Crystal Black Shrimp (S-SS Grade)
Common Name: Crystal Black Shrimp, CBS, Bee Shrimp
Scientific Name: Caridina Cantonensis
Genus: Caridina
Wild Origin: Asia
Adult Size: 1.25in
**Note: All livestock orders will come carefully packaged with solid wall Styrofoam insulation and shipped via 1-day shipping only. No additional insulation is needed for your livestock.
The Crystal Black Shrimp is a staple for serious hobbyists, prized for its deep, opaque black and crisp white banding. Like their Crystal Red cousins, these freshwater shrimp are graded based on color intensity and pattern. Our S-SS Grade stock includes specimens with high-quality pigment coverage. Because they require near-perfect water quality, they are an excellent choice for an experienced keeper looking to maintain a high-end shrimp tank.
Crystal Black Shrimp are non-aggressive and active, but they are not recommended for beginners due to their specific environmental needs. They require soft, acidic water and are very sensitive to nitrogenous waste; ammonia and nitrites must stay at 0ppm. To succeed with these aquarium shrimp, we recommend a dedicated shrimp aquarium. Water should be changed at least 30% each week, and make sure to dechlorinate the water before adding it to the aquarium. These shrimp are very sensitive to water changes, so frequent low-volume changes are preferable to infrequent high-volume changes.
Check out our guide on the different substrates that can help achieve ideal water parameters for these shrimp: Best Substrate for Shrimp
Key Features & Important Notes
- Tank-raised specimen
- Bright, bold color and pattern
- Shrimp are excellent scavengers and will happily feed on biofilm, decaying plant matter, and algae
- To increase survival rates, please allow 2-3 business days after placing an order to properly prepare live animal shipments
- Pro-Tip: Use an active buffering substrate to keep pH levels within the preferred acidic range consistently.
Recommended Water Parameters
Listed information should be treated as general guidelines only. We encourage you to do thorough research before committing to keeping any livestock.
- Temperature Range: 68-74 °F
- pH: 6.6-6.9
- TDS: 130-160 ppm
- GH: 5-7 dGH
- KH: 0-2 dKH
Recommended Tank Size
5+ gallons, minimum. Tank size is relative, and various factors should be considered when determining tank size. A larger tank volume is always preferable for this species to help buffer against chemical fluctuations that can occur in smaller setups.
Diet
Algae, biofilm, diatoms, decaying plant matter, spirulina powder, bee pollen, plant-based shrimp pellets/wafers, blanched vegetables. Providing calcium-rich foods is essential for successful molting.
Breeding
Sexing Crystal Black Shrimp is most accurate once they reach maturity. Females are larger and develop a wider underbelly to carry eggs. While the "saddle" can be difficult to see through their dark black pigment, a "berried" female carrying eggs is easily identified. Once the shrimp are fully-grown the males will be smaller than the females.
Crystal Black Shrimp are eager breeders given comfortable water parameters and a sufficient food source. Once the shrimp reach maturity, and if there are males and females present, they should breed naturally and frequently. It is recommended to purchase 8-10 shrimp to ensure that there are enough male-female pairs for successful breeding.
When female shrimp have eggs available for fertilization, they will molt and release pheromones that the male shrimp respond to with frenzy. Once the shrimp breed, the eggs will gestate for about 2 weeks. The shrimp fry will feed from the same food sources as adult shrimp and will molt frequently during their early life stages. Leave molted shells in the tank, as the shrimp fry will consume them for extra minerals like calcium that will help their growth.
Keep in mind that if you are keeping shrimp with other species of fish, or possibly aggressive shrimp species, this may affect reproduction. If the shrimp feel threatened or don’t have places in your tank to hide they may not breed.
Check out our blog article to learn how to breed freshwater shrimp.