Vampire Shrimp
Atya gabonensis
A big, shy filter-feeding shrimp that can shift from blue to tan, despite its fierce name.
| Difficulty | Intermediate |
| Min. Tank Size | 110 L |
| Temperature | 23.0–28.0 °C |
| pH Range | 6.5–7.8 |
| Max Size | 15.0 cm |
| Lifespan | 3-5 years |
| Diet | Omnivore |
| Temperament | Peaceful |
Overview
The Vampire Shrimp (Atya gabonensis) is a big, shy filter-feeding shrimp that can shift from blue to tan, despite its fierce name. It reaches about 15 cm and can live for roughly 3-5 years with good care.
This guide covers everything in plain language: tank size and setup, water parameters, the best foods (with recommended brands), which shrimp and tank mates it can safely live with, breeding, and the common problems to avoid. It is rated Intermediate to keep.
Natural Habitat & Origin
Freshwater shrimp come from streams, pools and lakes across Asia. They are sensitive to copper, ammonia and sudden changes, so a mature, stable, planted tank is the secret to keeping and breeding them.
Tank Size & Setup
Provide at least 110 litres. Even small shrimp do best in a stable, well-established tank, as larger water volumes stay cleaner and swing less.
A mature, planted tank with moss, leaf litter and biofilm is ideal. Use a sponge filter (or a guard over the intake) so babies aren't sucked in, and never add anything containing copper, which is deadly to shrimp.
Always add invertebrates only to a fully cycled, mature tank - they are far more sensitive to ammonia and nitrite than most fish.
Water Parameters
Keep the Vampire Shrimp at 23-28 °C with a pH of 6.5-7.8, in moderately hard water (GH 6-15); they are happy in most Australian tap water once it is dechlorinated and stable.
Stability is everything for invertebrates: test regularly, keep ammonia and nitrite at zero and nitrate low, drip-acclimate new arrivals slowly over an hour, and make only small, steady water changes. Remember that copper - found in some fish medicines and plant fertilisers - is lethal, so always check labels.
Diet & Feeding
The Vampire Shrimp is a omnivore. In Australia, good options include fine powdered foods kept suspended in the current - Hikari first-bites/shrimp powder and Dymax powdered foods - plus the fine particles a mature tank produces.
Feed lightly - invertebrates get much of their food from natural biofilm and algae, and overfeeding quickly fouls the water and triggers losses. A little, a few times a week, is plenty for most shrimp and snails.
Which Shrimp & Tank Mates Can Live Together?
This is a peaceful filter-feeder that harms nothing and competes with nothing - it simply fans the current to strain tiny food from the water. It does not interbreed with dwarf shrimp and is completely safe to keep with cherry, bee, tiger and Amano shrimp, snails and peaceful fish. Just make sure there is gentle flow and enough fine food (powdered shrimp food or dust) in the water, as filter-feeders can slowly starve in a too-clean tank.
Breeding
Filter and long-arm shrimp like this one are difficult to breed in the home aquarium, because their larvae need brackish or saltwater stages, so home-bred young are rare.
Common Problems & Care Tips
The biggest killers of shrimp are copper, ammonia spikes and sudden changes in water - go slowly and keep things stable. Watch moulting closely: shrimp shed their shell to grow, and a failed moult (often from a lack of minerals or a big water change) can be fatal, so keep GH steady.
Quarantine and acclimate all new livestock carefully, and watch daily for sluggishness, failure to eat or trouble moulting.
Is the Vampire Shrimp Right for You?
The Vampire Shrimp suits keepers with some experience and a stable, mature, well-planned tank, as long as you can provide 110+ litres, the right water, copper-free conditions and suitable tank mates.
Get the basics right and these fascinating invertebrates are some of the most rewarding animals in the hobby. Use our aquarium tools to plan your setup and browse our fish and plant guides for safe tank mates.