The Crystal Red Shrimp (Caridina cantonensis) is a type of dwarf shrimp that is not native to any wild habitat. They are part of a hybrid variety to what is known as ‘Bee Shrimp,’ so-called because of their striped bodies.
They are highly sought after and look spectacular in tanks, easily one of the prettiest dwarf shrimp species one might consider for their tank community.
However, unlike most other naturally occurring dwarf shrimp such as Ghost, Amano, and Cherry, these selectively bred shrimp are not for inexperienced hobbyists as they have some unique conditions that permit them to thrive. These are not straightforward!
Crystal Red Shrimp are not as hardy as others and are thought to have descended from selective breeding over a multitude of years from a single mutation of a black Bee Shrimp. This means that the species is quite inbred and therefore more sensitive in every sense when compared to its native type relations.
This lack of hardiness means they need pristine water conditions if they are to make it through their shorter lifespans compared to similarly-sized shrimp. With a wonderful variety of patterns at this man-made critter’s disposal, they even have their own grading system to denote how prized the coloring and patterns are.
Since there are none in the wild, we follow some basic guidelines as you might for Bee Shrimp and then also take on knowledge-based on breeder’s experience with how to best care for these invertebrates.
If you have already tried your hand successfully with the easier shrimp already mentioned and are wishing to up your shrimp game, read on to see what you need to know about caring for these delightfully vibrant shrimp to move on up like Bubba Gump.
Crystal Red Shrimp Behavior
So what might you expect to see in the tank with these colorful little guys?
Well, like all shrimp, they are excellent little tank cleaners and love to filter out algae in the tank, so make a colorful addition.
They are peaceful and will have nothing to do with harming other species in your tank.
Like all shrimp, they love to hide, which offers them protection since they lack much in the way defense mechanisms. They will usually be found scooting around the bottom of the tank or crawling over decor, in and around plants, driftwood, and rocks, keeping busy and scavenging for food.
They also like to like in groups and can often be observed feeding communally, hiding in the same places and areas of the tank in little gangs.
They are perfectly fine to keep with other dwarf shrimp, but you would have to create a water setup suited to your Crystal Red Shrimp first and foremost.
Crystal Red Shrimp Lifespan
If you cater to the needs of your Crystal Red Shrimp, you could expect them to live for on average around 1.5 – 2 years, but this is under exceptional water monitoring and care.
We will discuss more on their unique tank requirements a little later in this article.
Crystal Red Shrimp Appearance
Crystal Red Shrimp look exactly like the Bee Shrimp that they were created from, except that they must only be red and white to be deserving that unique name designation.
They don’t exceed much more than an inch in length at full maturity, and at most, will max out at 1.5 inches.
There are a variety of color patterns, and there is a grading system that denotes which are the rarest and highly prized in the hobby, which will also affect the price you pay per specimen.
To understand the grading, you’ll need to know a bit about shrimp physiology.
Shrimp have twenty legs, five pairs attached to the abdomen for swimming and five pairs attached to the cephalothorax for walking. The cephalothorax is covered by a ‘carapace’ that protects the soft body parts beneath it from the head parts to the tip of the tail.
The first walking pair of legs have tiny claws that help dig and hold food, and then each further pair is attached to separate abdomen segments that end in its tail with a fan-shaped part known as a ‘uropod.’ This tail is what scoops backward to shoot them in a rear direction.
Bulbous eyes emerge from the head with multiple antennae, and sexing is easy as males are dull while females will be more vibrant.
Crystal Red Shrimp Grading System (from low to high):
- A grade: 75% red body, with very think white banding or even spotting instead of striping
- S grade: red carapace with a white abdomen, red bands on the side of the body, often labeled a beginner grade as these are easy to find
- S+ grade: all red carapace with transparent white stripes along a white or faded abdomen
- SS- grade: head and tail fully white and red banding or spotting and abdomen and lower part of carapace
- SSS- grade: considered the best to have, it must have a 75% white body, with only tiny spots of red on the abdomen and carapace
Crystal Red Shrimp Habitat And Tank Requirements
Without any wild versions of Crystal Red Shrimp and a fairly delicate gene pool, breeders have to learn based on trial and error what works best for these creatures. Bee Shrimp was a good starting point, but their requirements have been refined over the years.
Let’s look at some specifics that are needed to provide these bright little shrimp with a great quality of life that best suits them for optimum health.
Crystal Red Shrimp Tank Conditions
What makes caring for these shrimp more challenging is that they are difficult to adapt to new tanks from an existing home. Many may even perish on their journey from one location to another.
