Sunkist shrimp

Caridina thambipillai

Also known as Golden Sunset Shrimp, Mandarin Shrimp, Sunkist Orange Shrimp, Caridina cf. propinqua, Caridina propinqua

FreshwaterShrimp

Sunkist shrimp (Caridina thambipillai) — (c) Andrew Bogott, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA) · cc-by-sa

Care at a glance

Temperature: 73–82°F (23–28°C)
pH: 6.8–7.8
Adult size: 1.4 in (3.5 cm)
Minimum tank: 5 gal (20 L)
Temperament: Peaceful
Social behavior: Social
Swim level: Bottom
Difficulty: Medium
Breeding: Hard
Rarity: Rare
Origin: Streams of Malaysia and Myanmar
Family: Atyidae

Overview

The sunkist shrimp is an easygoing orange grazer for a peaceful community or shrimp tank. It is social and looks best in a group, and since the colony will not replace itself, buy as many as you mean to keep. It grazes algae and biofilm across the scape and stays out of trouble with plants and calm tankmates, though anything large enough to eat a small shrimp will. Feed a quality shrimp food with occasional vegetables and frozen treats, and keep nitrate low, as it dislikes dirty water. A stable tank of around 20 liters or more is plenty.

In the wild

The sunkist shrimp works slow, leaf-strewn streams in Malaysia and Myanmar, picking food from litter and biofilm in soft to moderately mineralized water. Give it a mature planted or botanical tank with hiding places and gentle flow. Keep conditions steady at 23–28 C and around pH 6.8–7.8, and hold water quality high, since a clean, well-run tank keeps its orange color bright.

Good to know

Caridina thambipillai is an atyid shrimp reaching about 3.5 centimeters, from the dwarf shrimp family. Its larvae need a brackish stage to develop, which makes breeding hard in a freshwater tank. For years it was sold under the wrong name, Caridina cf. propinqua, until the shrimp specialist Werner Klotz sorted the identity out in 2011.

Did you know

Sunkist and golden sunset shrimp are the same animal under two shop labels. Caridina thambipillai also turns up as mandarin or orange shrimp, so the price and the name can change while the species does not.