Dwarf shrimps of the genera Caridina, Paracaridina and Neocaridina have become an integral part of the aquarium hobby. In countless wild species, color variants and cultivated forms, they delight nature lovers all over the world. It is hard to believe that these little animals were practically unknown in the hobby 30 years ago! Parallel to the aquaristic discovery of dwarf shrimps, the focus of science turned to these small creatures and new species were and are constantly being identified and described.
One such species is Caridina haivanensis, named after the high-altitude Hai Van Mountain Pass between the provinces of Thua Thien – Hue and Da Nang in central Vietnam. This was done in 2010 by the Vietnamese scientists Do Van Tu and Dang Ngoc Thanh; it should be noted that in these cases the surname is given first. The scientific citation of the species is therefore Caridina haivanensis Do & Dang, 2010, and not, as is sometimes read, Caridina haivanensis Tu & Thanh, 2010. In the hobby, the species became known from 2012 as “Princess Bee”, which refers to the “little crown” that the species displays in contrast to other similar bee shrimps. It is probably also identical to the “Racoon Tiger Shrimp”. We import these animals from Vietnam.
In accordance with its origin, this bee shrimp should not be kept too warm. 16-22°C is a favorable temperature range, some current is good, the water should be rather soft and in the slightly acidic to neutral range. Plenty of dead wood, dead leaves and stones are suitable as furnishings. The animals, which are a maximum of 35 mm long (males always remain smaller), also find plenty of natural food here. Otherwise they will eat all the usual foods that have proved successful in dwarf shrimp keeping. The juveniles are relatively small and for good breeding results should therefore also be fed with dusty food.
For our customers: the animals have 481692 on our stock list. Please note that we only supply the wholesale trade.
Text & photos: Frank Schäfer
