 | Freshwater > Invertebrates > Atyidae |
 | | | |  | Caridina Japonica (Amano Shrimp) |  |  |
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 | Quick Ref. |  | |  Species: Caridina Japonica
| Geo. Location: Japan, Korea
| PH: 6.0 - 7.5
| Temperature: 65 - 82F
| Water Hardness: 2 - 15dh
| Size: 2.0"
| Diet: Plant pieces, algae, fish food
| Difficulty: 2
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|  | | Photo Credit: FishandTips.com | | | | | Notes: Caridina Japonica, also known as Amano Shrimp, Japanese Swamp Shrimp or Yamoto Numa-Ebi, is a very hardy shrimp very well known for its algae eating habit. Named after Takashi Amano who was the first one to introduce it in aquarium, they are nowadays very popular and more broadly available. Originating from the mountainous regions of Japan, most of the Caridina Japonica found in local fish stores are imported from the southern Island of Japan: Kyushu. It can be still difficult to find them in Europe and North America but their distribution has seemed to become more available for the past few years.
Although they will eat red algae, Amano Shrimps will prefer to feed on soft algae. Black brush algae are the only type of algae that these little inverts will not touch. Caridina Japonica have an opaque body with a brown stripe on their back. Their sides are punctuated with discontinued brown lines and they have black and white dots on their tails. They grow usually not bigger than 2 inches. These shrimps have no claws and rely entirely on their mouth to feed themselves. This can be a handicap, because they can not protect themselves against more aggressive species. They should be kept only with smaller fish as small tetras and other shrimp species as they would become a great meal for bigger fish. It is recommended to keep them in groups of four or more.
Amano Shrimps are great CO2 monitors. Very sensitive to the level of CO2 diffused in the water, they will let you know if too much CO2 is present. As Peter Bradley explains in his article in Practical Fishkeeping (August 2002), they will let you know whether you are adding too much CO2 before your fish will. If too much CO2 is added they will die. Observe them carefully. Fertilization must also be controlled carefully.
Amano shrimps are not too demanding regarding water conditions. A Ph between 6 and 7.5 with a water temperature oscillating between 65 and 82F will do just fine. One should however be careful to the level of ammonia in the tank and make frequent water change to keep the water clean. The tank will also have to be covered as these inverts are great escapers. Lots of plants will be provided (Java Moss, Swords…). With a lifespan superior to 3 years, these shrimps are quite hardy and very active. Feeding on small pieces of plants and algae, they will clean your tank very meticulously. It is important not to overfeed them with fish food as they will prefer this richer type of food above algae. Very interesting to observe, they make a great addition to a planted community tank or can be kept in a specialty tank in which case they will not need any heating device or filtration system (as long as the tank is well planted – natural filtration).
| Breeding: Only little is known about the breeding habits of Caridina Japonica. In the wild, they migrate the mountain streams to release their eggs in the sea where they feed primarily on plankton (Peter Bradley). It seems that they do not require saltwater to breed but slightly salty water (Brackish) is accepted. As Peter Bradley explains, the difficulty of breeding this species in pure freshwater is to feed the fry. Indeed, the fry feed on plankton as a first food and plankton is quite difficult if not impossible to keep in freshwater.
To breed them successfully, Amano Shrimps should be kept in shrimp only tank, away from any fish that would disrupt their breeding process or/and eat their eggs/fry. Infusoria must be well established in the breeding tank and a natural light source would be very useful to create green water (required for the parent/fry to feed on). A lot of articles are available on the internet on how to breed this species but most of their authors seem to be confused and divided on the proper way and feasibility of such an accomplishment. Only a few hobbyists have had the experience and privilege to breed this species successfully.
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