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Just got my new snowball amano shrimp and they're definitely the largest in the tank. I was observing them tonight and I saw a smaller amano riding on the back of one of the bigger ones. Also, there were a few amanos, like 3 or 4, just hovering around this big snowball shrimp. Anyone have an idea what's going on here?

I'm guessing they're getting cozy, possibly breeding. Pics would confirm, but let's just say this is a family-friendly site and I'd rather not risk posting, ahem, 'mature' shrimp content.

Adults only, I'm gonna take a guess they were getting cozy, but pics would be nice for confirmation. Given the family-friendly vibe here, let's just say I'd rather not risk posting, ahem, "mature" shrimp content.



I'll keep it PG - would a smaller amano pair up with a larger snowball amano? Trying to keep this clean... let's just say things didn't quite seem aligned, if you know what I mean. Amanos aren't exactly known for being easy breeders, right?

coltin said:

I've seen amanos breed in tanks before. They'll get berried in pure freshwater, no problem. Thing is, their larvae need brackish water to survive - that's why you don't usually get any babies.

coltin wrote: ↑Tue Apr 25, 2023 10:27 am I'm guessing they're getting cozy, possibly breeding. Pics would confirm, but let's just say this is a family-friendly site and I'd rather not risk posting, ahem, 'mature' shrimp content.

Thanks for the info. My niece has those red amanos, can't recall the name, and she's always getting a bunch of babies from them.

I had no idea what snowball amano shrimp were, so I did my first search and found a white neocaridina shrimp, not an amano. But then I stumbled upon these little guys - are these the ones you're talking about? I was reading about the Snow Amano Shrimp, they're from Japan, Taiwan, the Ryuku Islands, and Fiji, and apparently they're known for their white color and pretty cool behavior.

There's a pic that sounds like what you're describing, but it's gonna take forever to load.

Amano Shrimp info page has some stuff on breeding and behavior, might be worth a look.

fancy wrote: ↑Tue Apr 25, 2023 5:44 am Just got my new snowball amano shrimp and they're definitely the largest in the tank. I was observing them tonight and I saw a smaller amano riding on the back of one of the bigger ones. Also, there were a few amanos, like 3 or 4, just hovering around this big snowball shrimp. Anyone have an idea what's going on here?

An Amano remains an Amano regardless of color variation. Males are generally smaller in size compared to females.

I had never seen or heard of these... my 1st search of snowball was a white neocaridina shrimp... not an Amano...
but then I found these... is this what you have? I was looking up info on them and found this link from Aquatic Arts, where you got yours, right?

Beautiful