Aquarium shrimp

Freshwater shrimp are fascinating to watch and very useful: they graze algae and biofilm, clean up leftover food and add color to planted tanks. They are also more sensitive than most fish, so success comes down to stable water.

• Cherry and blue dream (Neocaridina): the best choice to start. Hardy, colorful and they breed readily in freshwater.
• Amano shrimp: excellent algae eaters, larger and long-lived; their larvae need brackish water, so they do not breed in the aquarium.
• Crystal red and tiger shrimp (Caridina): need soft, acidic water, often RO water remineralized and an active substrate. For more experienced keepers.
• Ghost shrimp: cheap and hardy; some sold under this name can be aggressive toward tiny fish.
• Bamboo shrimp: a filter feeder that needs current and fine particles in the water; never let it starve.

Add shrimp only to a fully cycled, mature tank with ammonia and nitrite at zero and nitrate below 20 ppm. Acclimate by drip over at least an hour, avoid copper in medications and fertilizers, and change water with conditioned water at a similar temperature.

Most fish will eat shrimp, especially babies. Choose tank mates from our shrimp-safe fish list and provide moss and plants as cover.

Aquarium shrimp