Should I buy it?
Amano Shrimp
Caridina multidentata
Typical trade / ID note: Caridina multidentata (formerly japonica)
Also known as: japonica shrimp, Amano, Yamato (algae) shrimp
Fishori provides conservative planning guidance, not guarantees.
Based on typical aquarium care sources; trade names can be ambiguous, so details may vary between setups. Use the numbers here as planning defaults — your room, water, and routine still shape real-world outcomes.
The best algae-eating shrimp in the hobby. Grows to 5 cm, largely predator-resistant at adult size, and does not breed in freshwater. Reliable long-term.
Best for
Any established planted community tank 40L or more wanting real algae control alongside most peaceful community fish.
Avoid if
You keep pea puffers, large cichlids, or aggressive predators that will eat a 5 cm shrimp.
Top things that go wrong
- Shrimp & snails. Shrimp: compatible in most setups. Cherry shrimp and other dwarf species coexist with peaceful small fish, though baby shrimp are food for almost any fish that gets to them.
Common mistakeBuying two amano shrimp for algae control. Five or more are needed for meaningful algae impact in a planted 60L.
Common trade-name warning
This fish is often sold under different names or species variants. Care guidance is based on typical aquarium examples rather than a single exact species. Older books and shops still use Caridina japonica; the current valid name is often given as C. multidentata. Use care pages as practical guidance, not a passport name match.
What most shops don't tell you
- 1.Buying three shrimp for a 60 L and expecting an algae-free tank. The working dose is closer to one amano per 5 to 10 L of planted surface.
- 2.Mistaking a moulted shell for a dead shrimp, then panicking over chemistry. A whole, hollow body on the substrate is a shed, not a death.
- 3.Shrimp are eaten by many fish, so keep with small peaceful tank mates only. Amanos are tougher than cherry shrimp but still die in trace copper, so skip copper-based snail killers and medications.
About this species
Amanos are 5 cm freshwater shrimp that graze algae and biofilm. Not a cleanup crew for a dirty tank, just a steady grazer in a mature, copper-free planted setup.
- Ghost Shrimp40L min · same group, comparable tank size
- Mystery Snail40L min · same group, comparable tank size
- Assassin Snail30L min · same group, comparable tank size
- Blue Dream Shrimp20L min · same group, similar adult size
- Cherry Shrimp20L min · same group, similar adult size
- Malaysian Trumpet Snail20L min · same group, similar adult size
- Nerite Snail20L min · same group, similar adult size
- Bamboo Shrimp80L min · same fish family
- Assassin Snailalso beginner peaceful, similar tank size
- Beckford Pencilfishalso beginner peaceful, similar tank size
- Black Neon Tetraalso beginner peaceful, similar tank size
- Black phantom tetraalso beginner peaceful, similar tank size
- Bloodfin tetraalso beginner peaceful, similar tank size
- Blue Dream Shrimpalso beginner peaceful, similar tank size
- Blue Dream Shrimp tank mateslists this fish as a safe and recommended mate
- Cherry Shrimp tank mateslists this fish as a safe and recommended mate
- Chocolate gourami tank mateslists this fish among its recommended pairings
- Malaysian Trumpet Snail tank mateslists this fish as a safe and recommended mate
- Mystery Snail tank mateslists this fish as a safe and recommended mate
- Nerite Snail tank mateslists this fish as a safe and recommended mate
Plan grid
Key limits are shown above; this section adds planning detail: pH band, swim level, bioload and activity, and the radar.
Swim zones
Planning trait chart
Six indices for comparing species on paper before you spend.
- Beginner ease78
- Peacefulness90
- Community fit82
- Small-tank fit100
- Hardiness76
- Energy54
Numbers are deterministic planning indices from Fishori fields — not a scientific score of your individual fish.
Common setup sketches
Conservative patterns from Fishori fields — still run the pair checker for every species you add; sketches are not a stocking guarantee.
Rough 90L+ layout: one calm centrepiece, 8–12 small tetras/rasboras, 6–8 corydoras-type bottom fish — verify every name in the pair checker before buying.
Safe directions on file include: Neon Tetra, Corydoras Catfish, Otocinclus.
Tank mate intelligence
Use the "Often compatible" lists as a shortlist, not a stocking plan. Always run the pair tool and check the footprint of your actual tank first. Verify behaviour for Amano Shrimp against your own reading before you buy.
Pair-level compatibility with this fish as anchor.
Read the blocking rule on each pair page before experimenting.
Do-not-stock combinations on conservative hobby rules.
Compare with
Run a real pair check: Amano Shrimp + Neon Tetra
- Try Neon Tetra — open the pair check.
- Try Corydoras Catfish — open the pair check.
