While fishkeeping and planted aquariums are popular among aquarium enthusiasts, shrimp keeping remains a niche hobby in China. However, it has gained traction among young people in recent years. Among the various shrimp species, Crystal Red Bee shrimp are particularly favored, while Sulawesi shrimp constitute a smaller segment within this community.
When it comes to keeping Sulawesi shrimp, our standard setup includes:
- A tank with a volume preferably exceeding 30 liters. For those with ample funds, an ultra-clear glass tank is recommended for an unparalleled viewing experience.
- Substrates such as Aqua System Project Soil Premium 7.2 (preferred but not mandatory), with a thickness of approximately 1 cm, and crushed lava rocks of the same thickness.
- Most Sulawesi shrimps are very timid, so I suggest that we put more shelters in the tank. 6-Tube Shelter House is a good example, or any other trusted rocks and woods.
- Regarding water quality, a combination of RO water and Sulawesi Mineral 7.5 is ideal, with an initial TDS of 160.
- Lighting can be sourced from the aquarium market; a standard light will suffice. Keeping the lights on for 6-8 hours daily is advisable.
- Filters should be robust, with sponge filters and other market-available options being viable choices. My recommendation is to opt for stronger filters.
Maintenance protocols include changing initially about 20% of the water weekly. Once the ecosystem stabilizes, this can be reduced to once every two weeks. Filters should be cleaned when the water output slows.
I'm aware that some people like to vacuum clean, but I don't. I keep Sulawesi snails because they assist in cleaning the substrate to some extent, and I haven't encountered any problems with this approach.
Feeding – I have a wide variety of shrimp food in my drawer. I usually feed them two times a day, in the morning and in the evening, 6 slices or so of shrimp food at a time. I change food types each day. The amount of food depends on the filtration and the amount of shrimps.
In China, there are numerous channels to purchase Sulawesi shrimp. One can buy them online, in WeChat groups, or from fellow shrimp-keeping enthusiasts. Captive bred shrimps can be bought online at any time and are shipped via express delivery, usually arriving within three days. Generally, this process has few issues, although when the temperature is either extremely cold or hot, some insulation measures need to be taken. Wild caught shrimps are typically available for purchase once a month. They are air-shipped from Indonesia to China. The lead time is quite short, and there aren't too many problems either. Moreover, most of the major species are accessible.
The primary Sulawesi shrimp species (incl. selectively bred varieties and potential hybrids) available are listed below. Most of these species can be bred in aquariums, with the exception of Caridina profundicola, which is notoriously difficult to breed and widely recognized as such by hobbyists.
| Scientific name | English name |
| Caridina sp."aristocrat" | Red Orchid Zebra |
| Caridina caerulea | Blue Leg Poso Shrimp |
| Caridina dennerli | Sulawesi Cardinal Shrimp, Sulawesi White Sock |
| Caridina dennerli "Blue Ghost" | Sulawesi Shrimp Blue Ghost |
| Caridina ensifera | Glass Poso |
| Caridina glaubrechti | Red Orchid, Brown Camo |
| Caridina holthuisi | Matano Tiger Shrimp, Six Banded |
| Caridina loehae | Mini Blue Bee |
| Caridina longidigita | Pink Boxer Shrimp |
| Caridina marlenae | Crystal Red, Spotty Red |
| Caridina poso | White Orchid |
| Caridina profundicola | Sun Stripe |
| Caridina sp. "Red Line Yellow Tail" | Red Line Yellow Tail |
| Caridina sp. "Blue Dot Red Line" | Blue Dot Red Line Bee |
| Caridina spinata | Yellow Stripe, Yellow Cheeks |
| Caridina spinata | Yellow Ring, Yellow Spotted |
| Caridina spinata | Yellow Nose |
| Caridina spongicola | Sulawesi Harlequin Shrimp |
| Caridina striata | Red Line Shrimp |
| Caridina sp."tigri" | Tigri |
| Caridina woltereckae | Sulawesi Harlequin Shrimp, Celebes Beauty |
What is the biggest challenge in keeping Sulawesi shrimps?
For certain beginner and intermediate level species, as long as we can maintain good water quality, there shouldn't be major issues.
However, when it comes to advanced level species, reproduction poses significant challenges. The number of offspring per hatching is extremely low. There are also species that are notoriously difficult to breed, like the already mentioned Caridina profundicola. I'm not sure about the underlying reasons for this.
Feel free to contact me (sun33013301@hotmail.com) for discussing Sulawesi shrimp keeping!
Jude Sun
