TankBud

Marble wood shrimp

Atya scabra

Also known as Camacuto shrimp, Marbled fan shrimp

FreshwaterShrimp

Marble wood shrimp (Atya scabra)
(c) Tom Kennedy, some rights reserved (CC BY) · cc-by

Care at a glance

Temperature
73–82°F
23–28°C
pH
6.5–7.5
Adult size
3.9 in
10 cm
Minimum tank
20 gal
75 L
Temperament
Peaceful
Social behavior
Social
Swim level
Bottom
Diet
Filter feeder
Difficulty
Medium
Breeding
Hard
Rarity
Rare
Family
Atyidae
Origin
Atlantic-slope streams from Mexico to Brazil and West Africa

Overview

The marble wood shrimp is a large, heavy-bodied fan shrimp that filter-feeds from the current instead of hunting or grazing. It is best with a little experience.

Did you know

Wild marble wood shrimp spread along whole coastlines, because their larvae ride downstream to the sea and back to mature. That journey also means a home colony can never replace itself from within the tank.

Caring for the marble wood shrimp

Give the marble wood shrimp at least 20 gal (75 L), with brisk flow and strong oxygenation. Add a raised perch, such as a stone or root near the outflow, where it can sit in the current. Boulders or wood give it something to anchor on.

Keep the water at 73 to 82°F (23 to 28°C), neutral to slightly hard, with a pH of 6.5 to 7.5. A little mineral content supports its shell.

It combs food from the water with its feathered front legs, and it will quietly starve in spotless water. Feed the current with powdered and liquid foods, crushed flake and fine frozen foods dusted upstream of its perch.

The marble wood shrimp is peaceful and gets on with calm tank mates and dwarf shrimp. It likes company of its own kind, so keep two or three where space allows.

Breeding it in an aquarium is hard, because it is amphidromous. Females release tiny larvae that must wash down to the sea and develop in salt water. The young return upstream as juveniles.

Good to know

Atya scabra is one of the larger members of Atyidae, the fan shrimp family. Its front legs carry dense fans of bristles rather than claws, and it uses them to strain plankton and detritus from moving water. It is also sold as the Camacuto shrimp or the marbled fan shrimp.

In the wild

The marble wood shrimp lives in rocky, fast-flowing streams on both sides of the tropical Atlantic. Its range runs from Mexico south to Brazil and across to West Africa, where it holds station in riffles and rapids.

Weekly picks

Tank mates

The marble wood shrimp is a peaceful, social species that keeps to the bottom. These picks share a community profile with it, are safe together in both directions, and overlap on water type, temperature and pH.

Check the full mix in the stocking calculator

Common questions

What size tank does a marble wood shrimp need?

A marble wood shrimp needs at least 20 gal (75 L). It spends most of its time in the bottom.

What temperature and pH does a marble wood shrimp need?

A marble wood shrimp is comfortable at 73–82°F (23–28°C) with a pH of 6.5–7.5.

What does a marble wood shrimp eat?

A marble wood shrimp combs food from the current with its feathered front legs. Feed it powdered and liquid foods, crushed flake and fine frozen foods dusted upstream of its perch.

How big does a marble wood shrimp get?

An adult marble wood shrimp reaches about 3.9 in (10 cm).

How does a marble wood shrimp breed?

Marble wood shrimp are hard to breed in an aquarium. Females release tiny larvae that must develop in salt water at sea, then return upstream as juveniles.

Related species