# Ordering amano shrimp



## Sir_BlackhOle (Jan 25, 2004)

Where is the best place to order amano shrimp from?


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## gnome (Jan 27, 2004)

Sorry if you've already found a source, but here's one:
http://www.aquatic-store.com/

I've never purchased shrimp from this supplier, by the way. I've only been tempted to order cherry reds from them, since this is (by far) the cheapest I've seen anywhere. There's a LFS I can easily get to that sells Amano shrimp at $5.50 for three. You can't find them locally?

-Naomi


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## Sir_BlackhOle (Jan 25, 2004)

I got my LFS to order me some. $2.40 a piece


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## gnome (Jan 27, 2004)

Cool! Now just make sure that you don't end up with Malayan shrimp :roll: . Most store keepers have a difficult time distinguishing between the two. Malayans don't eat algae anywhere near as ravenously as Amano shrimp. Also, full-grown females Amanos eat a LOT more algae than males or juveniles. 

It doesn't matter if you just want them for display, though. They're all wonderfully cute. 

-Naomi


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## neonfish3 (Feb 12, 2004)

Just curios, what are some of the distinguishing features between Mayalan and Amano shrimp?
Steve


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## Sir_BlackhOle (Jan 25, 2004)

Yes I would like to know too. I believe I have juvenile amanos but right now they are maybe an inch long and pretty hard to find and see in the tank. Before I put them in I looked at them in the bag. Some of them had a bluish tint to them. I have read about them turning blue in another thread. Do mayalan turn blue also?


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## gnome (Jan 27, 2004)

Go to the link and click on "Caridina japonica". You'll notice how there are dashed red lines (or sometimes they look more like "spots") along the sides of the shrimp. I've noticed them being a little bit blue, sometimes a little bit red (NOT the kind of red they turn when they're dying), and this may depend on conditions and diet.

Next, click on "Caridina/Neocaridina sp. 'zeylanica'." This one is typically known (in Singapore) as "Malayan shrimp." Notice that they can vary in color greatly (even from minute to minute - I think they are actually able to camouflage, somewhat) but there is a distinguishing lighter line that runs down their back (like a spine) and about halfway down at a segment, this line sort of "bleeds" to the sides a bit. From what I've seen, when they are stressed, they take on a beige color, which makes them look like a very small Singapore shrimp (without the fans, of course).

http://www.wirbellose.de/arten.html#Garnelen

Hope this helps a little.

-Naomi


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## gnome (Jan 27, 2004)

Oh yeah - I almost forgot. Amano shrimp also usually have a line going down their back, but it's typically thinner than that of Malayans and it goes straight down, without bleeding to the sides. 

-Naomi


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## Sir_BlackhOle (Jan 25, 2004)

Well im happy to say mine are definately Amano shrimps!


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## gnome (Jan 27, 2004)

That's good. Not to say that Malayan shrimp are totally useless... They're just not very useful for algae-eating. But I love them because they don't die on me the way cherry, tiger, bee and blue shrimp do. I'd have to say that they're just as tough as Amano shrimp, and are more colorful. Their algae-eating capabilities are probably the same as Neocaridina spp. - basically, one full-grown female Amano shrimp could probably do the job of five of these other types.

Anyway, the LFS where I usually get my shrimp sells "algae-eating shrimp." This usually comes in as (more or less) an even mix of Amano shrimp and Malayan shrimp. Nobody at the store can tell the difference (I'm not sure why) so I have to point out the specific ones I want. There are several people on Frank's Freshwater Shrimp Forum that have ended up with Malayan shrimp when they thought they were getting Amanos. At smaller sizes, they do look very similar to an untrained eye. When they're a little bigger, the differences are more obvious. 

Well, enjoy! You'll have a very clean tank .

-Naomi


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