They do not tolerate fluctuations in temperature, a dirty tank, nitrates or ammonia, copper, zinc, or low dissolved oxygen as a result of algae overgrowth or too much CO2. That’s quite a list of dislikes!
A new home for Crystal Red Shrimp must have a fully functioning nitrogen cycle before being introduced into a tank, too.
Use soft substrates that are smooth and fine to protect your shrimp from injury on anything too sharp.
Small caves and rocks that are flatter and smooth help decorate the tank, too but keep caves small, or you risk not seeing much of them. Malaysian driftwood also adds interest without the prospect of adding any toxic leaching from it.
Keep water flow low, introduce air stones to keep it well oxygenated, and even entertain your shrimp.
Hang-on back filters work best to keep bubbles oxygenating the water in addition.
These shrimp adore Java Moss, Water Wisteria, and other large wide-leafy plantings that they can hide in and attract algae formation for them to eat and clamber over.
Water changes need to be weekly and at least 25% changed over for optimum water quality.
Water conditions should be noted and maintained as follows:
- pH of 6.5 – 7.0
- Water hardness 4 – 6 dGH
- Temperature between 70 – 74ºF (21 – 24ºC)
- Lighting conditions should be moderate
Crystal Red Shrimp Tank Size
The minimum tank size for a group of five Crystal Red Shrimp is 10 gallons, but you can go larger depending on how large a group you decide is right to take on for its happiest life as well as accommodating other species within.
For each additional group of five, add another 10 gallons or 2 gallons per shrimp.
Long rectangular shaped tanks that don’t need to be too deep work well for these shrimp since the more surface area you have for them to spread out, the better to observe along the bottom of the tank where they hang out.
Choosing Tank Mates For Crystal Red Shrimps
When it comes to finding species to mix in with your Crystal Red Shrimps, you have plenty of options.
You will want to keep sizes of tank mates relative, nothing too large, or your Crystal Red Shrimp will end up being eaten.
Some excellent tank mate pairings that work well include:
- Cherry Shrimp
- Guppies
- Zebra Danios
- Otocinclus
- Cory Catfish
- Cherry Barbs
- Nerite Snails
- Assassin Snails
- Neon Tetras
- Bamboo Shrimp
- Amano Shrimp
- Cardinal Tetras
- Chili Rasboras
- Harlequin Rasboras
- Mollies
- Hatchet Fish
How To Feed Crystal Red Shrimps
Crystal Red Shrimps are omnivores and will enjoy a balanced diet of proteins to plants to remain healthy.
As they are scavengers, they aren’t too picky about what to eat and will often eat the melting’s from other shrimp to retain the necessary nutrients they need for a healthy carapace.
Feeding only needs to be done every few days to allow them to clean algae sources in the tank, clean up existing biofilm and other micro prey.
There are specialist pellets and sinking foods that can be left in the tank and not alter water quality that shrimp love available at stockists.
Indian almond leaves or oak leaves can be great food sources of biofilm for shrimp and can be left in the tank even as they start to break down as the shrimp will start to consume the leaf itself too.
How To Breed Crystal Red Shrimps
Any mixed-sex population of shrimp will end up easily breeding on their own without much in the way of encouragement.
This will always work best in an invertebrate-only tank as otherwise, even small or nano-fish will prey on the shrimp fry without hesitation.
Using a separate spawning tank lined with Java Moss and, of course, appropriately cycled and equally, pristine water conditions would be essential.
Once spawning is complete, the female will carry anywhere between 30 – 50 eggs in her rearmost pair of swimming legs, and they hatch after about a month. Usually, many do not survive to this point; it should be pointed out.
When they hatch, parents should also be removed from the tank, and the fry won’t need any special food supplementation.
After about 4 months of molts, they will reach their full adult size and can join the main tank gang and even be graded.
Another point to note here is that they will spawn often! Monthly, in fact. So if you have no interest in having another 30 shrimp every month or so (that is, if you don’t have any possible shrimp fry predators in the community) best to keep to a same-sex tank.
Conclusion
Are Crystal Red Shrimps worth the extra care needed compared to other dwarf shrimp?
They certainly are eye-catching and beloved by those who enjoy including invertebrates in their hobby.
Whether you choose to keep a single-species tank or have a small suitable community that won’t decimate your population of flashy Crystal Reds, they are wonderful to observe and have a lot of character to show off in their tiny industrial bodies,
They make for a rewarding species to care for, and since they don’t need a large tank size, they often suit hobbyists who enjoy more of a challenge who don’t have the space to tackle ever-larger fish species.
Take a punt on the Crystal Red Shrimp to see if they should be a part of your ongoing future!
