Ghost white Bee - Caridina sp.

White bee shrimp - please do not confuse with Snow White Bees or Golden Bees - are also called Ghost Bee or Ghost White Bee because of their transparency. The Ghost Bee, which grows up to three centimeters long, is a color variant of Caridina logemanni (formerly Caridina cf. cantonensis). Possibly Taiwang shrimp had an influence on the Ghost White Bee, which is reflected in its pattern.

The Ghost Bee has neither blue, red nor yellow pigments and therefore no black or red color parts. The areas that would be red or black in bee shrimp or Taiwanese are simply translucent in the White Bee Shrimp. Because the Ghost White Bee only inherits the pattern and does not pass on any opaque color with its genes, it is especially interesting for breeders of new color varieties.

Some Ghost White Bee have no markings, others have the white markings of the Bee Shrimp or the white pattern parts of the Taiwang Shrimp. The completely transparent specimens look a bit like White Pearls (which, however, belong to a completely different genus, Neocaridina). Unlike White Pearl, Ghost White Bees do not have a white egg spot or bright white eggs. Their egg spot shimmers light to strong light turquoise to greenish, as do the eggs. In addition to the egg spot, females possess the characteristically plump physique of female freshwater shrimp, making them easy to distinguish from the slimmer, smaller males.

In their natural biotope, bee shrimp live in very clean soft water, which is also quite cool and very rich in oxygen - the Ghost White Bee should also find these conditions in the aquarium. The carbonate hardness should be as low as possible and between 0 and 1 °dKH. In harder water it can come to illnesses and to increased young animal death. If you do not have suitable tap water, it is advisable to remineralize osmosis water with a so-called bee salt and thus produce optimal water for this beautiful variety of bee shrimp. A special active Soil for bee shrimp is also beneficial for keeping the white bee in the aquarium, because the Soil substrate stabilizes and buffers the water hardness. Neutral shrimp gravel is of course also an option for keeping the Ghost White Bee, although the buffer of the active Soil is then omitted.

The White Bee needs clean water with a bacteria count as low as possible, so we recommend a water change of about 10-30% per week. Mulching the substrate from time to time is also helpful. In summer you should take care that the temperature in the aquarium does not rise above 25°C, otherwise we recommend an aquarium cooling by means of a fan.

The Ghost White Bee is not very difficult to breed, if the keeping conditions are suitable for the shrimp. The females perform brood care and devotedly take care of the 20-40 eggs, which they carry under their abdomen, until the young bee shrimp hatch after about three or four weeks. Because bee shrimp babies live quite location-loyal at the beginning, a good dust food is advantageous, because it distributes itself better in the aquarium and also really reaches the small Ghost White Bees. In the offspring of purely kept Ghost White Bees no red or black shrimps occur.

Ghost White Bees are omnivores and like to consume biofilms, algae growth or dead leaves. Brown fall foliage is ideal as a permanent food, as are sea almond leaves. In addition to a predominantly vegetable diet, a special protein food should also be used once or twice a week.

Ghost White Bees are peaceful and compatible shrimp that socialize well with other shrimp species from the genus Caridina, especially other color varieties of Bee Shrimp or Shadow Bees (Taiwan Shrimp). They interbreed with all species and varieties of the bee shrimp Caridina logemanni, Caridina cantonensis (Tangerine Tiger, Aura Blue and Spotted) and the tiger shrimp Caridina mariae.

Peaceful snails that tolerate soft water are suitable for socialization, and the same applies to small peaceful soft water fish or small algae-eating catfish. However, it is not completely impossible that even a very peaceful fish will snatch at newly hatched baby shrimp. The Ghost Bee is not suitable as company for crayfish, predatory snails, freshwater crabs or mussels. In any case, for optimal reproduction and selective breeding, a species tank is always the better choice.

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.