Vampire shrimp

Quick facts

Adult size

12 cm

Lifespan

can live up to 8 years

Tank zone

all

Temperament

peaceful

Difficulty

intermediate

Typically wild-caught

yes - acclimate slowly

Water parameters

Temperature

24–28°C

pH

6.5 to 7.5

Hardness

3 to 15 dGH

Tank requirements

Minimum volume

120 L

Minimum length

75 cm

Flow

high

Lighting

dim preferred

Substrate

any

Driftwood

preferred

Hiding spots

needed

Feeding

Diet: omnivore, feeds primarily at the all.

Filter feeder that captures suspended particles from the water column. In tanks with good current, they position themselves facing the flow and extend their fan-like maxillipeds to trap passing food. Powdered food (spirulina powder, crushed flake dust, baby brine shrimp), green water (microalgae suspension), and very fine particulate matter suspended in the current are the diet. Squirt powdered food upstream of the shrimp using a pipette or turkey baster and let the current carry it to them. They don't eat from the substrate like cherry shrimp or Amano shrimp. In tanks with strong biofilm and particulate-rich water, they find enough food on their own. In clean, well-filtered tanks, targeted feeding 2-3 times weekly is necessary.

Nocturnal feeder; drop food after lights out so it can eat without competition.

Compatibility

• Peaceful filter-feeding shrimp that catches suspended particles from the water column using fan-like appendages. The feeding behavior is the main attraction: they sit in the current and wave their fans to trap food.
• Safe with everything. They don't threaten any tankmate and are too large (8–15 cm) for most fish to eat. Avoid housing with aggressive cichlids that might harass them.
• Needs current. The fan-feeding behavior requires moderate to strong flow that carries food particles past their position. In still-water tanks, they can't feed properly and starve.
• Reclusive and nocturnal. They hide during the day and emerge at dusk to find a current-facing spot for feeding. Expect to see them mainly in the evening.

Habitat

Native to rivers and streams in West Africa, from Senegal through Nigeria to the Congo basin. Found in areas of moderate to strong current where suspended organic particles are abundant. The species (Atya gabonensis) is the largest freshwater shrimp commonly available in the aquarium hobby, reaching 8–15 cm. The body color varies: gray-blue, brown, pink, or nearly white, and can change over months. The large, chunky body and facial fans distinguish it from all other common aquarium shrimp. Despite the 'vampire' name (which refers to the fan-shaped feeding appendages, not to any predatory behavior), these shrimp are completely peaceful filter feeders. All specimens in the trade are wild-caught from African rivers. Captive breeding has not been achieved in freshwater aquariums because the larvae require brackish or marine conditions to develop. The species has been available in the hobby since the 1990s but remains relatively uncommon.

Breeding

Not bred in home aquariums. Larvae require brackish to marine water for development, making a freshwater-only lifecycle impossible. Females carry eggs under the abdomen. When released, the larvae need to reach brackish water to survive. In the wild, this occurs in estuarine areas where rivers meet the coast. Replicating this transition in captivity is theoretically possible but has not been achieved on a practical scale. All vampire shrimp in the trade are wild-caught.

Common problems

Starvation is the primary cause of death in captivity. The filter-feeding strategy is fundamentally different from the scavenging behavior of other common shrimp. Keepers who treat vampire shrimp like cherry shrimp (dropping food onto the substrate) will starve them. The shrimp needs suspended food particles carried by current past their fans. Without current, they can't feed. Without fine particulate food, they have nothing to catch. Both conditions must be met. Molting failures from mineral deficiency kill them the same way as other large shrimp: maintain GH above 6 and provide calcium. Copper sensitivity applies. Hiding during the day is normal; they're nocturnal. A vampire shrimp that never emerges at night is likely in distress.

Bioload

Bioload coefficient: 2.0 (large shrimp; low waste for its size due to filter-feeding diet).

Bioload coefficients are calibrated against the neon tetra as the anchor (1.0). See the methodology page for the formula and how each value was derived.

Further reading

• How to cycle a fish tank
• Stocking ideas by tank size