Free shrimp guide
Freshwater aquarium shrimp come in four main groups: Neocaridina (cherry shrimp and their color morphs), Caridina (Crystal Red, bee, tiger, Sulawesi and Amano shrimp), fan-feeding atyids (bamboo and vampire shrimp) and ghost or whisker shrimp. Cherry and Amano shrimp are the easiest; bee and Sulawesi shrimp need special water.
Compare 9 commonly sold shrimp types by group, adult size, feeding and care level, check their temperature, pH, GH and KH ranges, and print a one-page comparison sheet.
Showing 9 of 9 shrimp types
Neocaridina davidi
Also sold as: Red Cherry Shrimp, RCS, Blue Dream, Yellow Shrimp
Caridina cantonensis
Also sold as: CRS, CBS, Bee shrimp, Taiwan Bee
Caridina mariae
Also sold as: Tiger Caridina, Blue Tiger, Orange Eye Blue Tiger (OEBT), Black Tiger
Caridina dennerli
Also sold as: Cardinal shrimp, Sulawesi shrimp, Matano shrimp
Caridina multidentata
Also sold as: Japanese algae eating shrimp, Yamato shrimp, Caridina japonica
Palaemonetes paludosus
Also sold as: Glass shrimp, Grass shrimp, Palaemon paludosus, Feeder shrimp
Macrobrachium lanchesteri
Also sold as: Long-arm shrimp, Malaysian shrimp, Riceland prawn
Atyopsis moluccensis
Also sold as: Wood shrimp, Singapore flower shrimp, Fan shrimp, Flower shrimp
Atya gabonensis
Also sold as: Viper shrimp, African fan shrimp, Gabon shrimp, Blue rhino shrimp
| Shrimp | Size | Temp | pH | GH | KH | Feeding | Care | Breeds? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cherry Shrimp & Neocaridina color morphsNeocaridina davidi | 3 cm (1.2 in) | 65-80 °F (18-27 °C) | 6.5-8 | 6-12 | 2-8 | Grazer / scavenger | Easy | Yes |
| Crystal Red, Crystal Black & Taiwan Bee ShrimpCaridina cantonensis | 2.5 cm (1 in) | 68-74 °F (20-23 °C) | 5.8-6.8 | 4-6 | 0-1 | Grazer / scavenger | Advanced | Yes |
| Tiger ShrimpCaridina mariae | 3 cm (1.2 in) | 68-75 °F (20-24 °C) | 6.5-7.5 | 4-8 | 0-4 | Grazer / scavenger | Intermediate | Yes |
| Cardinal Sulawesi ShrimpCaridina dennerli | 2.5 cm (1 in) | 80-86 °F (27-30 °C) | 7.5-8.5 | 4-7 | 3-6 | Grazer / scavenger | Advanced | Yes |
| Amano ShrimpCaridina multidentata | 5 cm (2 in) | 65-80 °F (18-27 °C) | 6.5-8 | 6-15 | 2-10 | Grazer / scavenger | Easy | No (brackish larvae) |
| Ghost ShrimpPalaemonetes paludosus | 4.5 cm (1.8 in) | 65-82 °F (18-28 °C) | 7-8 | 6-15 | 3-10 | Opportunistic predator | Easy | Yes |
| Whisker ShrimpMacrobrachium lanchesteri | 5 cm (2 in) | 68-82 °F (20-28 °C) | 6.5-8 | 5-15 | 2-10 | Opportunistic predator | Easy | Yes |
| Bamboo ShrimpAtyopsis moluccensis | 8 cm (3.1 in) | 72-82 °F (22-28 °C) | 6.5-7.5 | 6-12 | 3-10 | Filter feeder (fans) | Intermediate | No (brackish larvae) |
| Vampire ShrimpAtya gabonensis | 12 cm (4.7 in) | 75-84 °F (24-29 °C) | 6.5-7.8 | 6-15 | 3-10 | Filter feeder (fans) | Intermediate | No (brackish larvae) |
Hobby reference ranges from My Reef Log (myreeflog.com/tools/freshwater-shrimp-types). Breeders publish slightly different numbers; stability matters more than hitting an exact value.
Cherry shrimp and all their color morphs. Hardy, tolerant of tap water, breed easily. One species: Neocaridina davidi.
Crystal Red, Taiwan Bee, tiger and Sulawesi shrimp need soft or special water. The Amano shrimp is also a Caridina, but hardy.
Bamboo and vampire shrimp hold up feathery fans to catch food from the current. Peaceful, need flow, won't breed in freshwater.
Palaemonid shrimp with real claws. Cheap and hardy, but they can eat baby shrimp and tiny fry.
Every one of these Neocaridina colors is Neocaridina davidi. Keep one color per tank: mixed colors interbreed and the offspring drift back toward wild brown or clear shrimp.
Shrimp are sensitive to sudden changes in temperature, pH, hardness and TDS, and to any copper. Match the shrimp to your water rather than chasing numbers: cherry shrimp suit most tap water, while bee shrimp need RO or RODI water remineralized to GH 4 to 6 and KH 0 to 1 over an active aqua soil.
Drip-acclimate new shrimp over an hour or more with the drip rate calculator, and test water before every change.
Cherry, bee, tiger, Sulawesi, ghost and whisker shrimp breed in a freshwater tank. Amano, bamboo and vampire shrimp have larvae that need brackish or salt water, so they will not breed or overrun a home aquarium.
Step 1
Choose Neocaridina, Caridina, fan-feeding atyids or ghost and whisker shrimp, or leave All.
Step 2
Pick an adult size band, a feeding mode and a care level to match your tank and experience.
Step 3
Type a name such as Blue Dream, CRS or Amano to find the species behind it.
Step 4
Read how to identify the shrimp, its water parameters and care notes.
Step 5
Print or save the one-page sheet with temperature, pH, GH and KH for every shrimp.
Most freshwater aquarium shrimp fall into four groups: Neocaridina (cherry shrimp and their color morphs), Caridina (Crystal Red and other bee shrimp, tiger, Sulawesi and Amano shrimp), fan-feeding atyids (bamboo and vampire shrimp) and palaemonids (ghost and whisker shrimp).
Cherry shrimp (Neocaridina davidi) are the easiest: they handle a wide range of tap water (pH 6.5 to 8), breed readily and come in many colors. Amano shrimp are the easiest algae eaters but do not breed in freshwater.
No. Red Cherry, Blue Dream, Yellow, Orange Sakura, Green Jade, Black Rose and Rili shrimp are all Neocaridina davidi color morphs. They interbreed, and mixed colors revert toward brown or clear wild-type shrimp over a few generations.
They will not interbreed, but their water needs differ: cherry shrimp like pH 6.5 to 8 and harder water, while Crystal Red shrimp need soft, acidic water (pH about 5.8 to 6.8, KH 0 to 1). Keeping both means compromising one, so most keepers give each its own tank.
Their larvae drift to the sea and need brackish or salt water to develop. Females may carry eggs in a freshwater tank, but the larvae die without salt water, so these shrimp never overrun an aquarium.
Sizes and water ranges are common hobby guidance, not lab measurements; breeders and stores publish slightly different numbers. Stability matters more than an exact value.
Check a test result against a target range.
Drip-acclimate sensitive shrimp slowly.
Measure your shrimp tank's volume.
Size a heater for warm-water shrimp like cardinals.
Work out how much aqua soil a bee shrimp tank needs.
The saltwater side: watchman gobies and their pistol shrimp.