Mr and Mrs Amano

[Anubia]

Yesterday I relented and gave the shrimps some pellets as some of them looked a bit empty down the middle. My two Amano shrimp had a bit of a scuffle, which I attributed to the foid, and then started a few episodes of brief rumpy pumps. Oh good, I thought, even if I have never seen a shrimp moult (despite spending long periods of time staring at flexing shrimp) at least I have seen them mating. Then a few seconds later the female (I think) stretched out and pulled off her exoskeleton. I was delighted. I left it in the tank, not wanting to disturb her, and the cherry shrimp all came marching over and started fighting over it, eating off it for a shirt while and then leaving it. Mrs A had to release and straighten out her longest antennae, first one side and then the other. It was a quick moult and as she sashayed off, I wondered if there would be more events waiting to happen. I would like to try to get any shrimplets to survive. Is anyone good at breeding Amano shrimps?

[Anubia]

I have always wondered about the antennae. It looks as if they develop under the exoskeleton and then come out stuck to the sides of the shrimp until waggled loose.

[Martinspuddle]

Amano shrimps breeding = Salt water I'm afraid, some have managed it, main issue seems to be feeding larvae.

Further reading: Breeding Amano Shrimp (Caridina multidentata)

[Vale!]

So far as I understand it one has to replicate their natural breeding environment. When hatched the wee shrimplets are swept downriver, through the intertidal zone and finally to the sea where they mature. They then march (literally so, on land if they have to!) back upriver to breed.

So breeding indoors must involve catching the zoes as soon and transferring them to saltwater - I guess within a day or so if they can't be caught at first appearance. Possibly the salinity has to be managed over time to get them, once grown a bit, back into freshwater, but I'm not sure about that. I'm sure there's lots of success stories on the internet that you could find.


The shrimplets are more properly called 'zoes', by the way - this term might improve results from an internet search if you're minded to investigate further!

[ Edit to acknowledge Mr. Spuddle's interposed post]

[plankton]

I tried 4 times to get them raised, but gave up. It's a lot of trial-and-errors to get it right, and it winds up expensive.....(and annoys Mrs P.! )

[Anubia]

Thank you everyone for the info. The Shrimp Farm Web page is excellent! They are funny little things! I thought I might use some Sea Monkey food and water prep, but I will have to wait and see if she becomes berried first. My AS are quite small ones.