Blue Tiger Golden Eye Shrimp (Caridina sp.)

Discover the Blue Tiger Golden Eye Shrimp

The Blue Tiger Golden Eye Shrimp is a selectively bred tiger shrimp with a pale, powder-blue body crossed by broken black tiger stripes, blue legs banded in black and, its trademark, bright orange-gold eyes. It is the shrimp many keepers know as the orange eye blue tiger. A small group grazing over moss is easy to pick out in a planted tank, and the eye colour shows clearly even at a distance. It is a soft-water Caridina that needs a mature aquarium with steady, slightly acidic water, and it should not share a tank with bee shrimp if you want to keep either line true.

This page sets out where the blue tiger comes from, what you receive, and how to keep and breed a colony, with the published figures and the points where sources disagree.

Trace the blue tiger back to its wild species

The wild tiger shrimp was formally described in 2014 as Caridina mariae by Werner Klotz and Thomas von Rintelen, in a Zootaxa paper on ornamental shrimp from Guangdong and Hong Kong. Seriously Fish’s summary describes the wild animal as semi-transparent with a dark brown to blackish blotch on the carapace and stripes, and gives two known sites in Yingde and Conghua counties, Guangdong: a small hill stream and a swampy area near Conghua City, where the water measured pH 7.0 and 40 µS. Wikipedia adds Hong Kong to the range and notes that some variants have orange eyes and orange highlights in the tail fins.

Aquarium breeders have turned that wild shrimp into several colour lines. Lukhaup and Pekny’s Aquarium Invertebrates files the Blue Tiger under Caridina mariae, lists a Blue Tiger “Orange Eye” separately, and also lists C. mariae x logemanni crosses. TFH Magazine names the orange-eyed blue tiger, with a blue body, among the tiger forms, and Seriously Fish reports a red colour mutation that appeared in an aquarium population of C. mariae. Because a line-bred tiger may carry other ancestry, we list this shrimp as Caridina sp., the name used on our other tiger shrimp.

If you like striped Caridina, compare it with our Tiger Shrimp, the Raccoon Tiger Shrimp and the Fancy Tiger Pinto Shrimp; each is a different look.

See what you receive

Each purchase is one live Blue Tiger Golden Eye Shrimp; choose how many you want in the basket. The photographs show the colour form. Living shrimp vary: the blue can be paler or deeper, the stripes heavier or finer, and the eyes from orange to gold. A shrimp that has just travelled may look washed out for a few days; OATA lists colour change among the things to watch, so note whether it recovers within the first week. No size grade is recorded for this line, so we do not promise a size at dispatch. For the adult, Wikipedia gives about 25–38 mm for C. mariae, with females larger than males. Dispatch days and our live-arrival terms are on the delivery page.

Choose your group size

OATA recommends keeping shrimp in groups of at least five, and Neale Monks in Practical Fishkeeping suggests six to twelve adults as a starting colony. Females are larger and have a curved underbelly (Wikipedia), and in a semi-translucent shrimp such as this you may see the saddle of developing eggs behind the head, which TFH Magazine describes in non-opaque varieties. A group of five or more is the simple way to make sure both sexes are present. If small fish will share the tank, check the total with our stocking calculator.

Match your water to a tiger shrimp

Tiger shrimp come from soft water, though the wild swamp site described in 2014 was close to neutral at pH 7.0. In the aquarium, what matters most is low hardness, a slightly acidic to neutral pH and, above all, stable values from one water change to the next.

Weigh the published ranges

The planning range sits where the tiger shrimp figures overlap. OATA’s care sheet covers every common freshwater shrimp and snail together, so its upper hardness and pH values are wider than a tiger shrimp colony needs.

Adjust tap water step by step

1. Test your tap water for GH, KH and pH; UK supplies range from soft to very hard. Our water matcher compares your results with this shrimp.
2. If your tap water is harder than the planning range, use reverse-osmosis water. Practical Fishkeeping notes that Caridina are typically kept in pure RO water remineralised with a GH-boosting product, and Neale Monks warns that hard tap water makes soft-water shrimp difficult.
3. Remineralise to GH 4–6; pure RO water lacks the calcium shrimp need for their shells (TFH Magazine).
4. Keep KH low. Practical Fishkeeping mentions sodium bicarbonate if you choose to raise it a little.
5. Prepare every batch the same way and bring it to tank temperature. Our water chemistry guide covers GH, KH and pH in more depth.

