Sunkist shrimp
A filter-feeder from the upper reaches of short island streams, which it reaches by climbing wet rock around waterfalls as a juvenile. It switches between filtering the current and scraping biofilm, which makes it markedly less fragile than the obligate filterers.
Quick profile
- Scientific name
- Atyoida pilipes
- Adult size
- 4–6 cm (1.6–2.4 in)
- Lifespan
- 2–4 years
- Temperature
- 22–27 °C (72–81 °F)
- pH
- 7–8
- Hardness
- 5–15 °dGH
- Minimum tank
- 60 L (16 US gal)
- Minimum length
- 60 cm
- Swimming zone
- Bottom
- Social
- Loose group
- Diet
- Filter feeder
- Overall confidence
- low confidence
What keeping this species involves
Wants flow and oxygen and forgives a shortage of suspended food by grazing instead. The forgiveness is why it is the filter shrimp to start with.
Steep, fast island stream reaches, often above waterfalls it has climbed to reach.
Identity and names
- Common name
- Sunkist shrimp
- Scientific name
- Atyoida pilipes
- Family
- Atyidae
- Order
- Decapoda
- Class
- Malacostraca
- Also sold as
- Hawaiian shrimp, orange filter shrimp, Atyoida pilipes
Adult size and growth
4–6 cm (1.6–2.4 in)
Typical lifespan in an aquarium: 2–4 years. Almost every animal sold in a shop is a juvenile, so the tank has to suit the size in the first line rather than the size in the bag.
Water and tank requirements
Current, perching rock and a climbable surface. This shrimp uses the vertical face of the hardscape as much as the floor.
Why these ranges: Island streams over volcanic and limestone catchments run neutral to slightly alkaline, and this band reflects that habitat rather than a published figure for the species.
| Requirement | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Temperature | 22–27 °C (72–81 °F) | Stability matters more than hitting an exact figure. |
| pH | 7–8 | A stable pH outside the ideal band is usually better than an unstable one inside it. |
| General hardness | 5–15 °dGH | Check your supplier's published figure before choosing species. |
| Carbonate hardness | 2–10 °dKH | Buffering capacity — what stops the pH moving. |
| Minimum volume | 60 L (16 US gal) | A floor, not a recommendation. |
| Minimum footprint | 60 cm long | Current, perching rock and a climbable surface. This shrimp uses the vertical face of the hardscape as much as the floor. |
| Water flow | high | Match the outflow to this rather than to the filter's rating. |
| Lid required | Yes | Reduces evaporation and prevents accidents. |
| Structure | Rock and wood in strong flow, with a tight cover — it climbs out of open tanks. |
Behaviour
- Alternates between fanning the current and scraping film from rock.
- Climbs damp surfaces above the waterline, which is how it colonises stream headwaters.
Feeding
Will scrape when filtering is unproductive, which is the reason it survives ordinary tanks better than a bamboo shrimp does.
- Diet type
- Filter feeder
- Staples
- Suspended particles, Biofilm scraped from rock, Powdered shrimp foods
Breeding
- Strategy
- Amphidromous — larvae wash to sea and juveniles climb back upstream
- Difficulty
- rarely achieved
- Parental care
- carries eggs
Tankmates and compatibility
Assessments are derived from stored traits by the compatibility engine, with the reasoning shown. A verdict is a statement about probability, not a guarantee — individual temperament can override it.
| Towards | Risk | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Small fish | none | Anything that fits in the mouth is at risk once this species reaches adult size. |
| Adult dwarf shrimp | none | Cover reduces losses but rarely prevents them where the risk is high. |
| Shrimplets | none | Determines whether a shrimp colony can grow rather than merely persist. |
| Snails | none | Applies to snails you wanted as well as snails you did not. |
| Long or trailing fins | none | Fin damage is an entry point for secondary infection. |
| Plants | grazes-algae | Tough species such as Anubias and Java fern survive most grazers. |
Any pair in the catalogue can be assessed with the compatibility checker.
