Bamboo shrimp care
Atyopsis moluccensis · Asia and the Pacific islands: bamboo shrimp and their one close relative live on islands from Sri Lanka to Samoa and Okinawa, and on the mainland from India to the Malay Peninsula
Bamboo shrimp (wood shrimp) are filter feeders that hold up four fan-shaped hands to catch food from moving water.
- Tank size
- 20 US gal or larger
- Temperature
- 72 to 82 °F (22 to 28 °C)
- Group size
- Alone or in a pair
- Temperament
- Peaceful
- Adult size
- 3 in
- pH
- 6.5 to 7.5
- Hardness (GH)
- 3 to 15 dGH
- Lifespan
- 1 to 3 years
- Diet
- Filter feeder
- Care level
- Moderate
In a 20 gallon long
30¼ × 12½ × 12¾ in outsideHow to keep bamboo shrimp
Bamboo shrimp (wood shrimp) are filter feeders that hold up four fan-shaped hands to catch food from moving water. One or more suit a mature 20 gallon or larger tank at 72 to 82 °F with moderate flow and wood or rock to perch on; they never harm fish or plants.
Diet: Filter feeder: fine particles caught from the current; powdered foods. Fish food types compared · how often to feed.
Where they swim: Bottom of the tank.
Bamboo shrimp tank mates
Share the temperature and water, and neither side eats, nips or bullies the other. Check the full group in the stocking checker.
Tiger barb
3 in · 29+ gal · 74–80 °F
Betta
3 in · 5+ gal · 76–82 °F
Dwarf neon rainbowfish
3 in · 29+ gal · 75–81 °F
Black skirt tetra
3 in · 20+ gal · 72–82 °F
Congo tetra
3 in · 29+ gal · 73–81 °F
Glass catfish
3 in · 29+ gal · 75–82 °F
Buenos Aires tetra
3 in · 29+ gal · 64–82 °F
Black ruby barb
3 in · 29+ gal · 72–79 °F
Keep apart
Cockatoo dwarf cichlid: Cockatoo dwarf cichlids eat shrimp.
Kribensis: Kribensis eat shrimp.
Shell-dweller cichlid: Shell-dweller cichlids eat shrimp.
Pea puffer: Pea puffers belong in a tank of their own.
Amazon puffer: Amazon puffers eat shrimp.
Fancy goldfish: Fancy goldfish eat shrimp.
What a bamboo shrimp tank needs
A tank of 20 US gallons or more (such as the 20 gallon long) with a cover, and the equipment below.
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Aqueon PRO QuietFlow Power Filter 10
Rated by the maker for up to 20 US gal, which covers a 20 gallon bamboo shrimp tank without being built for a far bigger one.
Aqueon QuietFlow Internal Power Filter 15–30 gal
Rated by the maker for 15–30 US gal, which covers a 20 gallon bamboo shrimp tank without being built for a far bigger one.
hygger Precise Aquarium Heater 100W
Bamboo shrimp need 72 to 82 °F; most homes run cooler, so a heater holds the temperature.
API Freshwater Master Test Kit
Tests ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH, the readings that matter most before and after adding bamboo shrimp.
Seachem Prime 100 mL
Removes chlorine and chloramine from tap water at every water change.
Fluval Edge Thermometer
Shows the water temperature at a glance, so you know it stays within 72 to 82 °F.
More choices, each with the reason it is in or out: Filters for a shrimp tank · Filters for a 20 gallon tank · Heaters for a 20 gallon tank. We don’t list fish food: any good brand of the foods under Diet will do. Plan the whole tank's equipment →
Common bamboo shrimp problems
- A bamboo shrimp picking at the gravel is going hungry: it needs flow and fine food carried in the water.
- Fish that eat shrimp eat them too.
Test the water first whenever fish look unwell: see what your readings mean, then match the symptom. For disease, a vet who treats fish can diagnose it and advise treatment.
More to compare
Sources
Name and origin checked against Wikipedia: Atyopsis moluccensis. Adult size, temperature, pH, hardness, group size, lifespan and minimum tank size are common hobby guidance, not figures from that article. Ranges are the range the species tolerates; aim for the middle. Minimum tank sizes are for an adult group. Drawings are our own; photo credits follow.
Photo credits
Real photographs from Wikimedia Commons, resized and cropped to fit; each is used under the license named.
- Bamboo shrimp Faucon, CC BY-SA 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons
- Tiger barb Faucon, CC BY-SA 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons
- Betta ivabalk (Pixabay), CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Dwarf neon rainbowfish Leo-nie-weh-oh; cropped by Der Regenbogenfisch, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
- Black skirt tetra emptyvi, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Congo tetra 7TP (Krzysztof Bartosik), CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Glass catfish Martin Fisch, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Buenos Aires tetra Øyvind Holmstad, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Black ruby barb Derek Ramsey (Ram-Man), CC BY-SA 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons
- Cockatoo dwarf cichlid William Kreijkes, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Kribensis André Karwath aka Aka, CC BY-SA 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons
- Shell-dweller cichlid Richard A. Ingebrigtsen, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Pea puffer Beta Mahatvaraj, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Amazon puffer O. Schneider, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Fancy goldfish Benson Kua, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Cherry shrimp TheJammingYam, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Amano shrimp Stefanie Leuker, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Ghost shrimp Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Mystery snail Gabriel Resende Veiga, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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