- Try Otocinclus — open the pair check.
- Try Cherry Barb — open the pair check.
Behaviour, temperament, and what to watch
Prose and lists come from the same record: read temperament first, then glass-level signals so you are not surprised after day three.
Amano Shrimp is peaceful in mixed company.
Stress / aggression triggers on file
- Sudden crowding
- Poor water quality
Fin nipping: Not a habitual fin-nipper, but individuals can still test fins under stress or in a crowded tank.
Predation: Not a predator toward similarly-sized community fish. The usual community caveats about mouth size still apply for very small fry or shrimp.
Territory: Not strongly territorial, but still claims a working area in the tank. Give it room to settle without overlapping the next species' patch.
Planted tanks: good — easy plant ideas
In the glass: typical and warning signs
- Moderate pacing — not hyperactive, not motionless.
- Clamped fins, gasping at the surface, hiding non-stop, or refusing food after the first week.
- Rapid breathing when parameters swing — fix ammonia/nitrite first, then reassess mates.
- Low listed risk — still watch new introductions.
- Separate or rehome if injuries appear, one fish is pinned, or feeding becomes a daily chase.
- If water is stable but behaviour worsens, reduce stocking or remove the highest-impact species first.
Fish behaviour can vary between individuals and tank setups. Always observe new fish closely after introduction.
Care parameters: water, food, inverts, grouping
Chemistry and group rules sit here so you are not re-reading the same line from tank mate or temperament blocks. Swim level is in the plan grid above.
Hardness
soft
Diet
herbivore
Vegetable matter, algae, and plant-based prepared foods. Long-term protein-only feeding causes bloat in herbivorous species.
Shrimp & snails
Shrimp: compatible in most setups. Cherry shrimp and other dwarf species coexist with peaceful small fish, though baby shrimp are food for almost any fish that gets to them.
Kept in pairs or small groups of 3 or more. Buy them at the same time rather than adding one fish at a time.
Breeding behaviour depends on the species. Research before you buy a mixed-sex group of this fish.
- Hold 20 to 28 °C steadily on a real thermometer, not the dial on the heater.
- Aim for pH 6.5 to 7.5 and a hardness you can re-test in two weeks. A one-time strip in the shop car park is not a water test.
- Footprint: short wide tanks and tall narrow tanks fish differently for the same volume. Match the tank shape to the swim pattern, not just the litre count.
- Tank volume meets or exceeds 40L published minimum for adults.
- You can stock at least 3 individuals (group welfare).
- Heater can hold 20–28°C without cooking cooler-water tank mates.
Explore and stocking hubs
Same library as the rest of Fishori: tank-mate index for this species, category peers, guides, and litre-based stocking lists where min tank on file is within the hub volume.
Plan with tools
Pair-level rules and multi-fish stocking use the same conservative engine — add this fish in the tank builder only after mates pass pair checks.
Filtration & heating
A 40L minimum tank needs a filter rated for at least 160L/hr turnover and a heater to hold 20–28°C reliably.
Plant suggestions
Amano Shrimp does well in planted tanks. Plants compatible with 20–28°C and pH 6.5–7.5:
Profile status: partially verified · Evidence tier: medium · 2 linked source(s). Fishori does not fabricate citations.
Fishori uses conservative planning rules based on these sources.
Confidence is explained in the summary at the top of this page (same tier as here), not repeated below.
How Fishori evaluates compatibility (same logic as pair and tank tools).
- LiveAquaria. Japonica / Amano shrimp (care profile)
Primary: major retailer invertebrate care page: temperature, pH, tank size, algae use, and tank-mate safety. Copy uses Caridina japonica; current valid name for the hobby Amano is C. multidentata. Treat the care numbers as a practical anchor, not a taxonomic guarantee.
- FishBase. Caridina multidentata
Secondary: current scientific name and range context; compare with invertebrate-keeper guides when breeding or species confirmation matters.
Evidence notes
- Invertebrate databases are thinner than those for big Cyprinidae or cichlids; Seriously Fish lacked a retrievable C. multidentata profile, so LiveAquaria (still using the older epithet japonica in the title) is the best stable aquarium-facing URL. Name history (japonica vs multidentata) makes a single 'perfect' public page hard.
- FishBase contributes natural-range size and habitat context. Translate those numbers through your heater, your water report, and your tank footprint before stocking.
- All compatibility text reflects typical hobby experience and the Fishori model. Individual fish, shop stress, and the order tank mates are added in can still defy a single-paragraph label.
- Fishori profiles work from typical aquarium trade sizes and hobby care norms. Specialist site checks and literature review for this species are not yet recorded here, so the ranges on this page are planning numbers rather than guarantees.