Orange Shrimp (Caridina sp.)

Bright orange against green planting is one of the easiest visual wins in fishkeeping, and this orange Caridina shrimp delivers it at true nano scale. Growing to about 1.5 cm and living roughly two years, it spends its days on the tank floor doing what its record highlights: grazing algae, adding movement, and quietly cleaning as it goes. A handful of them turns the bottom third of an aquascape from static scenery into something that is always gently in motion — and orange is one of the most legible shrimp colours at a distance, so even a modest colony registers from across the room in a way subtler strains never quite manage.

It is also among the most space-efficient livestock we sell — the recorded minimum tank is just 20 litres, which puts a colourful colony within reach of genuinely small setups. Keep the water between 18 and 24 °C with pH 6.0–7.2 and hardness of 8–15 dGH, and the moderate care rating means routine maintenance covers most of its needs. As with any dwarf shrimp, the steadier those numbers stay, the better the colony does over time, and the recorded two-year lifespan means it is the colony rather than the individual that you are really keeping.

A peaceful omnivore, it shares space readily with other gentle dwarf shrimp, snails, non-predatory community species and small peaceful fish whose mouths are too small to threaten it. The avoid list carries more weight than the friends list: barbs that nip, loaches, cichlids and anything large or predatory will treat an orange shrimp as food rather than a neighbour, no matter how peaceful the rest of the tank may be.

Orange Caridina shrimp essentials

• Size: ~1.5 cm
• Lifespan: ~2 years
• Tank: from 20 litres
• Water: 18–24 °C, pH 6.0–7.2
• Hardness: 8–15 dGH
• Temperament: peaceful bottom-dweller

Stocking suggestion

A group makes a far better display than a single shrimp, housed in a planted nano with shrimp-safe company only — pick tankmates strictly from the safe list above and the colony will hold its own. UK delivery uses a licensed live-animal courier, backed by our live arrival guarantee.