Crystal red shrimp care
Caridina cantonensis · Bred from wild Caridina of southern China
Crystal red shrimp need soft, slightly acidic, very stable water: usually RO water remineralised for shrimp and an active buffering substrate, at 62 to 76 °F.
- Tank size
- 10 US gal or larger
- Temperature
- 62 to 76 °F (17 to 24 °C)
- Group size
- 10 or more
- Temperament
- Peaceful
- Adult size
- 1.2 in
- pH
- 5.8 to 7.4
- Hardness (GH)
- 4 to 6 dGH
- Lifespan
- 1 to 2 years
- Diet
- Grazer
- Care level
- Demanding
In a 10 gallon
20¼ × 10½ × 12 9/16 in outsideHow to keep crystal red shrimp
Crystal red shrimp need soft, slightly acidic, very stable water: usually RO water remineralised for shrimp and an active buffering substrate, at 62 to 76 °F. They are a step up from cherry shrimp.
Diet: Grazer: biofilm, shrimp foods, blanched vegetables. Fish food types compared · how often to feed.
Where they swim: Bottom of the tank.
Crystal red shrimp tank mates
Share the temperature and water, and neither side eats, nips or bullies the other. Check the full group in the stocking checker.
Cardinal tetra
1.2 in · 20+ gal · 73–81 °F
Ember tetra
1.2 in · 10+ gal · 73–84 °F
Lambchop rasbora
1.2 in · 10+ gal · 73–82 °F
Least killifish
1.2 in · 5+ gal · 64–80 °F
Red phantom tetra
1.3 in · 15+ gal · 68–77 °F
Clown killifish
1.4 in · 5+ gal · 72–80 °F
Dwarf corydoras
1.4 in · 10+ gal · 68–82 °F
Celestial pearl danio
1 in · 10+ gal · 72–78 °F
Keep apart
Dwarf gourami: No shared temperature: crystal red shrimp need 62 to 76 °F, dwarf gouramis 77 to 82 °F.
German blue ram: No shared temperature: crystal red shrimp need 62 to 76 °F, German blue rams 78 to 85 °F.
Cockatoo dwarf cichlid: Cockatoo dwarf cichlids eat shrimp.
Shell-dweller cichlid: Shell-dweller cichlids eat shrimp.
Pea puffer: Pea puffers belong in a tank of their own.
Fancy goldfish: Adult fancy goldfish eat fish under about 2 in; crystal red shrimp grow to 1.2 in.
What a crystal red shrimp tank needs
A tank of 10 US gallons or more (such as the 10 gallon) with a cover, and the equipment below. Crystal red shrimp are comfortable at room temperature, so a heater is optional in a normal home.
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Aquarium Co-Op Easy Flow Sponge Filter, Small
A sponge filter gives gentle flow and cannot pull in small shrimp. It runs from an air pump, with airline tubing and a check valve, all sold separately.
Fluval AC20
Rated by the maker for 5–20 US gal, which covers a 10 gallon crystal red shrimp tank without being built for a far bigger one. It comes with an intake sponge, which keeps baby shrimp out of the filter.
Aqueon QuietFlow Internal Power Filter 5–15 gal
Rated by the maker for 5–15 US gal, which covers a 10 gallon crystal red shrimp tank without being built for a far bigger one. Cover its intake with a fine sponge, sold separately, so baby shrimp aren’t pulled in.
API Freshwater Master Test Kit
Tests ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH, the readings that matter most before and after adding crystal red shrimp.
Seachem Prime 100 mL
Removes chlorine and chloramine from tap water at every water change.
Fluval Edge Thermometer
Shows the water temperature at a glance, but its display reads 64 to 86 °F, so it can’t show the bottom of the 62 to 76 °F crystal red shrimp range. Check it with a second thermometer that reads below 64 °F.
More choices, each with the reason it is in or out: Filters for a shrimp tank · Filters for a 10 gallon tank. We don’t list fish food: any good brand of the foods under Diet will do. Plan the whole tank's equipment →
Common crystal red shrimp problems
- Losses after water changes from swings in temperature or hardness; change small amounts of matched water.
Test the water first whenever fish look unwell: see what your readings mean, then match the symptom. For disease, a vet who treats fish can diagnose it and advise treatment.
More to compare
Sources
Name, origin and adult size checked against Wikipedia: Caridina cantonensis. Temperature, pH, hardness, group size, lifespan and minimum tank size are common hobby guidance, not figures from that article. Ranges are the range the species tolerates; aim for the middle. Minimum tank sizes are for an adult group. Drawings are our own; photo credits follow.
Photo credits
Real photographs from Wikimedia Commons, resized and cropped to fit; each is used under the license named.
- Crystal red shrimp DirkBlankenhaus, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Cardinal tetra CHUCAO, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Ember tetra Klaus Rudloff, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Lambchop rasbora AverageWalrus, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Least killifish Brian Gratwicke, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Red phantom tetra Tsunamicarlos (English Wikipedia), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
- Clown killifish Dornenwolf, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Dwarf corydoras AquariaNR, CC BY-SA 3.0 de, via Wikimedia Commons
- Celestial pearl danio Cisamarc, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Dwarf gourami Quatermass (English Wikipedia), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
- German blue ram Eric Mengel, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
- Cockatoo dwarf cichlid William Kreijkes, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Shell-dweller cichlid Richard A. Ingebrigtsen, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Pea puffer Beta Mahatvaraj, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Fancy goldfish Benson Kua, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Cherry shrimp TheJammingYam, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Amano shrimp Stefanie Leuker, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Ghost shrimp Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Mystery snail Gabriel Resende Veiga, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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