Photo: Citron, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
African fan shrimp
Atya gabonensis
15 cm
Adult size
140 L
Minimum volume
3
Minimum group
10 years
Lifespan
Size: body length.
Water parameters
Understand these valuesHardness (GH): not given by the sources
Carbonate hardness (KH): not given by the sources
- Genus
- Atya
- Diet
- filter feeder
- Social life
- colony
- Activity
- nocturnal
- Adult habitat
- fresh water
- Breeding
- larvae outside fresh water
In the wild
Overview
This large African shrimp spreads fans at the tips of its legs to catch particles carried by the current. Its colour may be bluish, beige or grey, with much individual variation. Despite its imposing size, it feeds by filtering rather than hunting small fish.
- Scientific name
- Atya gabonensis Giebel, 1875
- Classification
- Decapoda › Atyidae
- IUCN Red List
- Least concern (LC)
Natural habitat
West and Central Africa, from Senegal to the Congo, and the Atlantic slope of northern South America (Brazil, Suriname, Venezuela)
Observations (GBIF) and localities Native countries Rivers and lakes
It lives in fast, well-oxygenated river water, over pebble and rock beds swept by the current. The water is warm (24 to 30 °C) and close to neutral. By day it stays under cover and only comes out at nightfall, when its predators are less active.
Behaviour
Peaceful, it lives in colonies of dozens of individuals and ignores other species. At night it settles in the current, fans spread, to filter suspended particles: despite its size, it does not attack fish.
In the aquarium
Care and setup
Provide rocky perches in a well-stirred, well-oxygenated area, and sheltered refuges for moulting. Open space lets it take up position facing the current.
Feeding
Supply fine food held in suspension: water that looks very clean does not guarantee that this shrimp finds enough to eat.
Breeding
Its life cycle cannot be completed in a purely freshwater aquarium.
Sources:Fishipedia Aquarium Glaser GBIF · Base map: Natural Earth