The Japonica shrimp

Japonica shrimp originate from Japan and were made popular within the hobby thanks to Takashi Amano .
I will tell you more about this aquascape 'artist' soon, for now we will stick to the Japonica shrimp.

These shrimps can grow to about 3 to 4 cm. The females grow to about 1 to 2 cm larger than the males. In fully grown Japonica shrimps the difference in size is clearly visible. The sex can also be distinguished by looking at the drawing on the body. The females have a line with longer stripes and the males have a dotted line.

Plants suitable for shrimp

The desired water temperature is around 25°C. They like a well planted aquarium, better too many plants than too few. They like to live in a group of at least 10 shrimps. But the bigger the aquarium, the more plants, the bigger the group... The better.
Actually, 'more is more' is the common thread with these transparent super cleaners. Except when it comes to reproduction, but I'll come back to that later.

Japonica and other shrimps like: catappa leaves

In my first aquarium I had 10 Japonica shrimps as first inhabitants. A few days later there were 7 left. These are still alive and with a bit of luck they will become about 8 years old. The other 3 I found around the aquarium on the floor. My first lesson in this hobby: Japonica shrimps cannot live in an aquarium without a lid, because sometimes they go for a walk.

Small shrimp species are eaten by my puffer fish and bettas, so I had to be careful when I moved the Japonica shrimp to these aquariums. Fortunately, these shrimp are a bit bigger and are just as cheeky as their tank mates. When feeding red mosquito larvae, it seemed like a tug of war at first, each one an end and just pull. When one of the dwarf puffers pecked a mosquito larvae from the shrimp, it swam in circles for a few seconds with a shrimp on its back. In the meantime, it is party time around dinner time and everyone is invited.

There are varying stories about keeping Japonica shrimps with for example angelfish or other (large) fish species. One experiences no problems and with the other everything is eaten within a few days. I think it depends entirely on the setup, the regularity of feeding and whether the fish has shared the aquarium with shrimps from an early age.

Why do many people prefer Japonica shrimp?
Besides keeping the aquarium clean, many people choose this species because they cannot simply reproduce in your aquarium.
10 shrimps remain 10 shrimps. Except when you don't have a lid, then it can suddenly be 7. In any case, it won't just become more.

When a female Japonica is ready for fertilization she gives off a 'smell' that all males get very excited about. After fertilization the female develops her eggs, you will see a 'greyish cloud' behind her legs (under the tail) where she occasionally lets water blow through. When these are fully grown she releases her young.
(The photo shows a female with eggs.)

Unlike other shrimp species, young Japonica shrimp need brackish water to survive. In a freshwater aquarium, the young will only survive for a day or two. For smaller aquarium fish, the tiny young Japonica shrimp are a tasty and healthy snack.

When buying Japonica shrimp, please note that the ' mini Japonica ' is not the same species. The mini Japonica has almost the same name, but this smaller species can reproduce in your freshwater aquarium.