Amano shrimp are good tankmates for axolotls. Bottom feeders eat algae and clean the aquarium.
Cold water snails like ramshorn and apple snails can damage an axolotl’s intestinal lining, so use them cautiously.
Can Axolotls Eat Amano Shrimp?
In the wild, axolotls, or “walking fish,” are voracious predators. They eat small animals like worms, fish, crustaceans, and others.
Axolotls regurgitate food multiple times to soften and break it up for easier digestion.
Axolotls get essential nutrients and protein from shrimp. Shrimp are healthy and grow due to their high fiber content.
Unfortunately, baby axolotls cannot be fed live food due to their lack of smell.
Nutritional Content of Amano Shrimp
Today’s aquarium hobby loves Amano Shrimp. The famous freshwater shrimp aquarist and aquatic gardener Takashi Amano named them.
Amano shrimp love algae and gather in large groups in freshwater rivers and streams. As long as the water chemistry is stable at suitable temperatures, pH, and salinity, these crustaceans can survive in most freshwater environments.
Amano shrimp are found in Japan, Taiwan, and Korea and make peaceful additions to any tank or pond with proper water chemistry.
Health Benefits and Risks of Amano Shrimp
In a freshwater aquarium, Amano shrimp are great. These voracious eaters can clean up plant debris, algae, and leftover fish food. They are perfect for pest control!
They also keep your tank free of bacteria and parasites, but do not overfeed them!
Amanos will eat moss balls, sponge filters, commercial fish and shrimp food, and other substrates.
Shrimp consume feces to determine their nutritional value. These small shrimp eat their exoskeleton after molting for calcium and other vitamins.
Other Alternatives to Amano Shrimp
There are several ways to feed your axolotls live food. Brine shrimp provides vitamins and protein for baby axolotls. Axolotls can also eat live daphnia.
Daphnia is great at cleaning up leftover food and rotting matter in your tank, keeping the water clear. Daphnia is expensive, so buy them from a trusted breeder.
Add transparent freshwater ghost/glass shrimp, which eat algae. They are fun to watch in your fish tank and easy to care for. Ghost/glass shrimp come in many colors, so you will surely find one that matches your setup.
Conclusion on Eating Amano Shrimp
Amano shrimp are popular aquarium shrimp for a good reason. These peaceful algae eaters thrive in tanks of different temperatures and water parameters.
Algae wafers, spirulina flakes, or pelleted algae and protein supplements are ideal for means. They like cucumbers, kale, and spinach blanched.
They can live with any community fish but avoid aggressive ones that might eat them. Since these shrimp are so large, they could easily outnumber their tank mates for food if kept with smaller species like cherry shrimp.
