Giant Freshwater Prawn

Macrobrachium rosenbergii is a commercially important and visually spectacular freshwater prawn reaching lengths of 30 cm in mature males, which develop elongated blue-tinged chelipeds used in male-male competition. Adult males are highly aggressive toward conspecifics and will predate smaller aquarium inhabitants. They are best kept singly or in large species-specific setups and represent more of a display species than a community invertebrate.

Water: 24–30°C, pH 7.0–8.0, GH 8–18, KH 4–10; robust filtration for heavy waste production. Tank: minimum 200 L per male; provide large cave structures and open swimming space. Feeding: sinking carnivore pellets, shrimp pellets, frozen foods, vegetables. Behaviour: aggressive and territorial with conspecifics; predatory toward small tank mates. Compatibility: species-only or with very large robust fish; not community-safe.