Bee shrimp

About

Bee shrimp (Caridina cf. cantonensis) are a group of selectively bred dwarf shrimp that have become one of the most talked-about invertebrates in the freshwater hobby. The name covers several closely related color forms, including the iconic crystal red and crystal black shrimp with their bold white-and-red or white-and-black banding, as well as blue tiger variants. All of these trace back to wild Caridina populations from southern Asia, with Vietnam among the known collection areas, though the aquarium strains we keep today have been refined through decades of careful breeding, mostly in Asia. In the wild, these shrimp inhabit soft, acidic streams, and that natural preference carries directly into the aquarium. They are notoriously sensitive to water quality and do not forgive neglect the way a hardier neocaridina shrimp might. That sensitivity is why bee shrimp are generally considered an intermediate-level species. Get the water right and keep it stable, though, and a colony will thrive, breed readily, and produce some genuinely impressive color. They are peaceful, small, and spend their days grazing biofilm and algae from any surface they can find. Most keepers house them in dedicated shrimp tanks to avoid predation and maintain precise water conditions.