Furnish a planted shrimp tank

OATA’s minimum for a group of small shrimp is 10 litres. A larger volume gives more stable water, a point Practical Fishkeeping makes for shrimp tanks generally, so for a breeding colony of blue tigers we suggest 20 litres or more. Measure your tank with our tank volume calculator.

Lay out the tank in order

1. Substrate first. An active shrimp soil keeps pH steady (Practical Fishkeeping). Some soils release ammonia for a couple of weeks, so cycle the tank fully before shrimp arrive.
2. Lime-free hardscape. Test rocks with vinegar or dilute acid and reject any that fizz.
3. Safe plants. Mosses and fine-leaved plants give grazing surfaces and hiding places. Buy them pesticide-free, because insecticides such as buprofezin, imidacloprid and trichlorfon kill shrimp (Practical Fishkeeping).
4. Moulting cover. Add moss, leaves or small caves where a freshly moulted shrimp can hide while its shell hardens.
5. Display. Pale blue and black stripes show best against green plants and dark soil, and the orange-gold eyes stand out when the shrimp graze at the front.

Maintain clean, stable conditions

Use an air-driven sponge filter, or cover a power filter’s intake. Practical Fishkeeping prefers sponge filters because they cannot swallow young shrimp and give them a grazing surface, and Wikipedia also advises guarding filter intakes because young tiger shrimp are small enough to be drawn in. Caridina do not need a heater at room temperature (Practical Fishkeeping); keep the tank out of direct sun, because a hot spell pushes the water above the planning range.

Keep a weekly log

Feed a grazing diet

Wikipedia describes Caridina mariae as an omnivore. In a mature tank it spends the day picking at biofilm, algae and detritus, so extra food should be modest. OATA recommends feeding two or three times a week; the Practical Fishkeeping author feeds every other day.

Measure the meal

• Use a pinch of Caridina nano sticks or a small piece of green algae wafers, enough for the group to finish.
• OATA advises leaving pellets or wafers in for at least 30 minutes so every shrimp can feed; remove leftovers afterwards.
• Add variety with blanched nettle, dandelion or spinach, or a little courgette or cucumber (Practical Fishkeeping).
• Powdered Spirulina helps young shrimp in a newer tank with less biofilm.

Acclimatise drop by drop

A slow drip protects shrimp from sudden changes in hardness and pH. Practical Fishkeeping’s method: dim the lights, put the shrimp and their water in a small container, and run airline from the tank with a clamp or flow controller at one to two drops a second for about an hour, until the volume has tripled or quadrupled. Then net the shrimp into the tank and discard the transport water. OATA’s floating-bag method (float for 10 minutes, then add tank water over at least 30 minutes) is the minimum. Our acclimatisation guide shows the set-up.

Check in through week one

Watch moults and warning signs

Practical Fishkeeping identifies a failed moult as a major cause of unexplained deaths, usually linked to water with the wrong hardness or too little mineral and calcium. OATA’s general signs of ill health include changes in movement, colour, behaviour, breathing, appearance and appetite.

Link each sign to an action

Keep blue tigers away from bee shrimp

Tiger and bee shrimp cross. Practical Fishkeeping lists the resulting Tibee (tiger x bee) and TaiTibee (Tibee x Taiwan bee) forms, and TFH Magazine notes that crossing crystal black with tigers produces a tibee. Practical Fishkeeping adds that Caridina crosses do not revert to a wild type but go on producing new patterns, so a mixed tank changes for good.

Avoid accidental Tibees

• Keep bee and Taiwan bee shrimp, such as Crystal Red Bee Shrimp or the Blue Bolt Shrimp, in a separate tank.
• Keep other tiger colour forms apart too if you want orange-eyed blue young.
• Cherry shrimp (Neocaridina) are a different genus; Neale Monks says cherry and bee shrimp should not hybridise, but cherries prefer harder water, so they are not ideal tank mates here.
• Amano shrimp are a different species whose larvae need brackish or saline water (Practical Fishkeeping), so they will not build up a population in your tank, and TFH Magazine lists them as compatible with Caridina.

Add companions that are safe for shrimp

OATA advises avoiding any fish that can fit a shrimp in its mouth and any predatory species. TFH Magazine, writing about Caridina, suggests only very small fish such as Otocinclus and least killifish, and a shrimp-only tank for breeding, because young shrimp are easy prey. Wikipedia describes C. mariae as peaceful, so the risk is always to the shrimp, not from it. Use our tank mates checker before you add anything.

