Hey there, fellow aquarium enthusiasts! I’ve been keeping Amano shrimp for years, and one question keeps popping up in forums and discussions: Can these fascinating little creatures breed in freshwater? Well, let me break it down for you with everything I’ve learned through experience and research.
The Short Answer
No, Amano shrimp (Caridina multidentata) cannot successfully complete their breeding cycle entirely in freshwater. While they can mate and females can carry eggs in freshwater the larvae require brackish water to survive and develop.
Understanding Amano Shrimp Breeding Basics
What Actually Happens in Freshwater
- Female Amanos will get “berried” (carry eggs) in freshwater
- Eggs can hatch in freshwater
- Larvae will not survive to adulthood in freshwater conditions
- You might occasionally see tiny shrimplets, but these usually don’t make it
Signs Your Amanos Are Ready to Breed
- Females develop a visible “saddle” (eggs in ovaries)
- Males begin chasing females
- Females carry greenish or brownish eggs under their tails
- More active behavior, especially at night
Why Freshwater Breeding Usually Fails
Here’s the thing – Amano shrimp breeding is actually pretty complex in nature They’ve evolved to need specific conditions that your average home aquarium just can’t provide Here’s why
-
Larval Stage Requirements
- Newly hatched larvae need brackish water
- Specific salinity levels are crucial
- Special food requirements for larvae
-
Natural Life Cycle
- Adults live in freshwater
- Larvae drift to brackish estuaries
- Juveniles migrate back to freshwater
Common Misconceptions
I’ve seen lots of folks get confused about this topic, so let me clear up some things:
“But I Saw Baby Shrimp in My Tank!”
If you spot tiny shrimp in your freshwater tank, they’re probably:
- Other shrimp species (like Cherry shrimp)
- Hitchhikers that came with plants
- Different species that look similar to Amanos
“My Friend Successfully Bred Them in Freshwater”
Usually when people think they’ve bred Amanos in freshwater, they’re actually seeing:
- Misidentified shrimp species
- Natural contamination from other sources
- Early-stage larvae that won’t survive to adulthood
How to Actually Breed Amano Shrimp
If you’re serious about breeding these guys, here’s what you’ll need:
Setup Requirements
- Two separate tanks:
- Freshwater breeding tank
- Brackish water larvae tank
- Equipment:
- Marine salt
- Refractometer or hydrometer
- Fine nets
- Green water cultures for feeding
Basic Breeding Steps
- Keep healthy adults in freshwater
- Wait for females to become berried
- Move females to separate tank before eggs hatch
- Transfer larvae to brackish water
- Feed properly and maintain water parameters
- Gradually return juveniles to freshwater
Tips for Success
From my experience, these tips can help increase your chances of success:
- Keep water parameters stable
- Feed adults high-quality food
- Monitor berried females closely
- Be ready to transfer larvae quickly
- Have green water cultures ready
- Be patient – it takes practice!
Why Bother with All This?
You might be wondering why anyone would go through all this trouble. Well, breeding Amano shrimp can be:
- A fascinating learning experience
- A way to save money long-term
- A rewarding challenge for experienced aquarists
- A chance to contribute to the hobby
Final Thoughts
While it’s technically impossible to breed Amano shrimp completely in freshwater, understanding their breeding requirements can help you make informed decisions about your aquarium. If you’re interested in breeding shrimp, you might want to start with easier species like Cherry shrimp before tackling the Amano breeding challenge.
Remember, there’s no shame in buying your Amanos from reliable sellers – sometimes that’s just the smarter way to go! But if you’re up for the challenge, breeding these fascinating creatures can be an incredibly rewarding experience.
Have you tried breeding Amanos before? I’d love to hear about your experiences in the comments below! And if you’re just starting out with these awesome algae-eaters, don’t hesitate to ask questions. We’re all here to learn and share!
What will you need?
- Pair of sexed Amano shrimp (one male Amano shrimp and one female Amano shrimp)
- High-quality shrimp food
- Sea Salt Mix (Instant Ocean Sea Salt Mix is recommended; NOT table salt, pickling salt, aquarium salt, etc.)
- Aquarium light (to grow saltwater algae)
- Container (to hold the saltwater and larvae)
- 2 air pumps with accessories (airline tubing, check valve, control valve, air stone, etc.)
