Shrimp are having a moment. And once you understand why, you'll want them in every tank you own.

They clean your glass. They eat algae before it becomes a problem. They breed on their own if you get the water right. They come in colours that look almost fake, electric blue, fire red, banana yellow, and they're small enough to keep in a tank that fits on your desk. For the effort involved, very few aquarium animals deliver more entertainment per litre.

In Australia, we're also lucky to have something the rest of the world envies: native freshwater crustaceans that you can't get anywhere else. Yabbies, glass shrimp, and Darwin freshwater prawns are genuinely unique animals, and they make for some of the most conversation-starting tanks you'll ever see.

This guide covers everything you need to know, which species are right for you, what conditions they need, how to set up their tank, what to feed them, how to breed them, and what will kill them. Whether you're buying your first Cherry Shrimp or adding a Blue Pearl Yabby to a display tank, start here.

The Big Divide: Neocaridina vs Caridina

Every conversation about freshwater shrimp eventually comes down to these two groups. Understanding the difference saves you a lot of frustration.

Neocaridina - The Beginners' Shrimp

Neocaridina shrimp are tough, adaptable, and forgiving. They tolerate a wide range of water conditions, breed readily, and come in an almost absurd range of colours, all of which are colour-bred variants of the same base species, Neocaridina davidi.

The most popular Neocaridina at LiveFish include:

• Red Cherry Shrimp - The classic. Bright red, active grazers, and almost impossible to kill if your water parameters are stable. These are the shrimp that got most hobbyists hooked.
• Yellow Cherry Shrimp - Same hardiness as red cherry shrimp, but with stunning yellow colouration that pops beautifully against green plants and dark substrate.
• Blue Shrimp (Mixed Grade) - Blue neocaridina are one of the most-requested varieties we stock. Great against a dark background.
• Fire Red Shrimp - A selectively bred, high-grade red variety with deeper, more saturated colouration than standard red cherry shrimp.
• Skittle Mix Shrimp - A mixed colony of different colour morphs. Great for beginners who want variety, and fascinating to watch because the population develops its own colour ratios over time.

Neocaridina water parameters:

Neocaridina are happy in conditioned Australian tap water in most areas. They don't need remineralised RO water or active buffering substrate like their Caridina cousins do. This is a major reason they're the recommended starting point for new shrimp keepers.

Caridina - For the Serious Hobbyist

Caridina shrimp are the ones that make experienced hobbyists spend a lot of money and obsess over water chemistry. They're worth it, but they are not forgiving.

The famous Caridina varieties - Crystal Red, Crystal Black, and Blue Bolt shrimp - require soft, acidic water to thrive long-term. In hard alkaline water (which many parts of Australia have), Caridina shrimp will survive but won't colour up properly, won't breed, and will slowly decline over months.

Getting Caridina right requires:

• Active buffering substrate (e.g., ADA Amazonia, Fluval Stratum) to acidify and soften the water
• RO water remineralised with a Caridina-specific mineral supplement to hit the correct TDS and GH without raising KH
• Very stable parameters - sudden swings will kill Caridina faster than any other shrimp

Our Crystal Black Shrimp and Australian Amano Shrimp (Caridina typus) fall into the Caridina group. They're extraordinary animals, but approach them after you have a successful Neocaridina colony running first.

One important rule: never mix Neocaridina and Caridina in the same tank. They require different water parameters, so one group will always be compromised. Keep them in separate tanks.

Native Aussie Stars: Yabbies, Glass Shrimp, & More

This is where the LiveFish range gets genuinely unique. Most aquarium retailers stock the same common shrimp varieties. We also carry Australian natives that are fascinating to keep and legally collected or farm-raised.

Glass Shrimp - The Unsung Hero

Glass Shrimp (Paratya australiensis) are completely transparent, you can see their organs, their eggs, and their digestive systems working as they graze. They're small (around 2-3 cm), entirely peaceful, and genuinely excellent algae eaters. In a planted tank, a small colony of glass shrimp does continuous, quiet cleaning work that keeps the tank looking sharp.

They're native to eastern Australian waterways and prefer cooler, well-oxygenated water, ideal for unheated tanks or tanks in cooler rooms. They're also very affordable, which makes them a practical choice for adding a cleanup crew to an existing tank.

Yabbies - Australia's Crayfish

If you want a crustacean with personality, a yabby is it.

Blue Claw Yabbies (Cherax destructor) and Electric Blue Yabbies are native Australian freshwater crayfish. The Electric Blue variety is one of the most visually striking animals you can keep in a freshwater setup, an almost unreal, vivid blue that looks like it belongs in a saltwater reef tank.

Yabbies are a different category of animal to shrimp. Here's what you need to know before you buy one:

Yabbies are escape artists. They are intelligent, strong, and surprisingly good climbers. A tight-fitting lid is not optional, it is mandatory. Any gap in the lid will eventually become an escape route.

