Cardinal Shrimp

Care in the aquarium

The Cardinal Shrimp is quite demanding to keep and should only be cared for by advanced aquarists. Nevertheless, it is a good introduction to keeping Sulawesi shrimp, as it is still relatively robust and easy to reproduce compared to other well-known Sulawesi shrimp from the Malili Lakes System. The animals need very warm temperatures from 28°C and although the water hardness should be quite soft, the desired pH value is around 8. These values ​​can only be achieved with osmosis water and mineral salt for Sulawesi shrimp. In order to keep the pH value permanently high and to achieve a good oxygen content in the water, air filtration is also advantageous.

The germ pressure in the aquarium should be as low as possible, which is why regular water changes are essential. Despite their small size, we recommend keeping cardinal shrimp in an aquarium with a capacity of at least 20 liters. The larger the volume of water, the more stable the water values ​​remain. As a group animal, the Cardinal Shrimp should also be kept with at least 10 members of its species.

With these exceptional water values, keeping aquatic plants is rather difficult. However, plants are not a must for the Caridina dennerli, because there are only a few plants in Lake Matano. It is a volcanic lake, so lava rock is particularly recommended as hardscape.

Due to its special demands on water quality and husbandry, the Cardinal Shrimp is not suitable for normal community aquariums and is best kept in a species aquarium. However, Tylomelania species from the same lake system, such as Tylomelania gemmifera ‘Yellow Antenna’, make suitable roommates in a sufficiently large aquarium.

Feeding

As a classic limnivor and recycler of leftovers, the Cardinal Shrimp feeds on biofilm and algae growth as well as on detritus (dead plant material, carrion, leftover food). In the aquarium it can be fed with special types of shrimp food, brown leaves and algae powder. In order to keep the germ load as low as possible despite the high temperatures, you should, on the one hand, feed very sparingly and, on the other hand, avoid green fodder such as vegetables or green leaves.

Sexual characteristics and breeding

Sex determination is usually only possible in sexually mature animals. Juveniles and males have a narrower underside of the abdomen, while sexually mature females have a wider underside that covers the swimming legs like a “skirt”. This widening of the abdomen serves to protect the eggs, which the female carries and cares for between her swimming legs for around 3-4 weeks until they hatch. Female Cardinal Shrimp are also significantly larger at around 2.5cm than the males, which are up to 1.8cm in size. Breeding the Cardinal Shrimp in an aquarium is possible under the right conditions. A female can release 20-30 fully developed young approximately every 5-6 weeks.