Petshrimp.com -- All about shrimp

Common Name:	Indian Dwarf Shrimp, "Rainbow" Shrimp (a name encompassing several species)
Scientific Name:	Caridina sp.
Size:	2.5-3cm
Temperature:	best kept at 72°F-80°F
Water Parameters:	Needs soft to medium hard, alkaline water over the long run. Should not be kept in acidic water at all.
Food:	Algae, fish food (flake, pellets etc)
Origin:	India (probably around Calcutta), might be more widely spread in south Asia.
Larval Development Type:	Completely Suppressed: Larvae assume a benthic lifestyle after hatching, i.e. they are miniature versions of the adults. There is no planktonic larval stage. The hatchlings of this shrimp are EXTREMELY small and grow slowly.

The Indian Dwarf Shrimp is a shrimp with variable coloration. It's colors can range from gray, green, yellow to wine red and orange, with either faint or bright white stripe on the back. This is one of the species that makes up the unfortunately named "Rainbow Shrimp" sometimes sold in the trade. "Rainbow Shrimp" are at least 3 different species of shrimp collectively sold under one name due to general ignorance on the part of the collectors who ship them out of India.

Indian Dwarf Shrimp are excellent algae eaters and almost *better* substrate sifters. Where these shrimp are present in greater numbers there will not be any problems with different kinds of algae covering your substrate. These little guys will take care of it. They are especially effective on a sandy substrate, where they clean the sand grain by grain.

In my opinion this shrimp is a nice addition to any planted tank or shrimp tank despite its subdued coloration. The changes in coloration and the fact that it will easily breed are definitely a plus.

As of this writing I am not aware of anybody else actively breeding this shrimp in their tanks for further distribution in the hobby. The animals sold as "Rainbow Shrimp" are all wild-caught and you are really getting a species mix instead of one shrimp species. I hope that my efforts in breeding this shrimp will spread this shrimp just as widely in the hobby as some other popular shrimp species.

It is *very* important that the type of mixed species imports that we see in dealers' tanks are tangled apart and each species bred separately. This is not an easy task as imported shrimp are predominantly female and it's hard to find a male for the different shrimp species. However, as I have proven with this species it is possible and should be attempted.