Caridina Fancy Shrimp

Caridina shrimp is a freshwater shrimp from the family Atydae that takes very well to an aquarium. They are native to Asia’s tropical and subtropical waters, mainly the southeast countries such as Taiwan. Their natural habitat is the bottom of slow-flowing rivers, ponds, streams, and lakes, so they are bottom dwellers in an aquarium for the most part. This almost stagnant water habitat has dense vegetation and a somewhat muddy or sandy substrate.

One of the most interesting things about the caridina shrimp for the aquarium hobbyist is their incredible diversity of color, patterns, and the different combinations of those. The names given to the different caridina shrimp come from the many patterns and colors: tiger shrimps, bee shrimps, crystal shrimps, and the list goes on and on.

Caridina Shrimp Food & Diet

Being omnivores, they will eat pretty much anything you give them. But they enjoy eating detritus most, so powder-based or microorganism-based foods are highly recommended. Make sure not to clean the tank too much, as they tend to graze and eat the algae growth at the bottom, and it keeps the aquarium closer to its natural ecosystem. But do not let uneaten food accumulate since this will increase the toxicity in the water parameters and can be dangerous to the shrimps.

The caridina shrimp will eat at any time of the day but be more comfortable eating at night or in low light conditions. Feeding is best done once a day, giving enough food for a 2 to 3 hours period of eating. Excess food is not good for the tank or the water parameters and is not recommended. Overfeeding can also cause death for the caridinas, so keeping an eye on the quantity of food given is a must.

They also need a little supplement once in a while and feeding them blanched and boiled vegetables like cucumbers is a good idea. Having a good biofilm in your tank is a must, and another good practice is to feed them leaves like the Indian almond leaf. They break down after a while underwater, and the shrimps love it. Some caridina shrimp keepers even feed them banana leaves or spinach leaves – but be careful choosing which leaf to give the shrimps: many are toxic to them and can be deadly.

In a well-established tank, the caridina shrimps can usually find enough food by themselves, with algae and biofilm being their primary food source.

RECOMMENDED TANK PARAMETERS

• Ph level range: 6 - 6.5
  
• Temperature range: 67° to 78° F
• kh: 0-1
• gh: 4-6
• TDS: 100-200