Plant eating capacity: Low
Algae eating capacity: Moderate to High

The Amano shrimp, named after the person who introduced it to aquarists, is called by the following additional names: Yamato Numa Ebi, Japanese Marsh Shrimp, Yamato, and Caridina japonica (the scientific name). It looks somewhat like the rainbow shrimp I have kept. Apparently, it is rare to find one in the United States. This shrimp prefers brackish (which means some salt, between freshwater and seawater) waters and grows to about two inches. They should be kept below 80 degrees F since they are not a tropical species. Temperatures in the 60's and 70's are preferred.

They have not spawned often in captivity often because they require saline waters with lots of plankton. The larvae require brackish water to grow. A female can carry 1000 to 2000 eggs so the larvae are very small and need protozoans and algae to eat. Some breeding is reported in Germany. One idea is that Amano shrimp naturally live in streams and release their eggs there. Then the larvae float to the sea where they undergo nine changes before migrating back into the streams.
One aquarist had success breeding the shrimp by alternating cycles of lights on for a few weeks with a week of lights off. The dark period apparently allowed the baby shrimp to remain "invisible" to hungry adult shrimp and small fish. Java moss and Amazon swords were the predominate plants in the tank.

Amano shrimp are brown with a tan stripe down their back and brown lines on their sides according to one report but that describes my rainbow shrimp! Most photos of Amano shrimp show a shrimp that looks nothing like that. They are mostly clear with spots along their sides. They lack large claws and live longer than most freshwater shrimp. They are supposed to eat soft and red algas. Unlike other shrimp, one shrimp web site says that they eat directly with their mouth and do not use their hands while a few people who have kept them say that they do use their hands (they have seen it). On 2/1/02, I added three shrimp sold as "Japonica" shrimp to my 20 gallon tank. One was dead the next morning. They are larger and lighter than my rainbow shrimp and have little dashes along their sides. They like to sit on leaves and use their little hands to bring algae to their mouths. I have seen it! I hope they can survive in my tank. A photo is above but it is not very good. By 5/10/02, I have not seen the Amano shrimp in many months. They are presumed dead. I did see a rainbow shrimp in that tank on 5/4/02 though which I had not seen in a long time so who knows.

Info used with permission from Robyn

Live animal shipping cannot be combined with any aquarium plant or aquarium supply shipping

Live animal shipping cannot be combined with any aquarium plant or aquarium supply shipping

Algae eating capacity: Moderate

Bumble bee shrimp only grow to an inch long and eat algae. Bumble bee shrimp belong to the family Atydae. A hybrid version of the bumble bee shrimp is the Crystal Red shrimp. They have light black stripes down their backs like bumble bees. They prefer temperatures in the low 70's F and slightly acidic water. Bumble bee shrimp will eat fish food, soft moss, vegetable matter, and soft algas. One keeper reports that they prefer fish food and do not eat much algae. They are active and peaceable. Bumble bee shrimp are supposed to be easy to breed on a diet of fish food. Unfortunately, they only live to about 15 months of age. Neocaridina species are similar to bumble bee shrimp in many ways. My local fish store had some bumble bee shrimp for sale for about $2 but they were very small, about the size of adult brine shrimp. At that size, even small fish might eat them, or they could get sucked into the filter intake. For more information on bumble bee shrimp including the Crystal Red
Information used with permission from Robyn

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Survive in aquariums: Yes
Survive in warm ponds: No
Survive in cold ponds: No
Plant eating capacity: Low
Algae eating capacity: Moderate to High

I bought two red cherry shrimp for my 20 gallon tank on 12/27/02. I am not sure what species they are but they may be a Palaemon species. The store said they grow to 3 inches but mine are both under half an inch long
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Live animal shipping cannot be combined with any aquarium plant or aquarium supply shipping

Survive in aquariums: Yes
Survive in warm ponds: Yes
Survive in cold ponds: Yes

Clam shrimp (Conchostraca) are interesting little shrimp that look like 0.5 inch clams. They prefer warm, shallow waters. One species is Cyzicus mexicanus.
Information used with permission from Robyn

Survive in aquariums: Yes
Survive in warm ponds: Yes
Survive in cold ponds: Depends on species

Fairy shrimp, or Anostraca, show up occasionally in ponds or can be bought. They swim with their many appendages waving above them, as if they are doing the back float. There are about 25 species, including the very well known brine shrimp (see above) which prefers brackish water. Most species can produce either live young or leave eggs, which upon drying completely, hatch when again wet. These species are often used to feed fish. Maximum lengths are less than an inch. A few species include Branchinecta paludosa and Eubranchipus vernalis. There are in fact some arctic species like Artemiopsis stefanssoni.
Information used with Permission from Robyn