Check suits and avoid

Breed blue tigers for golden eyes

Tiger shrimp breed readily in a settled tank. Wikipedia describes direct development: females carry the eggs under the abdomen for about 30 days, and the young hatch no more than 3 mm long, looking like small adults and grazing straight away. Practical Fishkeeping gives about three weeks for eggs to hatch in dwarf shrimp generally and says shrimp breed from around six months old, so allow three to four weeks between berried female and young. Wikipedia also notes, without a citation, that young tiger shrimp can show blue, orange or yellow colouring that darkens with age.

Follow the young from egg to adult

For more help, read our shrimp-keeping care guide and the freshwater shrimp guide for UK keepers, or browse Caridina tiger and bee shrimp, the whole freshwater shrimp category and our shrimps and crustaceans shop.

Answer Blue Tiger Golden Eye Shrimp buying questions

Is the Blue Tiger Golden Eye the same as an orange eye blue tiger?

Yes, the names describe the same look: a blue tiger shrimp with orange to gold eyes. TFH Magazine calls it the orange-eyed blue tiger, and Lukhaup and Pekny list a Blue Tiger “Orange Eye” among their tiger shrimp forms.

What species is it?

It is a line-bred form of the tiger shrimp group. The wild tiger shrimp was described as Caridina mariae by Klotz and von Rintelen in 2014, and Lukhaup and Pekny file the Blue Tiger under that name. Because aquarium lines can carry other ancestry, we list it as Caridina sp.

Is it easier than a bee shrimp?

A little more tolerant on paper: Wikipedia gives Caridina mariae pH 6–7.5 and 18–24°C. Practical Fishkeeping, though, gives tiger and bee shrimp the same targets (18–23°C, pH 6–6.8, GH 5, KH 0–2), so plan for soft, steady water either way.

How big does it grow?

Wikipedia gives about 25–38 mm for adult Caridina mariae, with females larger than males and deeper-bodied underneath. OATA’s general figure for small shrimp such as bee shrimp is about 3 cm.

Can I keep it with Crystal Red or Taiwan bee shrimp?

Not if you want to keep either line pure. Tiger and bee shrimp cross to give “Tibee” young (Practical Fishkeeping; TFH Magazine). Give the blue tigers their own tank.

Will the babies have golden eyes too?

To keep the look, keep orange-eyed blue tigers together and apart from other tiger forms. No source we checked publishes how reliably the blue body and orange eye pass on. Wikipedia notes that young tiger shrimp can show blue, orange or yellow colour that darkens with age, so wait before judging a youngster.

How often should I feed them?

Two or three times a week, as OATA advises, or every other day as the Practical Fishkeeping author does, with an amount the group finishes. They graze biofilm and algae between meals.

How many should I buy?

Five or more, the minimum group OATA recommends. Neale Monks suggests starting a colony with six to twelve adults, which also makes it likely you have both sexes.

Consult the care references

• Klotz and von Rintelen (2014), Zootaxa 3889(2): 151–184 — peer-reviewed descriptions of Caridina logemanni, C. mariae and C. conghuensis from Guangdong and Hong Kong.
• Seriously Fish: New shrimp from Hong Kong and southern China — summary of the 2014 study that described Caridina logemanni and C. mariae and traced line-bred bee shrimp to C. cantonensis.
• Wikipedia: Caridina mariae — tiger shrimp range, adult size, water values, orange-eyed variants, gestation and development.
• Lukhaup and Pekny, Aquarium Invertebrates (Daehne): index — lists the Blue Tiger and Blue Tiger “Orange Eye” among the tiger shrimp forms.
• Lukhaup and Pekny, Aquarium Invertebrates (Daehne): index, continued — files the Blue Tiger under Caridina mariae and lists Caridina mariae x logemanni crosses.
• TFH Magazine: The Latest Buzz: Freshwater Bee Shrimp (Amanda Wenger) — Taiwan bee strains, inheritance of the Taiwan look, water values, sexing, egg carrying, grading and tank mates.
• Practical Fishkeeping: An introduction to shrimp — Caridina and Neocaridina water values, RO and remineralising, soils, filtration, drip acclimatisation, feeding, moulting, disease and breeding.
• Practical Fishkeeping: Will my shrimp hybridise? (Neale Monks) — bee shrimp water hardness and pH, cherry x bee shrimp, starting colony size.
• OATA: How to look after freshwater shrimp and snails — UK trade body care sheet: water values, tank and group size, feeding, weekly maintenance, acclimatisation, copper and health signs.
• Tropical Fish Co notes: dispatch, quantities and our 20-litre colony suggestion are our own shop guidance, not figures from the sources above.