Amano, Grass, Yamato Shrimp
Caridina Japonica

Introduced and popularized by Takashi Amamo, the Amano shrimp (a.k.a. Yamoto Numa-Ebi) is a beautiful nocturnal creature. Commonly transparent or light green, with red-brownish spots on its sides which may look like broken lines, the dorsal surface has a white stripe that runs from the head to the tail. The female is easily distinguished from the male; as the former is larger, reaching about 5 cm in adulthood and has more elongated lower row of dots lining the body.

Being a diligent algae cleaner, with algae and decaying plants as the main source of food, aqua-scaping hobbyists will appreciate this shrimp especially in aquariums with moderate rock decoration and heavy live plant decoration. However, caution must be taken as it will also feed on tender buds or young plants when food is insufficient. This shrimp is highly sensitive to ammonia, nitrite and an excess of nitrate, and also be mindful that copper based water additives or medicines should never be used in the tank.

It is believed that the mating season lies in late spring or early summer. Breeding the Amano in tank is somewhat difficult and very few have succeeded in raising the fry. In nature, young larvae will swims to the sea, returning only when they are large enough to swim back to the river.