Cardinal Sulawesi Shrimp (Caridina dennerli)

Among Sulawesi shrimp, the Cardinal is the one most keepers recognise on sight — vivid patterning carrying the deep red its name promises, packed into a 1.3 cm Caridina. The record rates its care expert and describes a grazer in the truest sense: an omnivorous, microphagous feeder that works surfaces methodically across the bottom of the tank, hour after hour. Watching a colony do exactly that is most of the pleasure of keeping them — red at this saturation is unusual in freshwater invertebrates, and on a Sulawesi shrimp it comes paired with behaviour worth the admission price on its own.

It runs slightly cooler than some Sulawesi cousins at 24–28 °C, still paired with firmly alkaline water of pH 7.8–8.5 and hardness between 6 and 12 dGH. Thirty litres is the recorded minimum, and a shrimp-only species tank is explicitly listed among its suitable arrangements — often the simplest route to success with livestock this demanding. Expect a two-year lifespan and a completely peaceful disposition once the water is right and stays right. That slightly gentler temperature floor of 24 °C gives UK keepers a little more flexibility than the hottest Sulawesi species demand, though stability still matters more than the number itself.

If company is added, keep to the record: other peaceful dwarf shrimp, snails, and small peaceful fish with no appetite for shrimp. Cichlids, barbs, large tetras, loaches, crayfish and any predatory or shrimp-eating fish are all named exclusions — a longer-than-usual avoid list that underlines just how vulnerable a 1.3 cm grazer really is. When in doubt, leave a candidate tankmate out; the species tank option is always there.

Cardinal shrimp care record

• Size: ~1.3 cm
• Lifespan: ~2 years
• Minimum tank: 30 litres
• Temperature: 24–28 °C
• Chemistry: pH 7.8–8.5, 6–12 dGH
• Diet: omnivore / microphagous grazer

Stocking and ordering

A dedicated Cardinal colony in a warm, alkaline species tank is the arrangement the record points towards — and by some distance the most rewarding way to keep them. Build the system around stable warmth and alkaline chemistry and the Cardinal repays the preparation. UK delivery is by licensed live-animal courier with a live arrival guarantee on every order.