Petshrimp.com Discussion Forum

Has anyone here kept fairy shrimp (not artemia, but the freshwater variety)? If so, how big do they get exactly?

Also, does anyone know anything about the giant fairy shrimp (branchinecta gigas). Like, how big they tend to get to, and if they'll actually eat real shrimp (like amanos)?

Thanks in advance.

Most of the ones I've kept get to be no more than about 1". They are filter feeders, and would never harm a real shrimp. I can't say what an amano would do to them though.

I know nothing about giant fairy shrimp. I googled them and came up with something like 4". They feed on copepods and small fairy shrimp.

Yeah, no worries, I know a regular fairy shrimp couldn't hurt a real shrimp. Just curious... I know triops can grow larger if you give them a bigger tank.

Triops I would worry about. A 3" triops would take out a young shrimp for sure. I can't imagine a "demon" fairy shrimp though.

Here is a photo of a Branchinecta gigas from Colorado.



I have some soil from this pool, but Im gonna hold out till I can set up a larger tank.

As for Triops growing larger with a bigger tank. People often confuse the instructions for hatching Triops with Triops requirements. Triops should always get a bigger tank. The reason they hatch in such a small container is because the Triops kit doesnt come with enough infusoria to feed them in a larger volume of water. I suggest at least 2 gallons for a single Triops. The Triops dont grow larger in a larger tank. They just die sooner in a tank thats too small.

Now THAT'S an odd-looking shrimp. Is that an egg sack? I'd like to see a pic of one in a tank.

It looks like a giant brine shrimp.

ToddnBecka wrote:Now THAT'S an odd-looking shrimp. Is that an egg sack? I'd like to see a pic of one in a tank.

yes, that is an egg sac. Thats the only pic of that species that I have, but here are a couple pics of other species in a tank.

Wow! Great pics. What a wild looking shrimp!

I have a friend from another forum that takes really clear pics.

Here is one of her pics of Thamnocephalus platyurus


I imagine this takes some patience, and a decent camera probly doesnt hurt.

What is the long appendage at the head of the shrimp? It looks similar to an insect's proboscis, but I never heard of a liquid-sucking shrimp...

Its probably just an antennae, you just cant see the other one. The males have large horn like appendages on their heads, but that appears to be a female.

Heres a pic of the "horns" on a male of the same species.

Wow... I wish there was a better supply of eggs in this country. I tried hatching some, and only got about 4 or 5.

How long do these little guys take to grow? They're certainly slower than triops...

I assume that they need still water?

What country are you in?

Fairy shrimp grow about as fast as Triops, they just dont grow quite as large. Fairy shrimp I have raised have always lived about a month longer than Triops. I would say on average they reach adult size in 3 weeks. But then there are many factors that affect their growth rate.


Yes, they live in water.