Black Zebra Pinto - Caridina sp.

The Black Zebra Pinto is a relatively new breeding form. Their attractive deep red hue and snow-white patterns make them a highly prized and much sought after variety of the genus Caridina. With a body length of about 2.5 cm, the females are slightly larger and also chubbier than the males.

We keep our Black Zebra Pinto Shrimp on H.E.L.P. Advanced Soil, the osmosis water used for them is salinated with Bee Shrimp Salt to the following values:

• ph: approx. 6.2
• Conductance: approx. 300 µS
• GH : 5
• KH : 0

The temperature in our Zebra Pinto aquariums is 23 °C.

For your breeding tank we also recommend the use of an active Soil substrate for these rather sensitive animals, which brings the water values into a range that is ideal for the Red Zebra Pinto Shrimp. Under no circumstances should these animals be kept in tap water, for them osmosis water hardened with bee salt is practically a must. Like all breeding variants and mixes of Taiwanese, Tiger and Bee, the Red Zebra Pinto Shrimp needs rather acidic, very soft, oxygen-rich and clean water. An aquarium heating is not necessary, for the summer one needs even rather a cooling, since the animals should not be held permanently at temperatures over 25 °C. A weekly water change of 10 to 30% has already proven successful with many breeders.

If the keeping conditions are good, female Red Zebra Pinto Shrimp carry about 20 to 40 eggs under their abdomen for about three to four weeks. At the end of this gestation period, fully developed but highly sedentary juveniles hatch. We recommend feeding them selectively with a micro-milled special baby shrimp food .

If you want to keep the color and pattern pure, you should keep the Red Pinto Zebra Shrimp in a species tank and socialize it with a few snails at most as a clean-up troop. With bee shrimps or Taiwan shrimps with similar demands to the water values the Black Zebra Pinto Shrimp can also be socialized, but it will mix with them - this is not always desirable. The Black Zebra Pinto Shrimp should not be socialized with crayfish, predatory snails, fish, mussels and freshwater crabs.

The Black Zebra Pinto Shrimp is an omnivore and is not particularly fussy about food. Brown autumn leaves should not be missing as permanent food in the aquarium. Otherwise, it will gladly take a mostly vegetable diet, but should be provided with a suitable protein food about twice a week to meet its protein needs.

Our food recommendation: NatureHolic's soft mainfeed softpads are designed for daily feeding. They contain all the nutrients shrimp need for shell development, egg formation and growth. During the production we pay attention to a gentle and environmentally friendly production, in which the vitamins and other valuable ingredients are preserved as far as possible.

Our plant-based recommendation: Use for the planting NatureHolic InVitros. These are free of snails, planaria and other unwanted co-inhabitants. Also free of algae spores, bacteria and fungi.

Expert Tip: We recommend when keeping fish the NatureHolic 3 Phase Liquid. The care set offers the best all-round protection for your animals. It ensures optimal conditions for successful breeding and keeping.