Bamboo Shrimp

Bamboo Shrimp

People like to keep Bamboo Shrimps in their aquarium. These shrimps are 2 to 5 inches in size and can live up to 3 years. They are easy to care for and inexpensive to buy.

Bamboo Shrimp

There are various species of shrimps. Their features and qualities are almost the same but, they have slight differences. 

Their care level is not too difficult. In this article, you will learn about their basic requirements such as diet, tank condition, water requirements, breeding process, habitat, etc. 

Origin

They are native to South East Asia, Bali, Indonesia, Sulawesi, Philippines, Kalimantan, and Sumatera. They are usually originated in the Southeastern sides of Asia and also known as Asian filter-feeding shrimp.

It is difficult to recognize when they were first invented, but local pet stores and bug box tank retailers contain these bamboo shrimps. Atyopsis moluccensis is their scientific name and belongs to the Atyidae family.

The other genus member of bamboo shrimp is Atyopsis spinipes. Two kinds of shrimp’s appearance are almost the same and, they are muddled up. The foremost diversity of both of them is their number of teeth.

Bamboo shrimp has six teeth. When you are purchasing wood shrimp, you must notice carefully; that they are active, have all antennae, legs, and colors.

You should also check that the behavior and they have all limbs, but if any of the limbs is missing is not a big issue. 

Bamboo Shrimp Profile

Name Bamboo shrimp
Common name Rock Shrimp Singapore Shrimp, Fan shrimp, Timber shrimp, Filter Shrimp,  Flower shrimp, Asian Filter Shrimp, Wood Shrimp, Mountain Shrimp, and Marble Shrimp
Scientific name Atyopsis moluccensis
Color ranges Blue, red, brown, creamy white, and green
Care level Moderate
Breeding Too hard
Diet Omnivores, Detritivore
Behavior Calm, non-aggressive
Lifespan 2 to 3 years
Nitrate 20 ppm
Size 2 to 5 inches
Temperature 76 to 82 Fahrenheit
Optimal PH 7.1 to 7.6
Optimal TDS 151 to 200
Optimal KH 3 to 6
Optimal GH 7 to 8
Tank size At least 10 gallons
Family Atyidae
Compatibility Passive Community
Aquarium condition Freshwater with some rocks and many plants
Lighting Normal
Reproduction Egg layer
Kingdom Animalia
Order Decapoda

Habitat

They swim in flowing water such as a river, streams with a medium current. You would create a natural habitat in your tank for bamboo shrimp.

They prefer to live in slow to the medium current flowing. They can found a high quantity of bamboo in rivers and streams, but you can keep it alone in a tank.

Plants are the most vital part of their tank. They get food particles and also shelter from plants. You should add the number of plants to feel them at home.

It is most common to watch them climbing on plants surrounding them. You should also add driftwoods, substrate, lava rocks, and lots of rocks to provide them hiding places or they play on.

Their tanks look not too clean because they live with live plants. Live plants have many tiny edible matters floating in their tank.

Bamboo shrimp care is pretty tranquil and not composite. Their aquarium Ph. level should 7.1 to 7.6 and requires moderate tropical community aquarium lighting.

Like all other shrimps, copper is also fatal for wood shrimp and, you should avoid copper from their water. You have to escape the plant fertilizer pellets too. Because it is lethal or harmful for them when it is melt in the water.

Keep in your mind that they require high oxygenated water. Matten filters and sponge filters are accurate for them. You can add tetra whisper air pump, Carib sea sand substrate, and play sand in their tank. You can decorate their tanks with coconuts, driftwoods, Pvc pipes, etc.

Appearance

They have three fluffy fans and have multiple large sensory antennas. Like many other shrimps, they also have complex eyes. Sometimes bamboo gets pale color occasionally, which means they are stressed. They are also developing pale after molting.

Their color lasts longer until they create a new shell and, it gets hardened. They have four couple of fans to get nutrition and filter tiny food particles from the water.

They hold fans to catch diet and shift to their mouth to consume it. Bamboo shrimp have six body segments and a carapace.

