Keep Crystal Red Shrimp

Crystal red shrimp are a unique breed of shrimp that are fascinating to look at due to their red and white stripes. They originated from a mutation in the black bumble bee shrimp in Japan. Keeping crystal red shrimp can be difficult because they require high levels of water purity to survive in an aquarium. In order to keep crystal red shrimp, it’s important to prepare the aquarium for crystal red shrimp, feed them, and care for them. Keeping crystal red shrimp may require a lot of work, but you’ll have a beautiful and rare shrimp in your aquarium to observe.

Steps

Preparing the Aquarium for Your Crystal Red Shrimp

1. Purchase the right size aquarium. A small aquarium, between 3-10 gallons, is suitable for raising crystal red shrimp. It’s better to get a smaller tank, so you can handle them better and keep track of their whereabouts more easily.
   • A smaller aquarium is better for smaller numbers of shrimp. In case your crystal red shrimp get sick or go missing, a smaller aquarium makes it easier to care for them individually or to count the shrimp from outside the aquarium.
   • You should get a larger tank if you plan to have a shrimp colony. This will make it harder to manage the shrimp individually, but will give them enough room to spread out.
2. Include aquatic mosses in your shrimp’s aquarium. Moss is great to include in your crystal red shrimp’s aquarium since it contains microorganism that they eat. Additionally, these shrimp do better in a planted aquarium where there is plenty of vegetation for them.
   • For the most part, crystal red shrimp won’t eat healthy plants. They snack on mosses, but usually only eat debris, since plants are sometimes too firmly rooted for them to eat.
   • Planted vegetation gives them places to hide as well. However, if your shrimp are hiding often and not swimming in the open water, this may be a sign that they are unhealthy and need to be cared for.
3. Provide plenty of hiding places in the aquarium. Crystal red shrimp don’t like being exposed in the open water, since it may make them feel unsafe. You can provide a number of hiding spots, including driftwood, stones, and other shrimp products.
   • Rocks and stones can create a natural environment for your shrimp. They can also grow algae to help feed your shrimp. Some stones you can include are the Ohko, ryuoh, seiryu, yamaya, and manten stone.
   • Driftwood is another especially good hiding place for shrimp, since it can also grow fungus for your shrimp to eat. Additionally, driftwood lowers the PH level of your water, which is necessary for your sensitive crystal red shrimp.
   • Cholla wood and ceramic shrimp tubes can also be useful hiding places for shrimp. When they become anxious due to outside predators, these environments give them a safe place to hide.
4. Limit the strength of the water current in the aquarium. Crystal red shrimp can easily become swept up in the current of your aquarium. This can be especially dangerous, since they can become sucked up into the filter.
   • The water current in your tank should provide circulation, but not sweep up your crystal red shrimp. If you notice them floating along on the current, it’s likely your water current is too strong for them.
   • Avoiding things like flow accelerators is probably a good idea when keeping crystal red shrimp. For the most part, the natural flow of the water should be enough for your shrimp.
5. Get the right filter for your crystal red shrimp. Filters can be potentially dangerous for these shrimp due to their small size. Choose a filter that will not suck your shrimp into the intakes and potentially kill them.
   • Sponge filters are the best filters for most shrimp, especially crystal red shrimp. It will not suck them into the intakes and is relatively inexpensive.
   • If you choose a more conventional filter make sure to cover the filter intake with a sponge or stocking. This will help to prevent the baby shrimp from being sucked up and killed.
6. Cycle the aquarium to get the best water quality. This is essential for keeping crystal red shrimp because any amount of ammonia or nitrite will kill them. They need to have nearly perfect water to stay healthy in your aquarium.
   • Before you begin cycling, check your tap water parameters. Crystal Red Shrimp prefer a pH between 6.2 and 7.2 and a tank temperature of around 70-78 degrees Fahrenheit.
   • Ammonium and nitrate levels should be as close to 0 as possible before putting in your crystal red shrimp. Additionally, you should only change less than 1/3 of your total water each week, since they are very sensitive to changes in the water.