Survive in aquariums: Yes
Survive in warm ponds: Yes
Survive in cold ponds: Yes or No (depends on how cold)
Plant eating capacity: Low
Algae eating capacity: Low to Moderate

Ghost shrimp may also be called glass or grass shrimp. Ghost shrimp belong to the genus Palaeomonetes. Both Palaemonetes kadakensis and P. paludosus are found in freshwater. There are also brackish water species. Ghost shrimp are often sold as "feeders" for all sorts of aquatic life. I have found that they live in ponds at least as low as the 50's degrees F. They probably will not survive the winter (I added more after winter so cannot tell these apart from shrimp from last year); plus, their life spans are not that long (1 to 1.5 years). I have also yet to find out if they breed in ponds. Females carry developing eggs under their swimmerets or legs until they are ready to be released. In aquaria, the tiny newborns usually get eaten. Yet, there are a few success stories but the aquarists do not know what made the difference in the babies' survival. See the next few paragraphs for recounting of a few successes. Adding java moss and other plants that create hiding spots help increase the likelihood that some babies could survive being eaten. Ghost shrimp are clear except for any food in their digestive tract and any dark balls (babies) under mature females. They also have a orangish yellow dot at each side of their tail. They prefer leftover fish food and small pieces of plant and animal material to eat but will also catch and eat fry.

Female ghost shrimp with eggs are easy to identify. They carry small dark balls under their swimmerets. When she moves around, she often mixes them up by moving her swimmerets. This keeps them well provided with oxygen.

Information used with permission from Robyn

Live animal shipping cannot be combined with any aquarium plant or aquarium supply shipping

Live animal shipping cannot be combined with any aquarium plant or aquarium supply shipping

Live animal shipping cannot be combined with any aquarium plant or aquarium supply shipping

Survive in aquariums: Yes
Survive in warm ponds: Yes
Survive in cold ponds: No
Plant eating capacity: Low
Algae eating capacity: Moderate

Rainbow shrimp are similar to ghost shrimp except that they live a lot longer. They are about an inch long but can grow to three inches (they later changed that to two inches). Mine never grew larger than an inch but the store claims that they grow to three inches. Whereas ghost shrimp typically do not live more than a few months in an aquarium, rainbow shrimp may live for years. They do not touch the live plants. They prefer to eat leftover fish food followed by algae. Rainbow shrimp are supposed to eat brush algae. They are great little shrimp. Similar in appearance to ghost shrimp, they have a darker gut and sell for about $2 each instead of $1 per 10 that ghost shrimp cost.

I am currently trying to uncover their scientific name. The store does not know. Although some aquarists believe the rainbow shrimp to be the wood shrimp, I know this is not true, at least for the shrimp that I have. My local aquarium store, where I worked for a few months, also carries wood shrimp. Wood shrimp are big with "fans" on their fronts. Rainbow shrimp are almost identical to ghost shrimp but for their increased longevity and ability to darken in color. They do have a tan stripe down their back like wood shrimp. They also can change color and are often dark like wood shrimp. However, they are much smaller and do not have fans. Rainbow shrimp may be a relative of wood shrimp. Mine can be clear, brown, or dark red depending on the background. The tan back stripe is evident when they are in the brown or red phase but almost vanishes when in the clear phase. They go clear usually when among plants. When on the large driftwood in their tank, they are completely camouflaged to match the wood. If you do not know what you are looking for, you do not see them!

A German aquarist suggested that my rainbow shrimp may be Caridina/Neocaridina sp. "zeylanica". After seeing the photo of this species at this German site, I think that this may indeed be the species that I have. So, they would be a relative of Amano shrimp but definitely not the same thing. I hope someone can eventually clear this up!

I have never seen any of my rainbow shrimp carrying eggs (unlike the ghost shrimp) nor have I ever found baby rainbow shrimp. So, it is most likely that they do require brackish water to breed or at least conditions that my tanks do not have.
Information used with permission from Robyn.

Live animal shipping cannot be combined with any aquarium plant or aquarium supply shipping

Live animal shipping cannot be combined with any aquarium plant or aquarium supply shipping

Survive in aquariums: Yes
Survive in warm ponds: No
Survive in cold ponds: No
Plant eating capacity: Low
Algae eating capacity: Moderate to High

I bought three "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer Shrimp" from my local fish store on 12/27/02 for my 20 gallon tank. They are clear with a long pointy red "thing" sticking out of their heads. I believe they are red-fronted shrimp, Palaemon scarletti. They will grow to about an inch long. One was found dead on 2/23/03 of unknown causes
Information used with permission from Robyn

Live animal shipping cannot be combined with any aquarium plant or aquarium supply shipping

Live animal shipping cannot be combined with any aquarium plant or aquarium supply shipping

Live animal shipping cannot be combined with any aquarium plant or aquarium supply shipping

Live animal shipping cannot be combined with any aquarium plant or aquarium supply shipping