Bee Shrimp

Care at a glance

Overview

Keep them in a group; they're social and graze constantly along the bottom and on plants. They are completely peaceful and best kept in a species tank or with very small, gentle tankmates. The hard part is water: they want 19 to 26 C, pH 5.5 to 7.5, soft water, and stable parameters, and they're sensitive to copper and to swings in conditions. Feed them biofilm plus small amounts of shrimp pellets, blanched vegetables, and the occasional protein food.

In the wild

Bee shrimp come from cool, soft, slightly acidic streams in Taiwan and southern China, with shaded water running over leaf litter and rock. That background explains their needs: they want clean, soft water and steady, cool temperatures, not a warm tropical tank. A mature, planted tank with moss and biofilm gives them grazing surfaces and hiding places.

Good to know

This is a dwarf freshwater shrimp in the family Atyidae, reaching about 3 cm. Females carry the eggs under the tail and fan them until they hatch as fully formed miniature shrimp, with no free-swimming larval stage. The well-known Crystal Red and Crystal Black bee shrimp are color forms selectively bred from this species.

Did you know

Bee shrimp are graded by pattern and how solid their white is, and top-grade lines like Crystal Red carry names such as Mosura and Crown for the exact markings. A single high-grade shrimp can sell for far more than the tank it lives in.

Related species

• 

  Blue Bolt Shrimp

  Caridina cantonensis

  1.2 in (3 cm)5 gal (20 L)64–75°F (18–24°C)

• 

  Green babaulti shrimp

  Caridina babaulti

  1.2 in (3 cm)10 gal (38 L)72–82°F (22–28°C)
• Crystal Black Shrimp

  Caridina cantonensis

  1.2 in (3 cm)5 gal (20 L)64–75°F (18–24°C)
• King Kong Shrimp

  Caridina cantonensis

  1.2 in (3 cm)5 gal (20 L)64–75°F (18–24°C)
• Panda Shrimp

  Caridina cantonensis

  1.2 in (3 cm)5 gal (20 L)64–75°F (18–24°C)

• 

  Sulawesi Shrimp

  Caridina dennerli

  1 in (2.5 cm)5 gal (20 L)79–88°F (26–31°C)