A captive bred Taiwan Bee line of Caridina cantonensis, line bred from bee shrimp whose wild form lives in soft, acidic streams in southern China.
Overview
The panda shrimp is a Taiwan Bee with sharp, solid black and white banding that gives it a panda look. It is a shrimp for experienced keepers.
Did you know
Panda shrimp are among the harder Taiwan Bees to breed true. Their clutches often include lower-grade young with incomplete black and white banding.
Caring for the panda shrimp
Keep panda shrimp in a stable, cycled tank of at least 5 gal (19 L). Active soil helps hold the acidic pH they need. Moss and biofilm give them grazing surfaces and hiding places.
Like other Taiwan Bees, pandas need soft, acidic, low-TDS water, with a lower pH and TDS than crystal shrimp. Use remineralized RO water at a pH of 5.2 to 6.2 and TDS about 100 to 130. Hold it at 64 to 75°F (18 to 24°C), and keep every parameter steady. Copper must never reach the tank.
Feed biofilm, botanicals, blanched vegetables and shrimp-specific foods. Pandas are peaceful, social grazers that work the bottom and plants all day. Keep them with other Taiwan Bees or on their own.
Females carry their eggs under the tail and fan them until they hatch into fully formed young, with no larval stage. Breeding pandas is a moderate challenge.
Good to know
The panda is a Taiwan Bee form of the bee shrimp, Caridina logemanni, also sold as Caridina cantonensis. It carries the same recessive genetics as the King Kong and the blue bolt, and its bold pattern is a selected, line-bred trait. Grade matters in pandas, since weaker ones show muddy or broken color.
In the wild
The panda shrimp is a captive-bred line, bred from the bee shrimp. Wild bee shrimp live in soft, acidic streams in southern China.
Weekly picks
Tank mates
The panda 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.
Is a panda shrimp a different species from the bee shrimp?
No. A panda shrimp is a variety of the bee shrimp, Caridina logemanni. It is kept the same way apart from difficulty and pH.
What size tank does a panda shrimp need?
A panda shrimp needs at least 5 gal (19 L). It spends most of its time in the bottom.
What does a panda shrimp eat?
A panda shrimp grazes on biofilm along the bottom and on plants. Feed it botanicals, blanched vegetables and shrimp-specific foods too.
How big does a panda shrimp get?
An adult panda shrimp reaches about 1.2 in (3 cm).
How does a panda shrimp breed?
A female panda shrimp carries her eggs under her tail and fans them until they hatch. The young are fully formed shrimp with no larval stage, and breeding is a moderate challenge.
1.6 in (4 cm)7 gal (25 L)64–73°F (18–23°C)
1.2 in (3 cm)10 gal (38 L)72–82°F (22–28°C)
1.2 in (3 cm)5 gal (20 L)73–82°F (23–28°C)
1.2 in (3 cm)5 gal (20 L)68–79°F (20–26°C)
2 in (5 cm)8 gal (30 L)59–81°F (15–27°C)
1.4 in (3.5 cm)5 gal (20 L)73–82°F (23–28°C)