Welfare considerations
Points where the way this species is commonly sold or kept differs from what it actually needs.
- Leaves an uncovered tank by climbing, and does not survive the carpet.
- Copper is lethal at doses fish tolerate; check every medication and fertiliser.
Problems to watch for
Most problems in a tank containing this species are general rather than species-specific. Start with the troubleshooting index and work from the observation rather than from a guess at the cause.
What AquariumHQ does not yet hold
Species-level disease susceptibility is modelled in the graph and is not yet populated. Health pages will not be published until each condition has veterinary sourcing, because health content written without evidence is the most harmful thing this product could publish. The gap is recorded in the coverage report.
Where it comes from
- Native range
- Indo-Pacific island streams from Madagascar east to the central Pacific
- Habitat
- Steep, fast island stream reaches, often above waterfalls it has climbed to reach.
What the checklists say
13 distribution statements retrieved from GBIF checklists. Establishment means is reproduced from the source where it states one, and left unstated where it does not — a record of presence is not a record of origin.
| Status | Places | What this means |
|---|---|---|
| Native | 5 | A checklist states the species occurs here naturally. |
| Introduced | 2 | A checklist states the species arrived here with human help. That is not a statement that it is established, harmful or illegal. |
| Recorded as present, establishment means not stated | 6 | The source records the species as present and does not say whether it is native or introduced. AquariumHQ does not fill that in. |
No checklist AquariumHQ holds positively calls this species native anywhere, so the native range above rests on AquariumHQ’s own reading of the literature rather than on a cited checklist.
Evidence
Every stored value with the kind of support behind it and where to check it. Evidence type and confidence are separate axes: an editorial position held confidently and a measurement held tentatively are different things.
| Claim | Value | Evidence type | Confidence | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| scientific name | Atyoida pilipes | Observed / measured | high confidence | Catalogue of Life; GBIF — Global Biodiversity Information Facility |
| native range | Indo-Pacific island streams from Madagascar east to the central Pacific | Observed / measured | moderate confidence | GBIF — Global Biodiversity Information Facility |
| adult size | 4–6 cm | Aquarium-literature consensus | low confidence | AquariumHQ husbandry synthesis |
| lifespan | 2–4 years | Aquarium-literature consensus | low confidence | AquariumHQ husbandry synthesis |
| temperature | 22–27 °C | Aquarium-literature consensus | low confidence | AquariumHQ husbandry synthesis |
| ph | 7–8 pH | Aquarium-literature consensus | low confidence | AquariumHQ husbandry synthesis |
| general hardness | 5–15 °dGH | Aquarium-literature consensus | low confidence | AquariumHQ husbandry synthesis |
| minimum tank volume | ≥ 60 L | AquariumHQ editorial position | moderate confidence | AquariumHQ husbandry synthesis |
| minimum tank length | ≥ 60 cm | AquariumHQ editorial position | moderate confidence | AquariumHQ husbandry synthesis |
| carbonate hardness | 2–10 °dKH | Aquarium-literature consensus | low confidence | AquariumHQ husbandry synthesis |
Last reviewed 2026-08-10. Values labelled as an aquarium-literature consensus are AquariumHQ editorial positions rather than measurements — see how evidence is handled.
Why we say this
What each figure on this page rests on, and how far that is from being independently established.
Every figure on this page has a provenance. Open any claim to see what AquariumHQ holds for it, which sources say what, and what a claim of that kind actually needs. Different claims need different evidence: an accepted scientific name is settled by one authority, while a legal restriction needs a current primary instrument. A single source is often the right answer rather than a thin one.
scientific nameAquariumHQ's own position, externally checkableBased on a verified authoritative source.
AquariumHQ's own position on a claim an external source could support.
What this kind of claim needs: accepted scientific name and classification — 1 authoritative source in an appropriate context. Checked against gbif on 2026-08-13. One authoritative backbone is what this class requires.
