TankBud

One species · 6 varieties

Crystal and bee shrimp

Caridina logemanni

Every shrimp on this page is the same species, Caridina logemanni, long sold in the hobby as Caridina cantonensis. The crystal and bee lines share one setup; the Taiwan bee lines want the same water pushed lower and held more stable. Pick the line that matches the effort you want to put in.

Pick a variety

2 lines · care differs

Crystal and bee · soft, acidic water

5 gal (20 L) minimum · grows to 1.2 in (3 cm) · 64–75°F (18–24°C) · pH 5.8–6.8

Taiwan bee · stricter, lower pH

5 gal (20 L) minimum · grows to 1.2 in (3 cm) · 64–75°F (18–24°C) · pH 5.2–6.2

What differs between the lines

Crystal and beeTaiwan bee
pH5.8–6.85.2–6.2
DifficultyMediumDifficult

The same for every line: cool water, a mature planted tank, active substrate that buffers the pH low, and stable, low-mineral water (most keepers run remineralized RO). The Taiwan bees simply leave less room for error.

One species, several lines

The wild form is the bee shrimp, a small black and white banded shrimp from soft, acidic hill streams in southern China. Crystal red appeared as a red mutation of that stock and was line-bred in Japan in the 1990s; crystal black is the same banding kept in black. The Taiwan bee lines (blue bolt, king kong, panda) arose later from crystal stock in Taiwan. The species was described as Caridina logemanni in 2014, which is why older sources and shop lists still say Caridina cantonensis.

How grades work

Crystal red and crystal black are graded by the amount and cleanness of their white, from C at the bottom through A, S and SS to SSS. A higher grade is the same animal with more coverage, not a different shrimp, but high-grade stock tends to be more inbred, more expensive and a little less forgiving. Grades only apply to the crystal lines; Taiwan bees are sold by pattern name instead.

Keeping lines together

Every line on this page interbreeds. Crossing crystals with Taiwan bees gives mischlings, offspring that look like crystals but carry Taiwan bee genes, which is how breeders produce more Taiwan bees on purpose and how a display colony loses its look by accident. Keep one line per tank unless you are breeding toward something. None of them cross with Neocaridina, so a cherry shrimp colony elsewhere in the rack is safe.

Common questions

Are Taiwan bees harder to keep?

Yes. They want the same cool, soft water as the crystals but at a lower pH of 5.2–6.2, held very stable, and they are less forgiving of swings. Most keepers start with crystal red or crystal black and move on once a colony is thriving.

Can crystal red and crystal black live together?

Yes, the water is identical. They interbreed freely though, and the offspring mix the two patterns, so keep them apart if you want clean lines.

Is this the same shrimp as Caridina cantonensis?

In the hobby, yes. Bee shrimp were sold as Caridina cantonensis for decades; a 2014 revision described the hobby stock as its own species, Caridina logemanni, and the old name is still common on shop lists.

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