Short Nose Shrimp

Common Name: Short Nose Shrimp
Scientific Name: Caridina denticulata
Genus: Caridina
Wild Origin: East Asia
Adult Size: 1 – 1.25 inches

**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.

Often overshadowed by flashier species, these freshwater shrimp are a favorite among hobbyists for their relentless grazing habits. They feature a primarily translucent body, often decorated with fine, dark speckles or a faint dorsal stripe, allowing them to blend seamlessly into a "Nature Style" scape without distracting from the plant work. As aquatic pets, they are incredibly active, spending nearly every waking hour scouring the tank for nuisance algae and organic debris.

While they belong to the Caridina genus, Short Nose Shrimp are surprisingly hardy and can tolerate a broader range of water parameters than their "Bee" shrimp cousins. They are excellent candidates for a community shrimp aquarium focused on maintenance and ecosystem balance. Because they are not aggressive and stay relatively small, they are perfect for nano tanks where a larger "clean-up crew" might be too intrusive.

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
• Extremely high energy; they are almost always in motion.
• Unsexed juveniles
• To increase survival rates, please allow 2-3 business days after an order is placed to properly prepare live animal shipments.

Recommended Water Parameters:

• Temperature Range: 68–76°F
• pH: 6.6-7.6
• TDS: 100-300 ppm
• GH: 4-8 dGH
• KH: 0-4 dKH

Recommended Tank Size
5+ gallons. Due to their high activity levels and scavenging needs, a well-planted tank provides the best environment for them to forage naturally.

Diet
Omnivorous. Short Nose Shrimp are primarily algae eaters. They will happily graze on algae found on glass, hardscape, and delicate plant leaves. In cleaner tanks, supplement their diet with high-quality plant-based pellets, spirulina wafers, and blanched vegetables to ensure they remain well-nourished.

Breeding
Short Nose Shrimp follow the typical Caridina breeding pattern, though they are generally less prolific than Neocaridina. Sexing is most accurate in adults; females are larger and exhibit a more curved underbelly for carrying eggs. To ensure a successful colony, we recommend starting with 8–10 shrimp to guarantee a mix of males and females.

The breeding process begins when a fertile female molts and releases pheromones, triggering a search frenzy among the males. Once "berried," she carries the eggs for approximately 3 weeks. The fry are born as fully formed, miniature versions of the adults and will immediately begin feeding on biofilm. During their rapid growth phases, fry molt frequently; it is essential to leave these molted shells in the tank so the shrimp can recycle the minerals for their next exoskeleton.

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.