- Common name
- Amano shrimp
- Scientific name
- Caridina multidentata
- Category
- Freshwater shrimp
- Group
- Atyid grazing shrimp
- Environment
- Freshwater aquarium; larvae require saline water to complete development
- Origin
- Freshwater streams in Japan and Taiwan, with amphidromous larval development
- Care level
- Beginner to intermediate
- Adult size
- Females commonly reach about 5–6 cm; males are usually smaller
- Expected lifespan
- Commonly about 2–3 years; some individuals may live longer under stable conditions.
- Minimum housing
- At least 40 litres for a small group, with mature surfaces and stable filtration
- Temperature
- 20–26 °C
- pH
- 6.0–7.5
- Hardness / minerals
- Unknown — commonly maintained in soft to moderately hard freshwater; stable calcium and magnesium availability supports moulting
- Salinity
- Adults: freshwater. Larvae: saline rearing water; experimental work shows development across about 17–34 ppt
- Lighting
- Normal planted-aquarium lighting with shaded retreats
- Placement / zone
- Bottom and lower surfaces, plants, wood and rock
- Filtration
- Use mature biological filtration with a fine sponge or guarded intake that cannot capture shrimp or larvae. Provide gentle-to-moderate circulation, biofilm surfaces and rapid removal of uneaten food.
- Aeration
- Maintain reliable surface exchange and oxygenated bottom water, especially in warm planted systems and during moulting. Avoid carbon-dioxide or medication practices that reduce oxygen or expose invertebrates to copper.
- Maintenance
- Feed a complete diet rather than relying on algae, remove leftovers, perform stable mineral-matched water changes, clean intake guards, preserve biofilm and inspect moulting, body condition and escape routes.
Identity and search names
Use for true Amano shrimp. Similar transparent Caridina and wild-collected shrimp should not be assigned this identity without evidence.
Search names: Caridina japonica, Yamato shrimp, Japanese algae shrimp
Environment and housing
Mature wood, plants, moss, rock crevices and guarded filter intakes.
Social structure: Peaceful and social; keep several where possible. They do not require a rigid school.
Feeding and nutrition
Feeding ecology: Biofilm, algae, detritus and measured shrimp foods; not a suspension-filter feeder
Feeding routine: One or two measured feeds daily; adapt to body condition and species ecology
Breeding, reproduction or spread
Females carry eggs in freshwater, but larvae hatch as plankton and require controlled saline rearing before metamorphosis.
Detailed care and app-ready planning
- Identity scope
- Use for true Amano shrimp. Similar transparent Caridina and wild-collected shrimp should not be assigned this identity without evidence.
- Adult size and space
- A small group can use 40 litres or more, but stable mature surface area and low predator pressure matter more than volume alone.
- Social structure
- Peaceful and social; keep several where possible. They do not require a rigid school.
- Swimming zone or placement
- Mostly grazes bottom and lower surfaces but can swim throughout the aquarium.
- Feeding ecology
- Scrapes biofilm, soft algae and detritus from surfaces.
- Feeding plan
- Feed sparingly after lights-out or in several locations; remove persistent leftovers and verify smaller shrimp gain access.
- Water stability
- Avoid ammonia, nitrite, copper exposure and abrupt changes in temperature, pH or mineral content.
- Habitat structure
- Mature wood, plants, moss, rock crevices and guarded filter intakes.
- Compatibility plan
- Avoid puffers, larger cichlids, predatory loaches and fish that hunt crustaceans.
- Breeding or reproduction plan
- Use a separate controlled larval system; do not add salt to the adult display in an attempt to rear larvae.
- Quarantine
- Observe new shrimp separately for mortality, parasites, fungal growth and failed moults; avoid copper-contaminated equipment.
- Welfare checks
- Check grazing activity, body condition, complete moults, egg carriage, unusual colour loss and unexplained deaths.
- Biosecurity and release
- Never release shrimp, larvae or aquarium water. Confirm Australian and state import and possession rules.
- Main risk
- Predation, copper exposure, unstable water or starvation in an aquarium assumed to contain enough algae.
- Adult projected load
- Individual body load is low, but a working group plus supplemental food and moults creates a real biological load. Larval rearing adds separate saline water, tiny feeds and frequent hygiene demands.
- Filtration
- Use mature biological filtration with a fine sponge or guarded intake that cannot capture shrimp or larvae. Provide gentle-to-moderate circulation, biofilm surfaces and rapid removal of uneaten food.
- Aeration
- Maintain reliable surface exchange and oxygenated bottom water, especially in warm planted systems and during moulting. Avoid carbon-dioxide or medication practices that reduce oxygen or expose invertebrates to copper.
- Maintenance
- Feed a complete diet rather than relying on algae, remove leftovers, perform stable mineral-matched water changes, clean intake guards, preserve biofilm and inspect moulting, body condition and escape routes.
- Overridable warnings
- Non-overridable: use shrimp-safe water treatment, guarded filtration, stable minerals and no release. Breeding requires a separate controlled saline larval system; moving adults permanently into salt water is not an acceptable shortcut.
- Identity
- Caridina multidentata is the accepted name; Caridina japonica is a historical synonym still common in the aquarium trade.
- Environment
- Provide a mature cycled aquarium with biofilm-rich wood, plants, rock, gentle refuges and an intake guard.
- Feeding
- Do not assume visible algae is enough. Supplement with small measured portions of shrimp food, blanched plant material and protein occasionally.
- Breeding
- Females carry eggs in freshwater, but larvae hatch as plankton and require controlled saline rearing before metamorphosis.
- Adult size and space
- A small group can use 40 litres or more, but stable mature surface area and low predator pressure matter more than volume alone.
- Biosecurity and release
- Never release shrimp, larvae or aquarium water. Confirm Australian and state import and possession rules.
- Welfare Risk
- Failed moults, intake injuries and chronic food competition are the main welfare concerns.
Compatibility, welfare and risk
Compatibility: Peaceful fish and invertebrates that will not eat or harass shrimp
Welfare: Failed moults, intake injuries and chronic food competition are the main welfare concerns.
Main warning: It is a grazing shrimp, not a filter-feeding shrimp. Adults do not reproduce successfully in ordinary freshwater aquaria because larvae require saline development.
Biosecurity and release
Never release shrimp, larvae or aquarium water. Confirm Australian and state import and possession rules.