Yabbies will eat your plants. They are omnivores who will systematically dismantle aquarium plants for fun and food. If you have an expensive aquascape, a yabby will redecorate it. Keep yabbies in tanks with minimal or artificial plants, or accept that live plants will be eaten.

Yabbies and small fish don't always mix. They won't actively hunt fish during the day, but small or slow fish sleeping near the bottom at night are at risk. Safe tank mates include larger, faster-moving fish. Avoid keeping shrimp with yabbies unless they're feeder shrimp, a yabby will catch and eat anything small enough.

They need good filtration and oxygenation. Yabbies produce significant waste for their size, and they breathe through gills. A sponge filter alone won't cut it for anything larger than a juvenile. Use a filter rated above your tank volume, and add an airstone.

Yabbies are cool to keep at Australian temperatures. Unlike tropical shrimp, the common yabby (Cherax destructor) doesn't need a heater. They thrive between 14°C and 24°C - perfect for most Australian homes, especially in cooler states like Victoria and Tasmania.

Blue Pearl Yabby (Cherax albidus) is a slightly different species with a more subtle, pearl-blue colouration. It's a more delicate-looking animal than the Electric Blue Yabby and suits display tanks where the goal is elegance over impact.

Setting Up a Shrimp Tank

Shrimp are small animals with limited ability to cope with sudden changes. A stable, mature tank is everything. Here's how to build one properly.

Tank Size

You can keep a thriving cherry shrimp colony in a 20-litre tank, they're well-suited to nano setups. A 30-40 litre tank gives you much more stability and room for a colony to grow without becoming overcrowded.

For Caridina shrimp, don't go smaller than 30 litres. The water chemistry is harder to maintain in very small volumes, and any mistake hits harder.

For yabbies, a single adult needs at least a 60-litre tank. They grow to around 15-20 cm and need space to move. If you're keeping more than one yabby together, size up significantly and provide plenty of hiding spots so they can establish territory without constant fighting.

Filtration - Sponge Filters Are the Answer

For shrimp specifically, a sponge filter is the best choice. Here's why:

Power filters and canister filters create intake currents that can suck up baby shrimp (shrimplets) and kill them before the colony can establish itself. A sponge filter has no exposed intake, shrimp graze on the biofilm that grows on the sponge's surface, babies can't get sucked in, and the gentle flow keeps the water oxygenated without stressing the colony.

If you're using a hang-on-back or canister filter for a larger tank, cover the intake with a fine pre-filter sponge. It's a simple, inexpensive addition that protects your colony.

Substrate & Plants

For Neocaridina, any inert substrate works - smooth gravel, sand, or an aquasoil that doesn't lower pH. Dark substrates make shrimp colours look more vivid, which is why most dedicated shrimp tanks use black or dark brown substrate.

For Caridina, you need an active buffering substrate that lowers and stabilises pH to 6.0-6.8. These substrates exhaust over time (usually 12-18 months) and need to be replaced.

Plants are not optional - they're essential. Shrimp graze on the biofilm that grows on plant surfaces constantly. Java Moss, Java Fern, Anubias, and Monte Carlo are all excellent for shrimp tanks. Dense planting also provides cover for breeding females and newly hatched shrimplets to hide from larger tank mates.

Water Temperature

Neocaridina are happy between 18°C and 26°C. In Australian summer, unheated tanks in warm rooms can push 28 - 29°C. Above 28°C, shrimp become stressed and oxygen levels drop. If you're in a warm climate, it's worth either using a fan over the tank surface to cool the water through evaporation, or keeping the tank in the coolest room in the house.

Caridina need it cooler; 22°C - 24°C is the sweet spot. They're more sensitive to heat stress than Neocaridina.

Water Chemistry - The Part That Matters Most

Shrimp don't care how pretty the tank looks. They care about chemistry.

Ammonia and nitrite must be zero. This is non-negotiable. Shrimp are invertebrates and far more sensitive to ammonia than most fish. Never add shrimp to an uncycled tank - follow the full nitrogen cycle process first. (See our guide: How to Cycle a Fish Tank the Right Way.)

Keep nitrates low. Most fish are comfortable up to 40 ppm nitrate. Shrimp want it below 20 ppm, and ideally below 10 ppm for Caridina. A 15-20% water change weekly keeps nitrates in check in a well-planted tank.

Avoid copper. Copper is lethal to all invertebrates at even very small concentrations. It can appear in treated tap water, some fish medications, and certain fertilisers. Always check the label of any product you add to a shrimp tank. If dosing plant fertilisers, use a shrimp-safe formula.

Dechlorinate every water change. Australian tap water has chlorine or chloramine added. Always treat tap water with a dechlorinator before it enters the tank.

