Aquarium shrimp

Shrimp add movement and cleanup to nano and community tanks, from cherry and Amano shrimp to marine cleaner shrimp. Each profile lists the tank size and water conditions a shrimp does best in.

Tank size: 1–53 gal; 1 gal (4 L) to 53 gal (200 L); half the list needs 11 gal (40 L) or more
Temperature: 73–81°F; 23–27°C, most of the list
pH: 7.0–8.2; Most of the list
Difficulty: 22 easy; 19 medium · 3 difficult
Temperament: 35 peaceful; 6 mostly peaceful · 3 aggressive
Reef safety: 10 reef safe; 6 reef safe with caution · 1 not reef safe

41 species and 16 varieties

Start here

Cherry shrimp first

The Neocaridina shrimp is the one to start with, and every cherry, blue dream, yellow and orange shrimp in the shops is the same species in a different color. It is marked beginner, stays at 1.6 inches (4 cm), lists 5 gallons (20 liters) and takes 59–84°F (15–29°C) and a pH from 6.5 to 8.0, which is most tap water. A group of ten breeds on its own within a couple of months. The Amano shrimp is the algae eater, 2 inches (5 cm) in 8 gallons (30 liters), marked beginner, and it will not breed in freshwater. The ghost shrimp is the cheap one, marked easy and mostly peaceful, and it will grab a fry if it can.

The rule

What keeps a shrimp alive

Copper kills shrimp at doses a fish never notices, so no copper medication goes in a shrimp tank and every fertilizer gets its label read. Sudden change kills them, so new shrimp are drip acclimated over an hour and water changes are small and slow. Filters eat the babies, so the intake wears a sponge. And fish eat shrimp: a tank with a betta, a gourami or any cichlid in it is a tank where the shrimp are the food.

01
No copper
Medications and some fertilizers kill shrimp
02
Slow changes
Drip acclimate, change water in small amounts
03
Sponge on the intake
A bare filter intake eats the shrimplets
04
No hungry fish
A mouth that fits a shrimp will eat one

Caridina

Crystals, bees and tigers want soft water

The Caridina shrimp are the second step, and the water is the difference. The bee shrimp, sold as crystal red and crystal black, stays at 1.2 inches (3 cm) in 5 gallons (20 liters) and is marked medium: it wants 64–75°F (18–24°C) and a pH from 5.8 to 6.8, which means remineralized RO water over a buffering soil. The Taiwan bee forms, the blue bolt, the King Kong and the panda, are marked difficult and want a pH from 5.2 to 6.2. The tiger shrimp is 1.6 inches (4 cm) for 7 gallons (25 liters) at 64–73°F (18–23°C). The tangerine tiger is the bridge: marked medium, it takes a pH from 6.5 to 7.5 and can share a tank with Neocaridina without interbreeding.

Specialists

Filter feeders, Sulawesi shrimp and prawns

The bamboo shrimp reaches 3.9 inches (10 cm), lists 13 gallons (50 liters) and feeds by holding four fans into the current, so it wants flow and powdered food, and it is marked easy. The vampire shrimp does the same at 5.1 inches (13 cm) in 20 gallons (75 liters). The Sulawesi shrimp want the opposite of crystal water: 79–88°F (26–31°C) and a pH from 7.5 to 8.5, and they are marked medium. The opae ula is a 0.6 inch (1.5 cm) brackish shrimp for 1 gallon (4 liters) that lives for years on almost nothing. The giant freshwater prawn reaches 12.6 inches (32 cm), lists 53 gallons (200 liters) and is marked aggressive.

Saltwater

Cleaner shrimp and the reef crew

The skunk cleaner shrimp is the saltwater beginner's shrimp, 2.4 inches (6 cm) in 20 gallons (75 liters), marked beginner and reef safe, and it will clean the hand that feeds it. The fire shrimp is its red, shyer cousin. The peppermint shrimp is 2 inches (5 cm) for 11 gallons (40 liters) and eats Aiptasia anemones. The sexy shrimp stays at 1.2 inches (3 cm) in a 5 gallon (20 liter) tank. The pistol shrimps pair with watchman gobies and dig. The harlequin shrimp eats only starfish, which is why it is marked medium. Two to leave out of a reef: the coral banded shrimp grabs small fish and carries a caution, and the peacock mantis shrimp is marked aggressive and not reef safe.

By the numbers

Smallest

Largest

Easiest to keep

Most peaceful

FAQ

Common questions

What is the easiest shrimp to keep?

The Neocaridina shrimp, sold as cherry, blue dream, yellow and a dozen other colors. It is marked beginner and lives in most tap water. In saltwater, the skunk cleaner and peppermint shrimp are the two marked beginner.

What size tank do shrimp need?

5 gallons (20 liters) for the dwarf shrimp, 8 gallons (30 liters) for Amano shrimp, 13 to 20 gallons (50 to 75 liters) for the bamboo and vampire shrimp. The opae ula lists 1 gallon (4 liters).

Can shrimp live with fish?

With small, peaceful fish: otocinclus, small rasboras and corydoras leave adults alone. Anything that can fit a shrimp in its mouth will eat it, and bettas, gouramis and cichlids eat the babies first.

Why did my shrimp die after a water change?

A swing in temperature or hardness. Match the new water to the tank, add it slowly, and check that nothing with copper in it went in with the change.

Can cherry shrimp and crystal shrimp live together?

Not well. Cherry shrimp want a pH from 6.5 to 8.0 and crystals a pH from 5.8 to 6.8. The tangerine tiger is the Caridina that shares Neocaridina water, and the two do not interbreed.

Do Amano shrimp breed in the tank?

No. The females carry eggs, but the larvae need salt water to develop, so they die in a freshwater tank. Neocaridina shrimp breed in freshwater with no help.

Index