The Amano Shrimp is named after the Japanese photographer who discovered the species. Will Amano be the right choice for you? With what animals can it live in harmony? Why should you keep your pet company? Check what conditions you have to provide for this shrimp if you want to join the group of its breeders. Read more about it now!
Where does the Amano Shrimp come from?
Amano is an interesting shrimp that started getting interested quite late. This species was not discovered until the 1980s by Japanese Takashi Amano. In nature, the Amano shrimp can be found in Korean and Japanese rivers. It is also common in Taiwan and Madagascar. Interesting appearance and ease of breeding made this freshwater shrimp a good home in home aquariums. Do you want to join the group of its fans? First, check what it looks like!
Amano Shrimp and Their Appearance
The Amano shrimp is distinguished by a rather distinctive appearance. How do these algae eaters surprise? Their body is gray, but you will notice a light stripe on their backs and dark spots on the sides. The animal is not very large, and the largest representatives of this species reach a maximum of 4-5 cm in length.
Male and female appear slightly different. First of all, the male is larger and his spots are in the form of loose dots. In the female, the spots are arranged in lines, so you will not have any problems with distinguishing the sex of Amano shrimps.
Amano Shrimp – Requirements
This species of shrimp feels bad alone, so you should take the whole herd under your roof. In order for home breeding Amano to work well, there are a few important things you need to do. What is the most important? A safe shelter and a nutritious diet that will provide Japanese shrimp with all the nutrients necessary for health.
Which aquarium for Amano should I choose?
Amano Shrimp needs a suitable water tank. Experienced aquarists recommend keeping at least a few shrimps together, so you need to invest in a tank with a minimum capacity of 40 liters. The more Amano you are going to breed, the bigger the aquarium you have to prepare for them.
Amano Aquarium and its parameters
The conditions that should prevail in the tank are:
- water hardness – approx. 5.5-8 pH;
- temperature – from 22 to 25 degrees Celsius.
These parameters can be achieved with appropriate filters and heaters, which should be fitted to a professional aquarium. Also remember that the water in your Amano Shrimp Tank should be clean and, above all, free of ammonia and nitrite. The presence of such substances in the water is a serious threat and a frequent cause of serious disease among shrimp.
Amano shrimp and aquarium vegetation
There is no shortage of vegetation in an Amano shrimp aquarium. It will improve the animal’s well-being and will have a positive effect on the appearance of the tank. The more green that appears in it, the better. What plants can you choose for your home shrimp?
Which species will work best? This is especially:
- cryptocoryne – an aquarium plant that is valued by breeders for its resistance. Its characteristic feature are slightly folded leaves (their length reaches 15 cm);
- spherical seaweed – a plant that deserved to be called a national treasure in Japan. The seaweed is in the form of a green ball made of thin threads of the thallus. Aquarists appreciate it for its ease of cultivation and endurance.
Amano prawn and roommates
Amano is not a loner type. A single shrimp usually hides in safe places, only occasionally exposing itself to the public view. Pets of this species need neighbors and feel best around other Amano shrimps. However, you can keep it in the same tank with other animals, such as gladiolus or seagoons. It is important that the fish accompanying the shrimp are neither too large nor too aggressive.
What is the Amano Shrimp Diet like?
In order for your prawn to enjoy its health, you need to take care of its proper diet. Amano is an omnivorous animal, although algae are the greatest delicacy for this shrimp. So if you have a fish tank at home, this pet can help you in your fight to keep your tank clean.
However, algae alone are not enough to keep the shrimp in good shape.
You can feed Amano shrimps with artificial foods, which are found in most pet stores, but not only them. The menu of your shrimps can also be extended with other delicacies, e.g.
- insect larvae;
- vegetables and fruits.
Amano shrimp – reproduction
One of the biggest challenges for breeders of these shrimps is their reproduction. They are oviparous animals, but in breeding there is practically no chance of successfully increasing their population. Why?
The Amano Shrimp is oviparous, but needs the right conditions to reproduce in captivity. Do you want to increase her chances of getting offspring? Remember a few rules.
- Prepare a separate aquarium for the female.
- It should have a capacity of 40 liters and a filter.
- The water in the female’s tank must be well aerated and its temperature should be around 21 degrees Celsius.
How To Care For A Little Amano Shrimp?
How to take care of small pets? Here are some more tips.
- When eggs appear in the tank, you need to quickly catch them and place them in the tank of brackish water.
- If everything goes according to your plan, after a while, a larva will hatch from the egg, and it will begin to pupate approximately 3 weeks after hatching.
- The larvae, like the eggs, also need your support. In their case, additional feeding is very important (e.g. with special tablets, which are available in specialized stores).
- After a month, the larvae turn into shrimps which soon begin to feed on their own.
- During the third month of the Amano Shrimp’s life, you can gradually reduce the salinity of the water in the tank and slowly tame it with the community aquarium. Unfortunately, only experienced and persistent breeders reach this stage.
Amano shrimps – price
Want to know how much Amano Shrimp costs? You have to pay about PLN 10 for one piece. The pet store offers are quite varied, as are the advertisements of breeders. Try to only buy your prawns from reliable sources and avoid questionable breeders.
Fun facts about Amano
Do you know that:
- this species of shrimp was discovered by the Japanese Takashi Amano only in the 1980s?
- the average life expectancy of this animal is 3 years, but if you provide the Amano shrimp with good conditions, it can live up to 5 years?
- because Amano is the most abundant in Japan, it is often called Japanese shrimp?
- lonely Amano shrimp does not feel well in an empty aquarium, therefore tries to stay hidden?
Takashi Amano and his natural aquariums
When writing about Amano shrimps, it is impossible to ignore such an interesting and meritorious figure for the world aquarium hobby, which is Takashi Amano. He is an explorer of shrimps that are successfully used today to fight algae in aquariums. However, more merit can be credited to him. This Japanese photographer is very knowledgeable about fish, shrimp and aquatic plants. Importantly, he can use it in an appropriate way.
What does the Amano shrimp explorer do?
His passion for aquariums quickly turned into a specific activity. In 1984, the Japanese founded the company Aqua Design Amano (also known as ADA). The goal of this company is to create such technologies that even amateurs will be able to create a beautiful and natural aquarium. His company also deals with fertilization systems and the production of decorations for tanks with fish and aquariums.
The Amano shrimp is an interesting freshwater animal that is becoming more and more important in the world’s aquarium hobby. Do you have an aquarium with small and gentle fish at home or are you going to start a shrimp aquarium? In both cases, Amano can turn out to be a very good ally in the fight against algae.