Currently, the Wood Shrimp (Atyopsis Moluccensis) is mostly found and bred in the South East Asia region. It can vary in colors, predominantly brown, red and orange to match its surroundings. A distinctive feature of this shrimp is a yellow stripe running across the back from the rostrum to the tail with brown or yellow stripes by the side of its body.Being an excellent filter feeder, this shrimp has two pairs of specialized feathery, fan-like appendages instead of claws. These are used to collect suspended algae and planktonic microorganisms from the water. Also nicknamed as Fan Shrimp, it is required to be kept in a strong current tank and effectively act as a biochemical filtration system.
This shrimp is preferably kept in community tanks with other small, peaceful fish and/or shrimps. When kept correctly, the average life span is approximately 5-8 years. A fully grown male is about 8-10cm, and the female, which is slightly smaller, is about 6-8cm.
Breeding this shrimp in tank is somewhat difficult. In nature, the pregnant female will move from freshwater to brackish water prior to hatching the eggs. The young larva will then go through several stages of development in full strength salt water before finding its way back to the river.
