What happened to our obsession with the Amano shrimp?

[Art]

I remember when the Amano shrimp was a must have in your planted aquarium. Takashi Amano was showing these amazing, algae-free aquascapes and he always used Amano shrimp to get past the initial algae stage and for keeping it at bay later.

I tried to do the same thing. I learned that not common in the US, the Amanos were very expensive. Then, I experienced how they would feel free to crawl out of my aquarium and end up dried up husks around floor.

Typically, short-lived in my aquarium, I gave up on them. I learned to keep algae away without the need of a clean up crew led by the famous Amano shrimp.

Today, Amanos are rarely mentioned to newbies starting the hobby. I don’t see them talked about on forums.

Why did the Amanos flame out over time when they were once reputed to be Amano’s secret weapon against algae?

 

[Unexpected]

For me, I simply can't keep them alive in my water. As for algae, cheaper to do water changes long term.

 

[Pepere]

For me, I simply can't keep them alive in my water.

Do you think it is your low KH?

 

[TheWetScape]

For me personally, I haven’t kept them yet simply because the escape artist aspect and also I know they have a ferocious appetite lol I keep neos in all my tanks, but my new set up I’m definitely considering getting 2 or 3 of them to try out.

 

[Unexpected]

Do you think it is your low KH?

That's my guess.

 

[Tim Harrison]

They're a must for me, as part of a clean up crew, along with otos and cherry shrimp. I guess I'm lucky, they seem to thrive in my tanks. I've hard water, which might have something to do with it.

The females always berry up. I know the larvae always perish, apparently they need salt water to mature.

However, I swear I've had young survive and reach adulthood. But I've read there are a few species other than Caridina multidentata, that appear superficially similar, and which may have different environmental requirements during larval stages.

Oh, and they are accomplished escape artists. If conditions are not to their liking they will crawl out of your tank and go walkabout. I've found them several metres from my tank and still going.

 

[Kwyet]

I still have some in my BiOrb. They can’t get out of that, lol! I used to keep a lot more in other tank, but I don’t like how aggressive they are when food is involved. I’ve also seen them catch and kill fry.

 

[BenB]

For me, I just never had access to them easily that wasn't at a crazy price and then the price doubled with shipping on top of that. Then as time went on, I heard they don't really do that great a job.

I still dream of an amazing nature aquascape though with Amano shrimp.

 

[filmpunk]

Still using them here. They definitely can be aggressive which I never really witnessed until recently. Watched 2 of them fight for a piece of an algae wafer. They also don't care about the fish, when i feed the fish they will swim to the surface to steal food for themselves despite the feeding frenzy from the fish. Haven't had escape artists but the tank is covered.

 

[Koan]

Aquatic Arts is breeding pretty cool yellow, orange (below) and Snow White variants



They come quite small and they sure grow slowly .. In theory I have about a dozen between the oranges and the whites, we'll see what the next clean out shows.

I'm a fan of the whites actually they're pretty sharp. Definitely will make a cool contrast to cherrys, and they can't interbreed

 

[Sb1415]

What kind of lids do people use on rimless tanks with glass Lilly pipes ?

 

[Kwyet]

My go-to material for cheap lids right now is twin-wall polycarbonate. I can cut it easily with a utility knife, and if I need something different down the road it’s not expensive to replace. You can also get very expensive but attractive custom lids of mesh and polycarbonate from various places. You can’t modify them after they’re made though, so make sure you’re not going change your set-up if you go that route.

 

[qwedfg]

I have been looking for some for more than a year and can’t find them locally. I’m interested to try them.

 

[Sb1415]

My go-to material for cheap lids right now is twin-wall polycarbonate. I can cut it easily with a utility knife, and if I need something different down the road it’s not expensive to replace. You can also get very expensive but attractive custom lids of mesh and polycarbonate from various places. You can’t modify them after they’re made though, so make sure you’re not going change your set-up if you go that route.

Thanks. Where do you get them (twin wall polycarbonate) in the US? How is the light penetration with them ?

 

[Kwyet]

Thanks. Where do you get them (twin wall polycarbonate) in the US? How is the light penetration with them ?

I bought mine on Amazon, but I imagine you could find them at Home Depot or Lowe’s. I haven’t checked the difference in par with and without them, but I’ve seen that other people reported that it stayed about the same. They’re made for greenhouse panels, so that would make sense.

Mine are .24 inches thick. They’ll be harder to cut of course if you get a thicker width.

 

[techman81]

Interesting perspective on the Amano.
As a newcomer to the hobby in the last year, I can say that my experience with the talk about them has been much the opposite. When I began studying, I saw them mentioned constantly as a great method to help control algae. As a result, they were absolutely a key part of my first scape along with some cherry shrimp. The cherry quickly disappeared and I found a few of those on the floor around the aquarium but after 6 months, I have pretty much all the Amano shrimp still going strong. They and a small number of nerite snails do great on the algae and I very rarely add any supplemental food for them.

 

[Ernesto]

my personal Caridina multidentata obsession subsided a bit recently after putting some in my living room tank-
they wiped out a complete healthy nymphoides taiwan bush over night

 

[SingAlongWithTsing]

I kinda stopped thinking about them when I got endlers. I think amanos might eat the endler fry. catching them every rescape was a pita too, especially in tanks with a dark background lol.

Think my oldest shrimp is 8 years old when it passed away. still have 2 left and they're around 6 years old. They've been living in a 22 gallon the past 2 years.

 

[wheanors]

they're still a must-have for all of my planted tanks. the only tanks that don't get amanos are my caridina tanks

 

[DutchMuch]

Hi Art,

Firstly, this is a great discussion, and something I’ve also thought about before.

These are just my personal thoughts and opinions based on what I’ve read and seen across the aquascaping community.

Honestly, I think Amano shrimp have dropped in popularity because of pricing and lack of advertising/marketing.

I can’t remember the last time I saw a shrimp breeder actively promoting Amano shrimp. Meanwhile, I see Neocaridinas and other colorful shrimp being marketed almost every day on aquascaping social media and forums.

Amanos just aren’t trendy anymore, especially with so many social media influencers choosing to feature colorful cherry shrimp or other more visually striking species in their scapes.

Pricing also plays a big role, and it varies depending on where you are greatly…. Here in Seattle, my local ADA retailer sells Amanos for around $8 each, which is wild to me. A bit further out, Aquarium Zen has them for $6-$8 each, and Sierra Fish and Pets sells them for about the same.

For the average aquarist, why buy a mostly clear shrimp that blends into the background when you can get a bright red or orange one that stands out and catches your eye for 1/4th of the cost?

Those are my general thoughts on the topic, but now for my own opinion on Amanos themselves.

I absolutely love Amano shrimp. There isn’t a single aquascape I create without them. I think they look fascinating and have unique little personalities that I find both amusing and adorable. They are the perfect size, small enough to make you look closer, but large enough that you’ll definitely notice them.

Mine tend to hide a lot in my tanks, which is actually part of why I love them. When they do decide to come out, it feels like a little moment of joy as they dart across the scape and disappear again under the plant canopies. It’s always a special treat when they show themselves and has me checking constantly to see if I’ll get to see them!

Thank you .