Are Vampire Shrimp aggressive?

No. Despite the name and large front legs, Atya gabonensis is a peaceful filter feeder. Protect it from aggressive or predatory tank mates, especially while moulting.

What does a Vampire Shrimp eat?

It collects fine suspended foods with feathered fans. Offer small quantities of powdered invertebrate food or finely crushed quality food upstream of its perch; do not expect it to survive on scraps alone.

Why is my Vampire Shrimp scraping the substrate?

Repeated scraping with closed fans can indicate that too little suspended food is reaching it. Review flow, perch position and feeding without over-polluting the aquarium.

Can I keep more than one Vampire Shrimp?

Yes, if the aquarium is large and mature enough to provide each shrimp with a feeding perch, retreat and enough suspended food.

Is Atyopsis gabonensis the same animal?

Atyopsis gabonensis is an older combination still seen in aquarium material. Current taxonomy places the species as Atya gabonensis.

Will mine be blue like the picture?

Not necessarily. Colour varies naturally with the individual, environment and moult stage, and the gallery is representative rather than a photograph of the exact shrimp dispatched.

Vampire Shrimp (Atya gabonensis), also called African Fan Shrimp, filter-feeding on driftwood — representative image

Vampire Shrimp (Atya gabonensis) is a peaceful filter-feeding African fan shrimp for mature 100L+ aquariums with suspended foods, steady flow and protected filter intakes.

Bottom DwellerFilter FeederFreshwaterInvertebratesModerate CarePeacefulShrimp

Product Details

Species

Atya gabonensis

Vampire Shrimp (Atya gabonensis)

Name: Vampire Shrimp (Atya gabonensis)
Brand: Tropical Fish Co
SKU: K474
Price: 20.0 GBP
Availability: InStock

Moderate Care

Peaceful

£20.00/ shrimp

Shoal Pricing

— save up to 30%

Vampire Shrimp live in groups — 6+ keeps them settled, active and showing their best colour.

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Delivered on Thursday or Friday

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Packed with care. Aquarium plants, foods, filter media and supplies are checked, protected and dispatched with product-appropriate packaging.

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Read our reviews on Google or see verified buyer reviews and photos. Human support, careful packing and practical aquarium advice.

Vampire Shrimp (Atya gabonensis) is a peaceful filter-feeding African fan shrimp for mature 100L+ aquariums with suspended foods, steady flow and protected filter intakes.

Bottom DwellerFilter FeederFreshwaterInvertebratesModerate CarePeacefulShrimp

Product Details

Species

Atya gabonensis

Water Parameters

Maintain these water conditions for optimal health and vibrant colors

Temperature

23–28°C

23°CIdeal28°C

pH Level

6.5–7.8

6.5Ideal7.8

Water Hardness

4–15 dGH

4 dGHIdeal15 dGH

The African fan shrimp — also sold as the vampire shrimp or giant African shrimp (Atyopsis gabonensis) — is a large, peaceful filter-feeding shrimp that reaches around 12 cm. It does not hunt or graze like a cherry shrimp: it sits in the current and opens four fans of bristles to sieve fine food from the water, so it needs flow and a fine suspended diet to thrive.

Give it a mature tank of 100 litres or more at 24–28 °C with a filter outflow or powerhead to feed in, plenty of cover, and companions that will not nip — small tetras, rasboras, corydoras and other shrimp are ideal. Target-feed with powdered foods, baby brine shrimp or crushed flake released into the current; a shrimp seen constantly picking at the substrate is usually hungry.

Care overview

The care data below is taken from the current site catalogue for this exact listing. Use it as the starting point for checking aquarium size, water parameters, diet, and compatibility before adding the animal to your tank.

Catalogue name	Atyopsis gabonensis
Family	Atyidae
Adult size	12 cm
Minimum aquarium	100 litres
Temperature	24-28C
pH	6.5-7.5
Hardness	4-15 dGH
Diet	Filter feeds on microparticles, powdered food, baby brine shrimp, spirulina dust
Recommended group	1 or small group

Aquarium setup and compatibility

Giant African shrimp (Atyopsis gabonensis) is best kept in a mature, fully cycled aquarium with stable water, gentle filtration, grazing surfaces, moss or plants, and no copper-based treatments. Keep water changes steady and avoid sudden swings in temperature or pH.

Giant African shrimp (Atyopsis gabonensis) is safest with peaceful nano fish, other compatible shrimp, and snails. Avoid large or predatory fish, copper medication, and newly set up tanks.

Feeding and routine care

Feed lightly around the listed diet: Filter feeds on microparticles, powdered food, baby brine shrimp, spirulina dust. Shrimp also graze on biofilm and algae, so a mature tank is more important than heavy feeding. Remove leftovers before they affect water quality.

Ordering from Tropical Fish Co

Check the live stock status, current size, and any variant information on this page before ordering. We pack livestock for tracked UK delivery with live arrival support, and recommend slow acclimation into a mature aquarium after delivery.