The sixth abdominal segment is their tail. Female bamboo has a larger stomach and has longer pleopods but, males have a slimmer body. They have antennae and eyestalks on their head. They hold the eyes and make sense of the atmosphere correspondingly. 

Body pigments are too imaginative or exciting and, their colors range from red to brown, blue, yellow, sandy green, and creamy white.

Most bamboo has a reddish-brown tint scale, but its colors become alter. Sometimes their hue moves to orange and green.

Behind color, changing is a sign that something went wrong. They have a white and creamy yellow-brown line or stripe on their posterior. It is a too weird fact about them that white lines only happens when they are happy. So you can notice their mood through this line. 

Size

They have 2 to 5 inches in mass. A healthy and fit shrimp can reach almost 2 to 3 inches. They usually have a larger size than most people think. 

Lifespan

Their lifespan is about 2 to 3.5 years. Providing a good diet and accurate water conditions might increase their life. 

Bamboo shrimp diet

They do not take food from the bottom of the tank. They are filter feeders. The most complicated part of these shrimps is their diet. They cannot consume shrimp pellets. It is essential to provide them powdered diet to thrive.

Filter feeder diet typically consists of too few particles such as microorganisms, fish food, crushed fish flakes, microalgae, shrimp food, plant debris, algae powder, and other floating matters in the H20 of a developed tank.

Not all species of shrimps are filter feeders. When substrate o rocks in the tank get disturbed and, food particles can be confused up in the tank.

So you should provide them extra food. It can cause by cleaning the aquarium or the tank decoration. Any nutrition that you are providing them should be proper and fine.

You can offer them high-quality frozen foods, crushed algae, supplements, ground-up flakes, daphnia and also can give them a live diet like decapsulated eggs or brine shrimp.

It is very uncommon for bamboo that they pick up the diet from the tank bottom. It is indications that there is no nutrition, so you should offer them food.

Though they consume only crumbly food, they get dirty too quickly and, their body has too many particles around them. You should add a few tank mates cleaner to make their tank aesthetic look. 

Tank requirements and water condition

You should layer the bottom of the tank floor with the substrate, a few gravel, right sands, and suitable plants. You can also add some decorations and rocks to the substrate top. They help to make the dish active and happy.

They will climb over and remain busy searching for the best current to consume on. Their tank temperature should about 76 to 82° Fahrenheit. If the jar temperature is squat and living in a cold atmosphere, then you should install the heater in their tank to keep the temperature accurate.

A filter is mandatory to keep the tank neat and clean. They enjoy and have fun with sponge filters because they use them for sitting. The filter is also used to increase water movement entire the tank.

You can add an air pump to oxygenate the H20; the aquarium size should be 77 liters or above that. The water hardness should around 3.5 to 10 dKH. The perfect aquarium size for these shrimps is almost 20 gallons or more.

The aquarium condition should parallel to their natural habitat. The water is free from ammonia and nitrites. Add some hiding places in their tank because they hide when molting or when they alter their exoskeleton.

They require hiding objects until the new shell will become hard. Their care level is easy because they can adapt to any tank. Water that contains copper is very harmful to bamboo shrimp.

Bamboo shrimp tank mates

It is a crucial step to choosing tank mates for your little pet fish. Selecting aquarium chums is a decision of either you are given them healthy or long life or their mates cause their death.

You have to preserve your shrimps in a group of fish species, where they feel comfortable and safe. They can live with those tank mates who are not aggressive and dangerous for them because they are too peaceful, calm, and week.

You can combine them with small fish and who require similar water conditions. You must not keep them with crabs or big and aggressive fish such as cichlids, arowanas, predator fish, crayfish, and peacock bass because they are harmful and can eat them.

Dwarf shrimps and little kind of snails are good buddies for them. Shoaling fish kinds such as guppies, tetra, gouramis, and danio are virtuous for them. In lower region water, you can provide the company of loaches, otocinclus catfish, and Kuhli loaches. 

