TankBud

Green babaulti shrimp

Caridina babaulti

Also known as Malaya shrimp

FreshwaterShrimp

Green babaulti shrimp (Caridina babaulti)
Peter Pfeiffer · CC BY-SA 4.0

Care at a glance

Temperature
72–82°F
22–28°C
pH
6.5–7.8
Adult size
1.2 in
3 cm
Minimum tank
10 gal
38 L
Temperament
Peaceful
Social behavior
Social
Swim level
Bottom
Difficulty
Easy
Breeding
Easy
Rarity
Common
Family
Atyidae
Origin
South Asia (India, extending across the Indian subcontinent)

Overview

Keep them in a colony of at least ten in a tank of 38 liters or larger, since they turn shy and reclusive in small numbers and grow far more confident and visible in a group. They are peaceful bottom dwellers that spend the day grazing on algae, biofilm, and leftover food. They handle a pH from about 6.5 to 7.8 and a wide hardness range, but they dislike sudden swings, so go slow on water changes. Breeding is easy and works much like cherry shrimp, though the very small fry are slower to mature and harder to raise, so a biofilm rich tank and a sponge over the filter intake help the young survive. Keep them with small, peaceful fish or no fish at all, since anything large will eat the shrimplets.

In the wild

Green babaulti shrimp come from streams across the Indian subcontinent in South Asia, where they pick over leaf litter, plants, and submerged wood. Give them a mature planted tank with mosses, driftwood, and a fine sand or gravel substrate they can sift through. Aim for 22 to 28 C and a pH from 6.5 to 7.8. A well established tank with plenty of biofilm and algae suits them best, since that is what they graze on all day.

Good to know

This is Caridina babaulti, a dwarf shrimp in the family Atyidae. Adults reach about 3 cm and usually live one to two years. Females carry their eggs under the tail for around 30 days, holding roughly 30 to 50 at a time, and the young hatch as tiny copies of the adults with no larval or brackish stage. They are sensitive to copper, so avoid copper based medications and fertilizers.

Did you know

The green color is not fixed. Babaulti shrimp can shift their shade depending on what they eat and the tank around them, drifting between green, brown, red, and yellow over time. A shrimp that looks deep green one month may turn brownish the next, and a whole colony will often show a mix of tones at once.

Weekly picks

Tank mates

Green babaulti shrimp is a peaceful, social species that keeps to the bottom. These picks share a community profile with it, are safe together in both directions, and overlap on water type, temperature and pH.

Check the full mix in the stocking calculator

Common questions

What size tank does a Green babaulti shrimp need?

A Green babaulti shrimp needs at least 10 gal (38 L). It spends most of its time in the bottom.

What temperature and pH does a Green babaulti shrimp need?

A Green babaulti shrimp is comfortable at 72–82°F (22–28°C) with a pH of 6.5–7.8.

How big does a Green babaulti shrimp get?

An adult Green babaulti shrimp reaches about 1.2 in (3 cm).

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