Red line shrimp

Caridina striata

Also known as Matano red line shrimp, Red stripe shrimp

FreshwaterShrimp

Care at a glance

Temperature: 79–88°F (26–31°C)
pH: 7.5–8.5
Adult size: 1 in (2.5 cm)
Minimum tank: 5 gal (20 L)
Temperament: Peaceful
Social behavior: Social
Swim level: Bottom
Difficulty: Medium
Breeding: Easy
Rarity: Rare
Origin: Malili lake system, Sulawesi, Indonesia
Family: Atyidae

Overview

The red line shrimp is a small, peaceful Sulawesi shrimp for a warm, hard-water tank kept just for its own kind and lake-mates. It is social, so keep a colony of at least six or more, and it will graze biofilm and algae from rock in the open once it feels settled. Do not house it with fish that hunt shrimp, and do not mix it into a soft-water community; its needs are specific. Feed a fine shrimp food and let a mature tank grow the biofilm it prefers. A stable 20 liter tank or larger works, as long as the warmth and chemistry never drift.

In the wild

Caridina striata lives only in the Malili lakes of Sulawesi, mainly Lake Towuti, grazing rock in warm, sunlit, mineral-rich water. This is the hard part to copy: the water must stay hot and alkaline and, above all, steady. Aim for 26–31 C and pH 7.5–8.5, with good filtration and rock cover, and avoid the swings that soft-water shrimp shrug off but this species will not.

Good to know

Caridina striata is an atyid dwarf shrimp described in 2009, reaching about 2.5 centimeters, marked with a clean red stripe running the length of its body. Despite its fussy reputation it breeds readily in fresh water: it is a direct developer, so a female carries a small clutch and releases tiny benthic shrimp with no marine stage. The challenge is the water, not the spawning.

Did you know

The Malili lakes it lives in are ancient, among the oldest on earth, and hold species found nowhere else. This shrimp's red pinstripe evolved in a closed bowl of warm, alkaline water that has stood for well over a million years.