Bamboo Shrimp

The Bamboo Shrimp (Atyopsis moluccensis) is a freshwater shrimp and originally comes from the Indonesian island group of the Moluccas. Its natural habitat are areas of warm rivers with strong currents. With its size of around 8-10cm, it is one of the larger shrimp species. The body color of this fan shrimp is very variable and can range from light to dark brown and red and is decorated with a dark striped pattern. Some animals also have a light dorsal line.

Care in the aquarium

Due to its size, the Bamboo Shrimp requires an aquarium with at least 60cm edge length or 54 liters capacity. Since these are group animals, at least 3, preferably 5 or more, animals should be cared for together. Above all, the aquarium must have good current or at least zones with good flow in order to enable it to consume food. In our tank, the animals sit together in the current all day and filter for food particles in the water. The water can be soft to hard and should have a temperature between 22 and 30°C. The Bamboo Shrimp is an absolutely peaceful species of shrimp that can easily be kept in company with much smaller species of fish and invertebrates, as long as they are also peaceful and feel comfortable under the same conditions.

Feeding

Like all fan shrimp, the Bamboo Shrimp is a filter feeder. With its long fan-like bristles on the first two pairs of walking legs, it filters food particles from the water in the current and guides them to its mouthparts. There should be some mulch in the aquarium and supplementary feeding with suitable dust food. Spirulina and chlorella powder, powdered foods for shrimps and of course special foods for fan shrimp such as Shrimp King Atyopsis from Dennerle are well suited.

Sexual characteristics and breeding

Sex determination is usually only possible in sexually mature animals. Juveniles and males have a narrower underside of the abdomen, while sexually mature females have a wider underside that covers the swimming legs like a “skirt”. This widening of the abdomen serves to protect the eggs, which the female carries and cares for between her swimming legs until they hatch. Also, female Bamboo Shrimp are significantly larger than the males. Atyopsis moluccensis belongs to the primitive reproductive type and requires salt water to reproduce. In contrast to shrimp of the specialized reproductive type, the females of the Bamboo Shrimp do not release finished shrimplets, but rather several hundred larvae, which in nature are washed into salt water and go through several larval stages until they develop into finished shrimp and return to fresh water. Therefore, in a freshwater aquarium breeding is not possible.