Test your water regularly. Pick up an Aquasonic or API Master Test Kit and use it. The most common cause of unexplained shrimp death is a parameter shift that went unnoticed.

Feeding

Shrimp are natural grazers. In a mature, planted tank they find a significant portion of their own food, biofilm, algae, decaying plant matter, and microscopic organisms that grow on every surface. This is one reason well-planted shrimp tanks with a colony of 20-30 shrimp rarely need more than a small supplemental feed every couple of days.

How much to feed:

• Feed small amounts every 2-3 days, not daily
• Remove uneaten food after a few hours; decomposing food spikes ammonia
• Less is almost always better with shrimp

What to feed:

• High-quality shrimp-specific pellets or wafers as the staple
• Blanched vegetables occasionally: zucchini, spinach, and cucumber work well. Blanch briefly in boiling water, let cool, and weight it down so it sinks
• Leaf litter (Indian almond leaves, mulberry leaves) - shrimp graze the biofilm that grows on them for weeks and they also slightly acidify the water, which Caridina appreciate
• Frozen or freeze-dried foods as an occasional treat: baby brine shrimp is excellent

What to avoid:

• Any food containing copper sulphate
• Overfeeding - the number one mistake in shrimp tanks

Breeding

If your water parameters are right and the shrimp are comfortable, they will breed without any intervention from you. That's one of the most satisfying things about shrimp keeping.

How it works

A healthy female Neocaridina will carry a clutch of 20-30 eggs under her tail (between her swimmerets) for around 3-4 weeks. You can spot a "berried" female easily, look for a dark cluster of eggs visible through her translucent body, tucked under her abdomen. She'll fan the eggs constantly with her swimmerets to keep them oxygenated.

When the eggs hatch, the shrimplets emerge as tiny, fully formed versions of the adults, about 1 mm long. They're fragile and need good hiding places. Dense Java Moss is the best shrimplet nursery you can provide. They'll graze on biofilm and micro-algae as they grow and reach adult size in 3-4 months.

A colony of 10 healthy Neocaridina in good conditions can grow to 50-100+ shrimp within a year. This is why many shrimp keepers eventually dedicate entire tanks to breeding colonies.

Caridina breeding

Caridina breed in the same way but require more stable and specific conditions. Most beginners find that Caridina in suboptimal water will live but never breed. If your Caridina aren't breeding, the water chemistry is almost always the issue, check TDS, GH, and pH first.

Tank Mates - Who Gets Along with Shrimp?

Shrimp are small, slow, and completely defenceless. Any fish with a mouth big enough to fit a shrimp in it will eat a shrimp eventually, even "peaceful" species. Choose tank mates carefully.

Good tank mates for Neocaridina:

• Otocinclus (dwarf suckerfish)
• Small rasboras (chilli rasbora, harlequin rasbora)
• Ember tetras
• Pygmy corydoras
• Small livebearers (endlers)
• Nerite snails
• Mystery snails

Avoid:

• Betta fish (some bettas are fine; many will pick off shrimp one by one)
• Gourami
• Barbs
• Cichlids
• Goldfish
• Anything larger than 5-6 cm

Best option for breeding: A shrimp-only tank with no fish at all. Colonies grow far faster, shrimplet survival rates are much higher, and you don't have to stress about compatibility.

Common Problems & How to Fix Them

Shrimp dying shortly after adding to the tank Usually, an acclimatisation issue or a parameter difference between the bag water and your tank. Shrimp are extremely sensitive to sudden pH changes. Use a slow drip acclimatisation over 45-60 minutes rather than the standard float-and-add method.

Colony not growing / not breeding Parameters are the usual cause. Test everything - especially GH and KH, which standard test strips often miss. Low GH means shrimp can't moult properly.

White ring of death A white band visible around the shrimp's body - a failed moult caused by a sudden parameter shift, usually a GH drop. Ensure you're remineralising water changes appropriately.

Shrimp dying after water changes You may be changing too much water at once (large water changes cause sudden shifts), or the replacement water has a different temperature or chemistry. Always match temperature, always dechlorinate, and limit changes to 10-20% at a time in shrimp tanks.

Sudden death of entire colony Copper contamination is the most common cause. Check any medications, fertilisers, or products recently added to the tank. Even trace amounts are lethal to invertebrates.

Quick Reference: Shrimp by Experience Level

The best time to start a shrimp tank is before you think you're ready. Cherry shrimp are genuinely hard to kill if the water is cycled and stable, and watching a colony grow from 10 shrimp to 80 over a few months is one of the most satisfying things in the hobby.

Browse the full range of shrimp and crays at LiveFish, or if you're not sure where to start, get in touch and we'll point you in the right direction for your tank size and experience level.