Ghost Camouflage - Caridina villadolidi

The Ghost Camouflage shr imp or Gold Nebula shr imp is called with scientific name Caridina villadolidi. This dwarf shrimp is very closely related to Caridina typus and originates from Southeast Asia: In nature Caridina villadolidi can be found on Taiwan, the Philippines, Sulawesi, Halmahera and Sri Lanka. It owes this wide range to its marine larval stages, which are drifted with the ocean currents. In the wild, the Ghost Camouflage Shrimp is found in streams and rivers with good water flow and tends to live on rocky substrates. During the day, the dwarf shrimp likes to hide under stones or pebbles.

The Ghost Camouflage shrimp is transparent and has a fine salt-and-pepper pattern of darker and lighter spots. Similar to Amano shrimp, these dwarf shrimp reach a total length of up to about 4 cm. Females are slightly more bulbous and bulky than the more slender males. The males also remain somewhat smaller in Caridina villadolidi.

Caridina villadolidi is a shrimp that cannot reproduce in freshwater. Females carry hundreds of tiny eggs, which hatch into larvae that are driven into the sea by the current. There they develop into juvenile shrimp, which then migrate back into coastal streams and rivers. Breeding in aquaristics should work similar to the Amana shrimp Caridina multidentata, but there are no breeding reports on the Ghost Camouflage Shrimp yet. A nice challenge for breeders of shrimp with marine larval stages!

The Ghost Camouflage Shrimp does well in the aquarium with room temperatures, a water temperature up to 30 degrees is well tolerated. In the aquarium, the beautiful dwarf shrimp tolerate soft, medium-hard or hard water. Their keeping can best be compared to that of Amano shrimp.

The aquarium for Caridina villadolidi is best set up with a neutral substrate for aquariums, for example shrimp gravel is well suited. Roots and rocks, as well as plants, provide areas for grazing biofilm and algae growth, as well as hiding places for the Ghost Camouflage shrimp. For these relatively large shrimps we recommend an aquarium edge length from 60 cm upwards and a group size of 10 or 15 of the social Ghost Camouflage Shrimp. A single keeping of the social group animals is definitely not recommended.

When it comes to feeding, the Ghost Camouflage shrimp is comparable to the Amano shrimp: Caridina villadolidi is an omnivore and effective scavenger. The dwarf shrimp likes to eat biofilms in the aquarium, algae growth and also soft larger algae. Whether also plants are eaten, was not reported so far. Brown autumn leaves are gladly accepted as permanent food - brown leaves should be present in every shrimp aquarium. The high quality NatureHolic shrimp food for dwarf shrimp is also recommended for Caridina villadolidi, and two to three times a week the Ghost Camouflage shrimp likes a high quality protein food especially for shrimp, for example our NatureHolic Proteinfeed.

The rather large growing Ghost Camouflage Shrimp can be easily socialized with small to medium sized peaceful fish and also with snails or mussels. Also with other dwarf shrimps the keeping should work, there is no crossability. Of course, the requirements of the aquarium inhabitants should approximately coincide. Crayfish and crabs, on the other hand, are unsuitable as aquarium partners for these beautiful and rare shrimp.

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, where the vitamins and other valuable ingredients are preserved as much as possible.

Our plant recommendation: Use for 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 for fish keeping 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.