Tangerine tiger shrimp

Caridina serrata

Also known as Caridina cf. serrata, Orange tiger shrimp

FreshwaterShrimp

Care at a glance

Temperature: 68–79°F (20–26°C)
pH: 6.5–7.5
Adult size: 1.2 in (3 cm)
Minimum tank: 5 gal (20 L)
Temperament: Peaceful
Social behavior: Social
Swim level: Bottom
Difficulty: Medium
Breeding: Easy
Rarity: Rare
Origin: Hill streams of Hong Kong and Guangdong, China
Family: Atyidae

Overview

The tangerine tiger is the forgiving one among the Caridina, a peaceful orange grazer that breeds as freely as a cherry shrimp. It is social, so keep a group, and it will spend the day grazing biofilm and algae over rock, wood, and plants. It is safe with plants and small, gentle tankmates, but keep predators away from the shrimplets if you want the colony to grow. In a mature tank it needs very little feeding; add a shrimp staple, a blanched vegetable now and then, and some leaf litter. A tank of around 20 liters or larger is plenty.

In the wild

Caridina serrata comes from hill streams around Hong Kong and Guangdong in southern China, the same waters that gave the hobby the bee shrimp, though it is far less fussy than its relatives. A planted or hardscaped tank with rock, wood, and leaf litter suits it well. Keep the water cool to moderate at 20–26 C and from slightly acidic to neutral, around pH 6.5–7.5, and stable.

Good to know

Caridina serrata is an atyid dwarf shrimp of about 3 centimeters and the anchor of a species group that also produced the bee and tiger shrimp; some workers file the tangerine tiger line under Caridina cantonensis. Breeding is easy, because it is a direct developer: females release fully formed young into fresh water with no marine stage, so a colony builds quickly.

Did you know

It is the rare member of the fussy half of the Caridina world that breeds as readily as a cherry shrimp in plain, stable water, which made it many keepers' first step into the tiger and bee shrimp hobby.

Tank mates

Tangerine tiger shrimp is a peaceful, social species that keeps to the bottom. These picks match on water type, temperature, pH, size and temperament.