Why is my Amano Shrimp turning blue?

I don’t think any blue Amano shrimp exists, But in some situations, they may change their color to blue. So In this article. You are going to understand why Amano Shrimp turns blue. Is it a good sign?

Why is my Amano Shrimp blue?

Amano Shrimp may indeed become blue. I have seen a lot of controversy in this situation. Many aquarists claim the habitat and nutrition of Amano shrimp affect their color. Let’s try to understand their point of view.

According to them, If they become blue, they will return to their typical coloring if their food is adjusted. It results from consuming algae, which is often present in several foodstuffs. So, according to them, a specific diet can literally make your shrimp blue. Someone stated on Reddit that consuming green hair algae causes them to become this color.

According to some other aquarists, if your Amano shrimp becomes blue, it may indicate stress. Let’s try to understand the point of view of these aquarists. They claim that if your Amano shrimp changes their color, it may be because of stress.

For example, sometimes when you buy them from the shop, they come in blue. So when they travel, they become stressed. When nitrates level increases in the aquarium, it will cause your shrimps to get stressed. So there are many reasons why your shrimp gets stressed.

It is normal for your Amano shrimp to change their color. But not all the time. It may lead to the death of your shrimp.

How to overcome this situation?

So three things are responsible for this situation: diet, environment, and stress. If they become blue due to diet, it is okay. Don’t worry; they will return to their natural color in 3 to 4 days by changing their diet. But if the reason is the environment, this might cause some trouble.

If you don’t properly maintain the environment tank, this may cause stress. So correctly setting up your tank, keeping the proper water parameters, regularly cleaning the tank, and choosing suitable tank mates will always keep your shrimps stress-free.

How to correctly set up a tank for Amano shrimp?

Tank size

Larger tanks are usually preferable for these shrimps.  Twenty gallons of space is excellent for these shrimps. A 20-gallon tank has sufficient room to swim and play for Amano shrimps. They can live in a small tank without any major problems but if you are really concerned about your shrimp, buy a bigger tank.

Keep in mind that the location of your aquarium plays a crucial role while setting up a shrimp tank. These shrimps prefer some live plants in their aquarium. So adding live plants is a great idea.

Tank equipment

You need to add a few essential equipment to your aquarium to provide an ideal habitat for these shrimp, including a good heater, filter, and substrate. If your room temperature drops significantly, a heater is required to maintain the appropriate water temperature suitable for the shrimp.

The filter helps keep the water fresh and rid of poisonous substances. These fish love to dwell and reproduce on the substrates, so you should add some good substrates in their tank.

To provide a good habitat for these shrimp, ensure that all these components are present and working properly in your aquarium. Check these accessories daily. If anything is not functioning correctly, replace or repair it.

Lighting

For these shrimp, I’d highly suggest a high-quality light.

While the shrimp do not necessarily require it, they will profit from the strong lighting-induced growth of strong, vivid plants and algae.

Water Parameters

Regulating a good nitrogen cycle will increase the water quality of any aquarium.

When trash settles in the aquarium water and begins to decompose, it emits ammonia which is hazardous to these shrimps even in low concentrations, which poses a serious issue.  They struggle if the ammonia level reaches one ppm.

If you can’t control this situation, the trash will eventually build up over time and transform your aquarium water into a poisonous soup.  Fortunately for us, the nitrogen cycle steps in at this point to prevent our aquariums from becoming contaminated.  Numerous helpful microorganisms that convert and purify the toxic materials are present in large quantities within our aquarium water.

They require an aquarium with specific water parameters.

Water Temperature: 21°-27°C

Water pH: 6.5-8.0

Ammonia/Nitrite: < 1 ppm

Food

These shrimps love aIgae. It would be best to grow a good amount of algae in your aquarium for these shrimps. But you need to give them some supplement food for better nutrition. For these shrimp, calcium is particularly important since it helps when they go through molting.

Small worms, boiled veggies, algae slices, and flakes are the finest food options for their diet. Be cautious with any new meals you’re thinking of providing to confirm they don’t contain a lot of copper or harmful elements.

Tankmates

Amanos also eat decomposing plant materials, food scraps, and dead creatures in your aquarium. So they indirectly help to clean the aquarium.

You must be very selective when selecting tank mates for these shrimps. Unfortunately, These shrimps only reach up to 2.5 to 3 inches. They lack any methods of protection from predatory species and are also quite docile.

So you need to seek little or comparable-sized fish. I suggest choosing fish species that are herbivorous and calm. Here are some excellent tank mates you can consider for your Amano shrimp.

1. Ram Cichlids
2. Corydoras
3. Neon Tetras
4. Mollies
5. Guppy
6. Otocinclus Catfish

Final thought

This is everything about this post. I hope you enjoyed this article. If you have any doubts, please ask me in the comment section. I will see you in my next post.