Mixed Tiger shrimp

The Tiger shrimp, Caridina mariae, originally comes from southern China. Years of selection of wild forms resulted in the highly cultivated forms as we know them today. Even today, regular selection of shrimp strains is important in order to maintain and improve the color quality of the shrimp. Animals that do not meet the desired breeding goal are selected. Sometimes the color of individual animals is not strong enough or the color does not correspond to the breeding guidelines. We select these animals in a seperate aquarium and offer them as a “mixed tiger shrimp”.

Even though we try to fish out the animals in as many different colors as possible, it can happen that more animals of one color end up in the bag than others. This depends on availability. The color intensity can also vary greatly. We therefore ask for your understanding that individual animals cannot be selected when purchasing in the store. If you would like to have animals with certain colors or of a certain quality, we ask you to select them from our tanks with the respective breeding variants.

Note: The word “mix” refers to the variable color. You will receive one shrimp for each number of pieces you choose.

Care of the Tiger shrimp in the aquarium

The Tiger shrimp is a not a particularly demanding shrimp as long as it has the right water parameters. Keeping this beautiful shrimp is possible in aquariums with a capacity of 10 liters or more, but since the water values ​​fluctuate significantly less with more volume, we recommend an aquarium that holds 20 liters or more. The Tiger shrimp requires clean, oxygen-rich, soft and, if possible, lime-free water, which is why it is best kept on salted osmosis water, but is also potentially suitable for soft tap water (CH below 5). The Bee Shrimp Mineral GH+ is suitable as a mineral salt. Unlike Bee shrimp, no aqua soil is necessary to keep Tiger shrimp. We ourselves keep our Tigers on neutral, dark ground, where the animals show their best potential. It is also important that the temperature of the water does not exceed 25°C for long periods of time, even in summer. In order for this sociable dwarf shrimp to feel safe, it should be kept in a group of at least 10 animals and in a well-planted aquarium. The plants, but also roots, stone structures or shrimp tubes offer it protection and places of retreat. The Tiger shrimp is ideally kept in a pure shrimp aquarium, preferably together with snails. Socialization with small, peaceful fish that do not prey on shrimp is also possible, but this may result in loss of shrimp offspring.

Feeding

As a classic leftover recycler, the Tiger shrimp feeds on biofilm and algae growth as well as detritus (dead plant material, carrion, leftover food). In the aquarium it can be fed with special types of shrimp food, leaves, algae powder and occasionally frozen food. Ideally, there are always brown autumn leaves in the aquarium, which represent optimal permanent food for the animals.

Sexual characteristics and breeding

Sex determination is usually not possible in young animals, but only 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 between her swimming legs until they hatch. Beforehand, the eggs can be easily recognized as an egg spot on the neck of transparent females. As with most dwarf shrimp, female Tiger shrimp adults are slightly larger than males. The Tiger shrimp reproduces in fresh water and can be bred in an aquarium without any problems as long as the water parameters are right. After a gestation period of around 3 to 4 weeks, the female releases around 10-30 fully developed shrimplets, which initially feed on microorganisms present in the aquarium and can be fed with dust food.