- 1-gallon container (for dechlorinated freshwater)
- RODI or RO water
- Hydrometer or Refractometer
- Flashlight
- Pipette or eye dropper
- Syringe (with a decently sized opening)
Once youve collected all the gear youll need for your Amano shrimp breeding project, its time to prepare for the moment of truth.
- Youll be setting up a saltwater jar using one of the air pumps with its accessories and saltwater mix. Try to aim for 30-35 PPT saltwater (1.022-1.026 Specific Gravity).
- Once got your water mixed, you can add the airstone (optionally with a sponge filter attached) and have it pump out a gentle stream of air.
- Position the light above the container and allow it to mature. Bugs may fly into it and die, creating Ammonia, which is a nutrient required by algae to grow (so no worries about that!).
- Over time, water will evaporate, causing the salinity will go up. Top off the evaporation with RODI or RO water to maintain the right salinity.
- After a while, the jar will be filled with diatoms and other sorts of algae growth.
Water parameters should be kept stable within the acceptable ranges.
- The pH should be between 6.5-8.0
- The temperature should be consistent between 70°F-80 °F
- GH should be 5-15
- KH 1-10
When youre trying to breed Amano shrimp, food should be readily available. Algae in the tank can be an adequate food source, but is not always present in the right quantities.
If there is not enough food available, you can supplement with blanched vegetables and prepared fish food.
How do Amano shrimp breed?
Once your Amano shrimp are sexually mature (4-5 months), if the above-mentioned requirements are met, theyll breed. No intervention needed on your part!
Amano shrimp breed after the female molts. The female amano shrimp will attempt to hide, but also release pheromones into the water column. Male shrimp will sense these pheromones and will find her in order to mate. Afterwards, the female will carry the fertilized eggs in her pleopods/swimmerets until the eggs hatch.
This is considered the easy part of breeding Amanos: they will breed readily as long as the female is ready.
After the shrimp have bred, the female will keep the eggs in her pleopods/swimmerets for 3-5 weeks while they develop. Once the third week rolls around, you should prepare the 1-gallon container you have ready and fill it up. Set up the air pump and the accessories so there is a good amount of flow. If the female were to release all of the eggs before hatching, the flow from the air stone would keep the eggs well-oxygenated and fungus-free.
Allow the water to get to room temperature and then transfer your berried female. Watch closely, as the eggs may hatch soon or take another 2 weeks.
This is going to be the difficult part, so be warned. These guys are TINY!
After the eggs hatch, the Amano shrimp larvae have roughly 1 week to survive in freshwater. Turn off all surrounding light and shine a flashlight at one spot on the container. The Amano larvae are attracted to light and will move towards it, making it much easier to round them all up.
Place the larvae in a temporary container, like a betta cup. You may have to repeat this step multiple times, as not all of the eggs will hatch at the same rate. Once you have rounded up as many as you feel like, transfer them into the saltwater jar. Acclimation is not required.
Watch closely as the larvae do their thing, floating around and eating algae. They will do this till they metamorphize, which will take around 1.5 months.
To keep the water in the larva container clean, you can use the flashlight trick you used to catch them earlier. Point the flashlight to one corner and then use some airline tubing to siphon out 10-20% of the water. Replace with clean water matching in temperature and salinity. Use the drip method if youre worried about shocking the shrimp.
2025 How to *ACTUALLY* Breed Amano Shrimp
FAQ
Can Amano Shrimp breed in a freshwater tank?
Brackish water (which is a mix of fresh water and sea water and thereby has more salinity than fresh water, but less than sea water) is required for Amano shrimp to reproduce successfully.
Can shrimp breed in fresh water?
Freshwater Shrimp Breeding Process
At this stage all the males in the tank frantically swimming around the tank in search for the female. One lucky male will then find the female and breed with her. After fertilization has occurred, the fertilized eggs will them be transferred to the bottom of her belly.
Can freshwater shrimp interbreed?
Some shrimps require distinct water parameters, besides this, your different shrimps could interbreed or crossbreed in one tank. Interbreeding between different species or different color morphs of the same species will give hybrids which doesn’t keep colors of their parents. They will be something new.