Petshrimp.com Discussion Forum

I have some breeding Malawa shrimp and some breeding blue bee shrimp. So far I have kept them in separate tanks. But I am wondering if it is possible to crossbreed them. I have read that there is no shrimp currently in the hobby that can cross with the Malawa. While I have kept several different species of shrimp over the years I have never tried to line breed or mix anything, but I am tempted to try these two species in a 2.5 gal tank. I would add 2 young female blue bees and 3 young male Malawas to see what happens. Does anyone have any idea (or guess) if they could even crossbreed? I would like to see if I can get either some real color into the Malawas or lighten the color of the blue bees to show the blue they have under their normal condition. The blue in my blue bee shrimp only shows when they are stressed. My Malawa's look in coloration like ghost shrimps, almost totally transparent. Could be the tank they are in because the person I got them from says his have all kinds of colors. All 16 of mine are clear.

They won't crossbreed. "Blue bee shrimp" are not blue...that's really a misnomer to sell these shrimp better. They are beautiful shrimp, but they are mostly grey or brownish with white stripes. As for Malawa shrimp...they can be variable in color, but look under "shrimp varieties" on this web site to see what they usually look like.