What would improve this: Go and read a source. This is reachable and has not been reached.
native rangeAquariumHQ's own position, externally checkableBased on a verified authoritative source.
AquariumHQ's own position on a claim an external source could support.
What this kind of claim needs: where the species occurs — 1 authoritative source in an appropriate context. 13 distribution statements held from GBIF checklists — introduced in 2 country. Establishment means is reproduced from the source, never inferred from occurrence.
What would improve this: Go and read a source. This is reachable and has not been reached.
adult sizeAquariumHQ's own position, externally checkableAquariumHQ's own position, derived from evidenced inputs.
AquariumHQ's own position on a claim an external source could support.
What this kind of claim needs: size a well-kept specimen reaches — no external source is required, provided AquariumHQ shows its reasoning. No external source is required for this class. AquariumHQ's position stands on its stated reasoning.
What would improve this: Go and read a source. This is reachable and has not been reached.
lifespanAquariumHQ's own position, externally checkableAquariumHQ's own position, derived from evidenced inputs.
AquariumHQ's own position on a claim an external source could support.
What this kind of claim needs: what aquariumhq advises for keeping — no external source is required, provided AquariumHQ shows its reasoning. No external source is required for this class. AquariumHQ's position stands on its stated reasoning.
What would improve this: Go and read a source. This is reachable and has not been reached.
temperatureAquariumHQ's own position, externally checkableAquariumHQ's own position, derived from evidenced inputs.
AquariumHQ's own position on a claim an external source could support.
What this kind of claim needs: what aquariumhq advises for keeping — no external source is required, provided AquariumHQ shows its reasoning. No external source is required for this class. AquariumHQ's position stands on its stated reasoning.
What would improve this: Go and read a source. This is reachable and has not been reached.
phAquariumHQ's own position, externally checkableAquariumHQ's own position, derived from evidenced inputs.
AquariumHQ's own position on a claim an external source could support.
What this kind of claim needs: what aquariumhq advises for keeping — no external source is required, provided AquariumHQ shows its reasoning. No external source is required for this class. AquariumHQ's position stands on its stated reasoning.
What would improve this: Go and read a source. This is reachable and has not been reached.
general hardnessAquariumHQ's own position, externally checkableAquariumHQ's own position, derived from evidenced inputs.
AquariumHQ's own position on a claim an external source could support.
What this kind of claim needs: what aquariumhq advises for keeping — no external source is required, provided AquariumHQ shows its reasoning. No external source is required for this class. AquariumHQ's position stands on its stated reasoning.
What would improve this: Go and read a source. This is reachable and has not been reached.
minimum tank volumeAquariumHQ's judgement — no authority publishes thisAquariumHQ's own position, derived from evidenced inputs.
No external authority publishes this. The rationale carries the reasoning.
What this kind of claim needs: minimum tank size — no external source is required, provided AquariumHQ shows its reasoning. No authority publishes this. AquariumHQ derives it, and the derivation is recorded with its inputs and assumptions.
What would improve this: Keep the rationale current. There is no source to find.
minimum tank lengthAquariumHQ's judgement — no authority publishes thisAquariumHQ's own position, derived from evidenced inputs.
No external authority publishes this. The rationale carries the reasoning.
What this kind of claim needs: minimum tank size — no external source is required, provided AquariumHQ shows its reasoning. No authority publishes this. AquariumHQ derives it, and the derivation is recorded with its inputs and assumptions.
What would improve this: Keep the rationale current. There is no source to find.
carbonate hardnessAquariumHQ's own position, externally checkableAquariumHQ's own position, derived from evidenced inputs.
AquariumHQ's own position on a claim an external source could support.
What this kind of claim needs: what aquariumhq advises for keeping — no external source is required, provided AquariumHQ shows its reasoning. No external source is required for this class. AquariumHQ's position stands on its stated reasoning.
What would improve this: Go and read a source. This is reachable and has not been reached.
Group size and social behaviour
Gregarious and unbothered by its own kind at any density the tank can feed.