The Most Peaceful Soldier

Atyopsis spinipes is a Shrimp, and while small, it's one of the biggest decorative shrimp available for the home aquarist, getting up to three inches long! There are two Shrimp in the Atyopsis spinipes genus that you might see in your Local Fish Store, and they look nearly identical Luckily, they also have exactly the same needs and are both pretty and very easy to keep. Most often you'll see them both called Soldier Brush Shrimp, and sometimes this one (A. spinipes) will be called the Dwarf Soldier Brush Shrimp, even though they both get the same size! You'll also see them called a variety of other names like Singapore Flower Shrimp and Thornfoot Mountain Water Shrimp. There are more common names too, like Bamboo Shrimp, Wood Shrimp, Fan Shrimp, Flower Shrimp, and Asian Filter Feeding Shrimp, but these names also get used with other species, so ask for the scientific name (binomial nomenclature) if you see one of these.

Not only is the Soldier Brush Shrimp big for a Shrimp, but it's also incredibly peaceful and attractive. They are most often a silvery gray with fine white lines running along their sides, and two black lines along their backs. In tanks that have plenty of colorful decoration and darker substrates, the shrimp will often take on a hue between pink and orange. This can change with the shrimp's mood too.

These are filter feeding shrimp; instead of large pincers, they have pom-pom like filters that they'll use to pull fine particulate matter out of the water column, don't expect them to remove biofilm from surfaces because that won't happen. They're also pretty defenseless because the lack of claws (the males will have small claws, but they'd still be bringing a knife to a gun fight against anything that was interested in eating them.) These filters mean they need a very fine food to sustain them. They'll pull uneaten food and detritus out of the water, but should also be fed a dedicated shrimp food, or sinking Pellets like the Nutramar Freshwater Complete.

Being obligate filter feeders, they'll also need enough current to stir up detritus for them to eat and so do well in tanks with higher-than-average current. They're also brilliant in planted tanks, and won't hurt any plants you put them with, but these tanks shouldn't be so densely planted that the current is stifled to a point where there isn't suspended food. The flow delivered shouldn't be laminar (meaning in one direction and constant), instead try to create turbulent flow that keeps the bottom of the tank clear and plenty of minuscule food afloat. Most aquarists will used a couple gentle flow producers aimed at each other to randomize the nature of the current in the display.

This display needn't be overly large, and you could keep three or four Soldier Brush Shrimp in 20 gallons of water. If you only wanted one (which is fine too) you could keep it in a ten-gallon display as long as there was adequate food. As we've pointed out, these tanks can be planted, but they'd also be fine in more bare, higher flow, hillstream type displays. Soldier Brush Shrimp are not known for climbing out, and so a cover isn't required. They also don't need a substrate at all but will show their best colors over darker sands and rounded gravel. They could also be kept in tanks that featured leaf litter, which would help provide them with a constant source of food as those leaves started to break down. Obviously, you'll need to balance the flow with whatever other décor and tankmates you choose.

They aren't picky about water chemistry or water quality. Some aquarists have great success in keeping their displays with slightly higher nutrient levels (still keeping nitrates under 20ppm) as this can help ensure more particulate food is available. Atyopsis spinipes does well in a wide variety of temperatures, being fine from the upper 60s to the low 80s. As long as you keep the pH between 6 and 8, and the hardness somewhere that isn't extreme, you'll have a great tank for Soldier Brush Shrimp.

As long as we're on the topic of tankmates, these are the most peaceful shrimp you can buy and will do fine with anything that doesn't try to eat them, including clams and even other decorative shrimp; many hobbyists will add them to tanks with Amano and Neocardina Shrimp for variety. They'll be just fine with Guppies, Tetras, Danios, Corys, and the list goes on. Just avoid anything large enough to eat them and notorious pickers like some of the Barbs. You should also not keep them with crayfish or freshwater crabs; even though they're often called Soldier Brush Shrimp, the filters they have in lieu of claws leaves them pretty much defenseless and they'll quickly end up as food for your little lobsters. We suggest keeping at least three of them together, as you'll see them more often, but this isn't strictly a requisite.

Pretty much all the Atyopsis spinipes you'll find are wild caught as they are tricky to breed. It's widely thought that they require brackish, or even saltwater for the fry to live in, but the adults do best in fully freshwater. Breeding them in captivity has happened and is possible in the home aquarium, and you'd need multiple aquariums to do this successfully. Males will be smaller and thinner, but sporting an extra pair of small claws, where females will lack this, but will be noticeably plumper and longer. There doesn't seem to be any correlation between color and sex. They don't create lasting pair bonds.

When we think “Shrimp” we think tiny, but Atyopsis spinipes breaks that mold. Their pure size makes them attractive to many aquarists, while their interesting feeding and variable coloration really lends a lot of star power too. You'll be hard pressed to find a more peaceful addition to a wide variety of sweetwater aquariums and to top it all off, these may be the easiest shrimp out there to keep! If all this sounds like something you're interested in, head into your LFS and ask them about getting you a group of Soldier Brush Shrimp from Aquatropic today!