Want to try the leggy side of aquatics but don’t know where to start? Here are some things you should know as you start your shrimping journey.
SO, YOU GOT the shrimp bug. It isn’t something you should be worried about or be ashamed of, there are many others like you who can’t resist the undeniable charm of these colourful critters. It doesn’t matter whether you have many years of fishkeeping experience or you are an absolute newbie: there is a suitable shrimp out there for you. This short guide will help you to find your perfect match and set you up for a long term, happy relationship with your new ten-legged pets.
What’s available to me?
The first shrimp group you will be most likely to meet are the cherry shrimps, Neocaridina davidi. Wild forms are camouflaged brown, but aquarium strains are very colourful. The first variety introduced to the market was the red (hence the common moniker), but was quickly followed by yellow, blue, brown, black, orange or green ‘cherries’. Luckily the different colours don’t come with different requirements: they’re all a perfect choice for those wanting to dip into shrimp keeping.
Being very simple yet adaptive creatures, a wide range of water parameters suits them. Keep your Neocaridina shrimp in neutral-to-alkaline (6.5-8pH) and medium to hard (8-18dGH, 5-15dKH) water at 18-26°C (room temperature is perfect), and you should have no issues. For most of us it’s tap water territory, so the water changes should be very easy (don’t forget to use a proper water conditioner).
The key thing you should remember about them is that if you have various colours together in same tank then the offspring will be like Skittles, emerging in a range of colours. You will also get wild coloured (brown) shrimplets. If you want to keep the strains pure then simply don’t mix them.
The second group includes the bee shrimp, Caridina logemanni, and tiger shrimp, Caridina mariae, as well as their numerous hybrids. The crystal red shrimp (CRS), crystal black shrimp (CBS) as well as the various Taiwan bee shrimp (like King Kong, panda etc.) all belong to this group. Some of the newest varieties cost a fortune (nearly £2000) but those on a tight budget can find some affordable bee shrimp to keep.
They prefer slightly cooler (18-23°C), softer (5dGH, 0-2dKH) and more acidic (5.5-6.8pH) water. In their case it’s advised to use specialist shrimp soils, providing stable conditions for a long time. Some of these a