They do well in the presence of 4 to 5 tank buddies. There are various tank mates good for them like: 

  • Ramshorn snails
  • Bee shrimp
  • Ember tetra
  • Sparkling gourami
  • Nerite snails
  • Tangerine tiger shrimp
  • Corys
  • Honey gourami
  • Ottos
  • Chinese algae eaters
  • Cory catfish
  • Malaysian trumpet snails
  • Ghost shrimp
  • Red nose shrimp
  • Black skirt tetra
  • Otocinclus
  • Japanese trapdoor snails
  • Malawa shrimp
  • White wizard snails
  • Blue velvet shrimp
  • Mystery snails
  • Cherry shrimp
  • Vampire shrimp
  • Snowball shrimp
  • Amano shrimp
  • Caridina cf. babaulti

Behavior and temperament

Just like; most of the fish, they are also inoffensive and calm tank fish. They are a nest for the pacific or nonviolent community. They keep them busy throughout the day in filtering and scavenging the H20 for nutrition.

They remain sharp both during night and day. But sometimes more energetic at night, so you should add a lamp or light to see their activities. They usually molt their shells a minimum once a month. They are a little bit lonely.

They love to swim in high flow current of water. They develop a sturdier casing and get bright colors in the well-established aquarium, while their color fades when they are not happy. They can remain in the same pose for many hours.

I see them closely, their fans little out and get ready to pick somewhat tasty. Most of the bamboo shrimps are nocturnal. So it is mandatory to cover the tank top with a proper lid because they might climb out at night. When they climb out of water for a long time, it leads to their death.

Can bamboo shrimp live together? 

Yes, bamboo shrimp can keep with each other and, they do very well. They are initiate in high quantities live together in a barren. You can also place them in a group in one aquarium if you do not have much space.

Though they are solitary individuals, they remain happy towards other shrimps. They do not show hostile behavior to other companions. When you keep them in one chamber, you should increase their tank size.

Single bamboo shrimp require a 20-gallon size for an aquarium. When you put a group of fish kindes, you should add 5-gallon water extra for one fish. 

Common problems

There are no big lists of their health complications. Only two health deficits may occur with these shrimps. These health problems are triggered by their abundant changes in an aquarium or their habitat.

One of the most common snags that aquarists reported about them is their high sensitivity to H20 changes. If you suddenly modify their water constraints, there may be a great chance of their illness and fatal. It is a common issue for any fish but, bamboo can mainly be affected whenever you do this.

You should be careful while changing tank water and change partial water to about 25% in the tank. It is recommended to check the water temperature and hardness before altering. The other main problem that impacts their health is copper.

Like all other shrimps, bamboo shrimps also get affected from the lowest trace of copper in-tank H20 can kill your shrimp. The tank medication contains copper, so you should move the affected fish to another jar. Be sure that the water condition meets their requirements and, the water current should match with the previous tank. 

Cost

Their price depends on whether you are buying from the big shop or local pet stores. It also depends on their size, male vs. female, and their color ranges.

Their buying size is almost 1.75 inches and, their expectancy cost is about $ 21.99. When you increase their magnitude, their price for one fish becomes decreases. 

Bamboo Shrimp Breeding

Breeding of bamboo shrimp is a bit hard than other shrimp. Juvenile fish require brackish or salty water to stay alive, while adult shrimps cannot persist in the brackish or saline water.

It makes it difficult to provide both species accurate water at the same. You must need a breeding tank and place one female and one male bamboo shrimp.

A female bamboo will bring at least 2000 orange eggs in its belly for up to 30 to 40 days. Their eggs’ color shifts into brown with time and, when they mature, they hatch these eggs into larvae. You should covert born larvae into salty water immediately.

The salinity level of H20 should around 1.024. Any little carelessness will cause the fish death. If you left them in freshwater for 48 to 72 hours, it causes them to die. You should add an appropriate sponge filter in the larvae tank.

A small amount of green marine water is the best nutrition for youngers. Within 90 days, larvae become able to swim and, you can transfer them to the main tank. At first, you should make sure to accustom or familiarize bamboo shrimps with freshwater gradually and steadily drooping the salinity. 

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