Tropical Fish Site

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Vampire Shrimp – Atya Gabonensis

Common names: Vampire Shrimp, Giant African Fan Shrimp

Scientific name: Atya Gabonensis

Average Adult Size: 3inches / 8cm

Place of origin: West Africa and South America

Typical tank setup: Lots of plants and wood for grazing and providing cover.

Recommended min. aquarium capacity: 20 gallons / 90 litres

Compatibility: Community shrimp, but could be seen as food by large fish.

Temp: 74 – 84 Deg F / 23 – 28 Deg C

Water chemistry: ph 6.5-8. Tolerable of a wide range of conditions.

Feeding:  Atya Gabonensis’s primary diet will be the natural growth of biofilm and algae present in the aquarium. A wide variety of dried leaves and branded shrimp foods will also be accepted, as well as various fruit and veg. They will also eat standard tropical fish flakes if kept with fish.

Sexing: Males are generally larger and more bulky than the Females.

Breeding: Breeding these shrimp is possible in the aquarium but requires the fish keeper to provide a stable home and high water quality as well as a healthy supply of food.

Additional Information: The Vampire Shrimp is one of the largest species of shrimp available in the hobby growing to around 3inches but sometimes exceeding this length. They are filter-feeding shrimp, able to catch food particles floating in the water column but are not fussy in terms of what they eat. Like all shrimps, they also molt their skin, which can then be removed from the aquarium. The Vampire shrimp is an attractive shrimp to have due to it’s size and creamy colour which can sometimes have hues of blue. This is a relatively hard shrimp to find and it’s likely to cost considerably more than popular shrimp species.

Author: @sinapresents