Being A Fan Of Fan Shrimp By Derek P.S. Tustin
(reprinted from the September 2006 issue of Tank Talk)

As our hobby grows, and as more of the unique species of the world are imported to Canada, we as aquarists get the opportunity to consider adding different species to our tanks. I was in a local fish store a couple of weeks ago, and came across some freshwater shrimp that I had seen and had before in my tanks. Now admittedly they (just like every aquatic specimen) will appeal to some and not to others. (My fiancé doesn’t care for them, stating emphatically that they look like bugs.) I double checked my tank parameters and, finding that they should thrive under my tank’s current conditions, came home with three beautiful (two male and one female) Atyopsis moluccensis. Commonly referred to as wood shrimp, they are also sold under the names Singapore shrimp, Singapore flower shrimp, bamboo shrimp, filter feeding shrimp, and Asia filter shrimp.

Wood shrimp are harmless scavengers and are generally considered perfect for the community aquaria, with a potential life span of five years when kept correctly. When seen in stores, their colouration is generally a wood brown, but when settled, feeling comfortable, and being correctly fed, they may become a dark red with a lighter coloured stripe running down their dorsal surface. Males are identified by a larger set of primary (or first set) of walking legs, and females are plumper and their carapace extends further down to accommodate eggs. Their rostrum (the beak-like projection protruding from between the eyes of shrimp and crabs) have been reduced and their chelae or clawed legs (think of the primary and secondary pincers or claws in crayfish or lobsters) have evolved into fine fans that filter particles from the water. These fans then contract around the particle (either free floating microscopic micro-organisms or detritus from the substrate) and bring it to the shrimp’s mouth. However, this evolutionary adaptation has not left these little critters defenseless, as the fans can be fully closed to form a sharp spike which can be used in defense.

Another advantage of these shrimp in a communal aquarium is their size. Mine are currently housed in a tank containing four Agamyxis pectinifrons, or white-spotted doradids. It is not commonly known, but doradids have a taste for shrimp, and I have seen mine pick off both ghost (or glass) shrimp (Paleomonetes kadiakensis – ½” to 1”) and cherry fire shrimp (Cardina serrata – ½” to 1”). However, the wood shrimp is usually available in sizes ranging from 1½” to 2½”, with specimens of 3½” not being uncommon. This size is sufficient to escape most predation (at least from species commonly housed in communal home-sized aquaria), but care should be taken to avoid housing with aggressive species, including most cichlids.

Wood shrimp should be fed an omnivorous diet including sinking pellets (crab or shrimp pellets being best), supplemented with frozen foods like artemia and daphnia. As mentioned, even though they are filter feeders, they will use the fans like fingers to lift larger pieces of food from the substrate. Another reason to keep these crustaceans in a communal environment is that the detritus produced by tank mates is necessary for the micro-organisms that form a portion of the wood shrimp’s diet to thrive.

If there is one main disadvantage to these shrimp, it is the difficulty associated in breeding. While getting them to produce eggs is reportedly not difficult, rearing the larvae appears to be exceedingly difficult due to the apparent necessity of salt water to allow maturation into a post-larvae stage. There have been no reports of actually raising these shrimp from larvae and all available specimens are wild-caught.

Should you be looking for a unique addition to a communal aquarium, you should take the time to consider these unique and wonderful creatures.