English name: Tiger Shrimp
Scientific name: Caridina cf. cantonensis 'Tiger'
Description: grey or bluish with 5 significant dark brown stripes, the first two bend itself onwards, the other three bend itself backwards
Size: 2.5 to 3.5 cm or 1 to 1.4 inch
Water temperature: 21 to 26°C or 70 to 79°F
Water parameters: pH 6.8 to 7.5
Origin: Southern China
High or low breeding form: high
Tiger shrimps are one of the most popular shrimp species in the hobby. Under the right conditions (a water temperature of less than 26°C important for the reproduction) they reproduce easily and breeding is no problem. They are very similar to bee (diamond) shrimps and need the same conditions. They reproduce in the age of 3,5 until 4 months. The shrimplets are colorless and grow fast to a size of approximately 1,5cm, then the growth will get slower. They begin to show the significant stripes when they reach a size of approximately 1cm.
There are two color variations of these shrimps. The normal tiger shrimp is grey with dark brown stripes. There can be some small beige colored stripes on the back, too. They can have a orange head and tail. The other form is bluish with also dark brown stripes. The head and tail coloration could also be orange but often it is grey. Wild caught individuals show sometimes a much more intensive coloration which should have something to do with the genes. When they are stressed, the colors will fade and they shrimps are almost colorless.
Some shrimps show red stripes. If they are bloody red, than something is wrong with the shrimp and it will die soon in most cases. If they are dark brownish red, then a mistake happened in the melanin synthesis. These shrimps have often a normal lifespawn. This is such a tiger shrimp with a melanin-synthesis-defect (the red colour is not that intensive in nature, the flash of the camera changed the appearance a little bit):
There is also a rare mutation of the tiger shrimp which is almost completely black or dark blue. It is a recessive mutation and requirs selective breeding to maintan this coloration. A pure strain is possible because it's not a letal mutation.
Another autosomal recessive mutation are yellow eyes, which are called "blond eyes". This mutation looks like this:
Tiger shrimps are closely related to bee (diamond) shrimps. They can produce fertile hybrids, so please do not keep them in the same tank or be careful. Hybrids of these species look like a mix of the parents, so they have parts the dark stripes of the tiger shrimps and of the white ones of the bee shrimps. The body itself has a light brown coloration. If you have some of these hybrids, please advert others that these are hybrids before you gave them to some else.
Note: Tiger shrimps require cool temperature, it is best kept at 25°C or lower. Tiger shrimps do not well in tropical countries without a chiller.
Scientific name: Caridina cf. cantonensis 'Tiger'
Description: grey or bluish with 5 significant dark brown stripes, the first two bend itself onwards, the other three bend itself backwards
Size: 2.5 to 3.5 cm or 1 to 1.4 inch
Water temperature: 21 to 26°C or 70 to 79°F
Water parameters: pH 6.8 to 7.5
Origin: Southern China
High or low breeding form: high
http://www.shrimpnow.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10001/C_tiger1.jpg
http://www.shrimpnow.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10001/C_tiger2.jpg
http://www.shrimpnow.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10001/normal_C_tiger3.jpg (http://javascript<b></b>:;)
Tiger shrimps are one of the most popular shrimp species in the hobby. Under the right conditions (a water temperature of less than 26°C important for the reproduction) they reproduce easily and breeding is no problem. They are very similar to bee (diamond) shrimps and need the same conditions. They reproduce in the age of 3,5 until 4 months. The shrimplets are colorless and grow fast to a size of approximately 1,5cm, then the growth will get slower. They begin to show the significant stripes when they reach a size of approximately 1cm.
There are two color variations of these shrimps. The normal tiger shrimp is grey with dark brown stripes. There can be some small beige colored stripes on the back, too. They can have a orange head and tail. The other form is bluish with also dark brown stripes. The head and tail coloration could also be orange but often it is grey. Wild caught individuals show sometimes a much more intensive coloration which should have something to do with the genes. When they are stressed, the colors will fade and they shrimps are almost colorless.
Some shrimps show red stripes. If they are bloody red, than something is wrong with the shrimp and it will die soon in most cases. If they are dark brownish red, then a mistake happened in the melanin synthesis. These shrimps have often a normal lifespawn. This is such a tiger shrimp with a melanin-synthesis-defect (the red colour is not that intensive in nature, the flash of the camera changed the appearance a little bit):
http://www.shrimpnow.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10001/C_tiger4.jpg
There is also a rare mutation of the tiger shrimp which is almost completely black or dark blue. It is a recessive mutation and requirs selective breeding to maintan this coloration. A pure strain is possible because it's not a letal mutation.
Another autosomal recessive mutation are yellow eyes, which are called "blond eyes". This mutation looks like this:
http://www.shrimpnow.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10001/C_tiger_blond.jpg
Tiger shrimps are closely related to bee (diamond) shrimps. They can produce fertile hybrids, so please do not keep them in the same tank or be careful. Hybrids of these species look like a mix of the parents, so they have parts the dark stripes of the tiger shrimps and of the white ones of the bee shrimps. The body itself has a light brown coloration. If you have some of these hybrids, please advert others that these are hybrids before you gave them to some else.
Note: Tiger shrimps require cool temperature, it is best kept at 25°C or lower. Tiger shrimps do not well in tropical countries without a chiller.