Types of Freshwater Aquarium Shrimp

By Brian Huat Wong


There are many types of freshwater aquarium shrimp. Some are well suited to life in captivity in a shrimp aquarium and some are not as they will die out once held in captivity. For the most part, though, it is fairly hardy and do well with minimal care. We will look at several different shrimp in this article.

Photo by untamedfox

Firstly, the Red Cherry Shrimp. As you might suspect, the name comes from it red coloring. However, the red color in the shrimp is not widespread when you first get them until they get comfortable in their new surroundings. The female of this species is a darker red than the male. Both male and female can withstand water temperatures that vary.

Photo by AuRoRiN & MoOoK

The Bee Shrimp. The Bee Shrimp is so named because of the stripes along the outer shell that resemble the stripes on a bee. This shrimp eats either fish food or algae. If you want to breed shrimp, the Bee Shrimp is an easy one to breed but it will not thrive in water temperatures that gets too warm.

Photo by rmhprintz

Third on the list is the Tiger Shrimp which has jagged stripes like a tiger. It will also eat fish food or algae. For breeders, know that this shrimp will cross breed so if you want to keep your shrimp pure to their original coloring and species, then do not put them together in the same tank.

The Green Shrimp cannot tolerate water that's too hard. It belongs to the Indian Dwarf family of shrimp and when upset or unhealthy, it green color won't be the same. That's usually a sign that something is either disturbing the shrimp or it needs to be investigated for disease.

Photo by Noon F.F.

An interesting shrimp for most hobbyists is the Snowball Shrimp. Many assume because the shrimp has a pale color that is where the name came from. But it is called Snowball because the eggs look like snowballs. You can see the eggs through it body. It is sturdy and breeds easily.

The Malaya Shrimp is a rare shrimp that can thrive in ordinary tap water that is been treated for the chlorine that is dangerous to shrimp. Unlike some in the species, it will not interbreed. The unique Ninja Shrimp is a color changing mainly found in Japan. It has a high tolerance for a variety of water temperatures.

One of the rarest shrimps is nicknamed the Vampire Shrimp. The scientific name for this shrimp is Atya Gabonensis. It is a large shrimp given the nickname because the front legs resemble fangs.

The Yellow Nose Shrimp is a transparent shrimp with a long nose that can appear orange under some lighting. Before you set up your shrimp aquarium, make sure you study exactly what kind of water temperature and food your species will need to thrive.


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Brian Wong is a freshwater fish enthusiast, and enjoys helping others get started in this amazing hobby. His newest book, "The Ultimate Guides To Freshwater Aquariums" teaches aquarists everything they need to know about starting and maintaining a thriving freshwater aquarium. For more great information on shrimp aquarium, visit http://www.freshwateraquariumguides.com


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