Brown Arm Shrimp - Macrobrachium asperulum

The impressively beautiful Brown Arm Shrimp Macrobrachium asperulum is a large arm shrimp that spends its entire life cycle in freshwater. It also lives in its natural habitats in waters without access to the sea. This beautiful brown Macrobrachium shrimp originally comes to us from Taiwan, the species lives besides Taiwan also in China, where it is also widely distributed. The dark brown to chocolate brown Brown Arm shrimp have long, rather slender claw arms with a golden brown longitudinal stripe.

The Brown Arm Shrimp was first described as Palaemon asperulum, but it is now scientifically classified as a large arm shrimp in the genus Macrobrachium. The beautiful Macrobrachium wild form grows to about 8-12 cm in size.

The females of the Brown Arm shrimp can be recognized by their abdomen, which is extended further down. In these abdominal pockets they carry their eggs until the hatching of the young. The egg spot cannot be seen very well in the neck of the brown female Brown Arm Shrimp, because the animals are usually too well colored. The juvenile shrimp grow up in fresh water, so Macrobrachium asperulum should be able to be bred in the aquarium. Breeding reports are so far rather sparse, this is mainly due to the fact that the Brown Arm Shrimp is a real rarity, which is not often found in the aquarium.

Macrobrachium asperulum live in nature in freshwater in streams and rivers, sometimes also in waters without access to the sea. Soft to hard water tolerates the Brown Arm shrimp in the aquarium therefore without problems, 22 to 30 degrees water temperature should be it, the pH value can vary from 6.5 to 8.5.

For a pair of Brown Arm Large Shrimp we recommend a well structured aquarium from 54 liters or 60 cm edge length. In a correspondingly larger, well and diversely arranged aquarium with many hiding places you can also keep more than one pair of Macrobrachium asperulum.

The Brown Arm shrimp tends not to eat plants, this wild form of Macrobrachium is almost exclusively a carnivore. Brown Arm shrimp do not like strong currents. Water-neutral gravel or sand has proven itself as substrate. Caves and structures of roots and stones provide many hiding places, so that the quite territorial large arm shrimp can easily avoid each other.

The Brown Arm Shrimp should not be socialized with dwarf shrimp or with snails and fish. It is a skilled hunter! The impressive Brown Arm large-armed shrimp also does not get along with crabs and shrimp.

The Brown Arm shrimp Macrobrachium asperulum is a carnivore and likes frozen food, but also hunts live food such as water fleas, tubifex or similar. Snails are also eaten with pleasure. Our NatureHolic Macrofeed is a well suited dry food for mainly carnivorous large arm shrimp and also for Macrobrachium asperulum.

Our feed recommendation: The soft granulate of the Natureholic MacroFeed consists of biologically balanced animal components that large-armed shrimps would find in nature in this or a similar way. This supports  in a completely natural way the moulting, the development and a healthy growth of your fascinating large arm shrimps in the aquarium.

Our plant recommendation: Use for planting NatureHolic InVitros. These are free of snails, planarians and other unwanted co-inhabitants. Also free of algae spores, bacteria and fungi.

Expert Tip: We recommend for fish keeping the NatureHolic 3 Phase Liquid. The care set offers the best all-round protection for your animals. It ensures optimal conditions for successful breeding and keeping.