Finding and Feeding Your Crystal Red Shrimp

1. Choose your shrimp grade. Crystal red shrimp come in 7 grades from the cheapest to most expensive: C, B, A ,S, S+, SS, and SSS. As the shrimp move up the grades, they become more delicate because of inbreeding.
   • SSS grade is the highest grade of shrimp. For the most part, the higher grade shrimp has the most white coloration and the least red.
   • A grade C crystal red shrimp is probably the best shrimp for beginners, since it’s relatively inexpensive. It is characterized by transparent white and blotchy red coloration.
2. Choose tank inhabitants for your crystal red shrimp. For optimal breeding, crystal red shrimp should be kept in a species specific aquarium. However, they can be kept with tetras, live bearers, other peaceful community fish, and other dwarf shrimp.
   • Since crystal red shrimp have such specific water quality demands, it may be best to keep them alone in their tank. Mixing them with other fish can risk potential future generations of shrimp.
   • Keep in mind that placing them in tanks with other bee shrimp will cause offspring to revert to their wild form. This is undesirable and should be avoided if you plan on keeping the tank for more than a few shrimp breeding cycles.
3. Introduce the crystal red shrimp to your aquarium. Your shrimp can become shocked if introduced to the water too quickly. Transfer them from the pet store bag to a bowl before putting them in the aquarium.
   • When you bring your crystal red shrimp home, take them from the pet store bag into a large bowl. You should use the same water from the pet store bag to maintain their aquatic environment.
   • Slowly introduce the aquarium water into the large bowl using a siphon. After about 30 minutes, begin to introduce your crystal red shrimp into the aquarium with a soft mesh net.
   • If your shrimp don't move when placed into the aquarium or only float at the surface, there is a problem with the water quality. Remove the shrimp immediately and retest your water for appropriate temperature, nitrate, and ammonia levels.
4. Feed your crystal red shrimp shrimp food and algae wafers. These shrimp are not very particular about their food source. Premade shrimp food works best, since it gives them the nutrients they need. Algae wafers provide them with the algae necessary for their diet.
   • It's important to not overfeed your shrimp. Only give them enough food to last a few hours and feed them only a few times a week. Follow the directions on the shrimp food container for the appropriate quantity of food.
   • Sometimes, it may be a good idea to not feed your shrimp for a few days. This will allow them to cleanse their system and for you to make sure the water quality stays high.
5. Give your shrimp vegetables. Vegetables are also a good food for red crystal shrimp, but only blanched vegetables, which are boiled vegetables doused with cold water. This will make the vegetables soft enough for the shrimp to eat.
   • Spinach and zucchini are great vegetables for red crystal shrimp. They keep their diet healthy and will help develop their red and white stripes.
   • Seaweed is also a good vegetable for crystal red shrimp. It's very rich in nutrients and is easy for them to eat.

Caring for Crystal Red Shrimp

1. Beware of CO2 poisoning in your shrimp's aquarium. In planted aquariums, the plants can give off CO2, which can be dangerous to your shrimp. Additionally, CO2 injection, which is necessary for planted aquariums, can sometimes harm your shrimp.
   • During the evening, when CO2 is not absorbed by plants due to the lack of light, the PH level of the aquarium can change dramatically. Since crystal red shrimp are sensitive to the PH level, this can cause injury or even death.
   • A valve to inject CO2 into the aquarium only during daylight hours can useful. However, it's important to monitor this and not accidentally leave it on during the evening hours.
   • Monitor the CO2 level of your aquarium on a regular basis. You need to make sure the level does not become too high. Less than 30 mg/l is the safest.
2. Check the water quality regularly. Nitrate and ammonia levels need to be very small in an aquarium due to the crystal red shrimp's sensitivity. Though your initial water quality may be good, keep up the quality and continually monitor your aquarium's water.
   • Ammonia and nitrates can easily increase in an aquarium. These levels can be decreased with bacteria that will grow naturally in the aquarium and regular water changes.
   • Water should never be changed out all at once. Your crystal red shrimp is sensitive to changes in the water and could be easily stressed by a total change in water.
3. Breed your shrimp carefully. If kept under good conditions, your shrimp will breed with an egg gestation period of around one month. Female shrimp keep the eggs in their swimmerets until they hatch.
   • It's important to keep the water temperature at close to 78 degrees when baby shrimp are born. They also need places to hide so they keep warm when young.
   • Baby shrimp will be eaten by other fish in the aquarium, especially bottom dwelling fish. Remove any larger fish when you have baby shrimp in the aquarium.

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Sources and Citations

See also

• Take Care of Crayfish
• Raise Brine Shrimp
• Breed Red Cherry Shrimp
• Care for Sea Monkeys
• Raise Sea Monkeys
• Take Care of Ghost Shrimp
• Make a Shrimp Aquarium
• Care for Triops
• Catch a Crayfish
• Create Lobster Farms