Amano Shrimp for 20 gal

[Shrimpee]

I am thinking about getting Amano shrimp for my 20 gallon shrimp tank. How much should I get for my 20 gallon? It is stocked with several cherry shrimp right now. It has strong filtration as my sponge filters weren't strong enough so I had to improvise by getting a canister filter (I know its a little bit overkill for a shrimp tank but my nitrates and other gunk wasn't removing with a HOB or the sponge filter) How much Amano shrimp should I get?

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

@nabokovfan87

[DaveO]

3 or 4

[nabokovfan87]

On 5/4/2023 at 7:27 AM, Shrimpee said:

How much should I get for my 20 gallon?

I think there's some general guideline about having one per every X gallon.

Honestly, they don't reproduce and they have almost no bioload or negative impact.

They can be a bit more feisty when it comes towards food. If you have a lot of plants, err on the side of 8-14 (basically as much as you feel like). If you are having algae flare ups, I'd recommend 12+

If you just want to have some for the sake of enjoyment, caring for the surfaces in the aquarium, minimum that I would do is about 4-6. That way if you do lose one or two, there are still some there to get some work done.

Doesn't matter where you get them. Aquahuna has them as well as flip aquatics for generally reasonable prices and there are coupon codes available. If they aren't available locally I would explore those options.

Drip acclimate them like you would the neos and let them have lots of air and they'll do well for you.

Edited May 5, 2023 by nabokovfan87
weird verbiage

[Shrimpee]

On 5/4/2023 at 7:40 PM, nabokovfan87 said:

I think there's some general guideline about having one per every X gallon.

Honestly, they don't reproduce and they have almost no bioload or negative impact.

They can be a bit more feisty when it comes towards food. If you have a lot of plants, err on the side of 8-14 (basically as much as you feel like). If you are having algae flare ups, I'd recommend 12+

If you just want to have some for the sake of enjoyment, caring for the surfaces in the aquarium, minimum that I would do is about 4-6. That way if you do lose one or two, there are still some there to get some work done.

Doesn't matter where you get them. Aquahuna has them as well as flip aquatics for generally reasonable prices and there are coupon codes available. If they aren't available locally I would explore those options.

Drip acclimate them like you would the neos and let them have lots of air and they'll do well for you.

Whats considered a lot of plants for a 20 gal? I have about 14 plants.

[Lennie]

On 5/5/2023 at 2:17 PM, Shrimpee said:

Whats considered a lot of plants for a 20 gal? I have about 14 plants.

When you look at the tank, how much substrate and background you see generally gives a clue about how densely planted a tank is.

 

Ive never kept amanos and cherries together but they always give me a meanie vibe and I remember reading some comments about amanos bullying cherries. I would advice to search further on that one

[DaveO]

So in my 40b I have one bazillion orange neocaridina shrimp and 3 Amano shrimp. The Amanos do the heavy lifting as far as algea clean up. That black algea doesn't stand a chance against them. They are mature 3 year old shrimp. The small young ones don't do that great at clean up. Also, I find they do not bother the neos at all. The neos are good at eating left over food if the fish don't get it all. The neos do keep the plants clean because there are so many crawling all over the place picking at the leaves. 

I am not trying to contradict others, only relaying my own experience. That is why I don't think you need a large number of amanos in a tank with neos. The neo population will soon be large enough to do the job.

[Patrick_G]

I’m keep Amanos in most of my tanks and I’m fairly certain that they will predate on baby Neos. I’m not sure they get them all, but it seems like at least some percentage disappear. Keep in mind that I also have small nano fish in the same tanks so that might also account for the some loss. 

I’d want 3-4 for a 20 gallon, you’ll like then for the algae control but you’ll love them for their antics! At feeding time they come out of nowhere to grab the food. They are truly food bandits. Get Jumbos if you can, they’re much easier to see. 
 

[nabokovfan87]

On 5/5/2023 at 4:17 AM, Shrimpee said:

Whats considered a lot of plants for a 20 gal? I have about 14 plants.

Sort of up to you.  If you don't have a lot of "open space" that's more of what I mean.  If there is a lot of surface area then you'd want more shrimp to groom it.

 

 

On 5/5/2023 at 8:58 AM, Patrick_G said:

I’m keep Amanos in most of my tanks and I’m fairly certain that they will predate on baby Neos. I’m not sure they get them all, but it seems like at least some percentage disappear. Keep in mind that I also have small nano fish in the same tanks so that might also account for the some loss. 

Agreed.  I think that for basically any Neos, have an established colony before adding anything to it.  Once you have that, just have hides for baby shrimp (neos) and then be sure to have lots of plants for something like amanos to occupy their time.  It might just be the difference in tanks, but the amanos are very specific about where they spend their time.  Maybe that's an advantage to keeping them in different spots.  Baby neos for me hang out on the glass and filter a lot while the amanos are on the moss and wood (especially shadows during the day).  Neos tend to be on the sand a lot more.