Hamasaki & Dan (2021): Caridina larval performance
• The Shrimp Farm: Amano shrimp, diet and observed feeding behaviour
• LICG: Zoetwatergarnaal
• UF/IFAS: Ammonia in Aquatic Systems

The larval study tests development under temperature and salinity conditions, not optimum adult water. Other sources provide general housing advice and reported feeding experience. The check sequence is editorial.