Krewetki w akwarium słodkowodnym

Atya gabonensis

Apperance:	Due to its demonic look sometimes it is called "Vampire Shrimp". On the front legs it has dark "warts", which are easy to see especially at males. Basic color is sky-blue, changing sometimes to grey, beige, yellow or pink tint - it depends from shrimp mood, water conditions and environment hue. Just after moult I is almost white, with skin tint. Just like with other fan shrimps, two first pair of legs is equipped in hairy "umbrellas" which are used to filter food from water.
Origin:	They occur on both shores of atlantic ocean, in West Africa as well as in South America.
Size:	14 - 15 cm. Females are a little bit smaller than males.
Water conditions:	24 - 28 C.
Tank layout:	Lots of hiding places, especially coconut shells and set upside-down flowerpots. It is important to give a big water movement in which atya gabonensis likes to fix herself to catch micro food from water.
Food:	Plankton. When the water in tank is too clean :) you should feed them with high quality aliment, alive or frozen small plankton. It is also possible to feed them with artificial aliment, but it has to be made very small, to imitate "trash" which is flying in water. This shrimp can also eat dead animals.
Breeding:	Low form.

Counter to how it looks (as a dangerous) those are very calm shrimps suitable to general tank. You just have to look after appropriate feeding. When there are very gluttonous fishes there is a threat that shrimps might die from hunger. You can keep them together with peaceful crayfishes (cherax destructor) and natural with other shrimps, even with macrobachium shrimps. Tank should be big, Atya grows quite big and although it's not very active it needs enough space to "turn around" ;)
Atya gabonensis lives quite long, in good conditions up to 5 years even.
NOTICE: Sometimes you can find Atya gabonensis (as well as A. Africana and A.Scabra) named as Atya camerunensis. So when you buy Atya camerunensis make sure which specie you buy.

web-admin: Michał Kopystyński