King Kong Shrimp - Shadow Shrimp - Taiwan Bee - Caridina sp.

One of the first Taiwan Bees to be imported was the King Kong shrimp. Their classic pattern is characterized by the strong deep black base color, which is interrupted by a snow-white horizontal stripe on the abdomen. This contrast literally shines in the aquarium! Especially in tanks with dark substrate and in moss layouts the colors of the King Kong shrimp look most intense. The females grow to about 2.5 cm, the males are a little smaller and also a little slimmer.

As substrate we recommend for King Kong shrimps an active Soil, which buffers the water values in a range that is comfortable for Taiwan Bees, and the use of Osmosis water with a special Hardening salt. In tap water the keeping of the King Kong shrimp is quite difficult, because it is much too hard in most of our areas. Breeding in such water is unthinkable. Like all Taiwan shrimp, the King Kong shrimp prefers very soft, cool, oxygen-rich and clean water. This should be taken into account in the aquarium. An aquarium heater is not needed, in summer you should even think about an aquarium cooling depending on the location. A water change of 10 to 30% per week has proven itself many times.

Under optimal keeping conditions the females of the King Kong shrimp carry about 20 to 40 eggs in their belly pouches every two months, from which fully developed young hatch after about three to four weeks of gestation. Like all Shadow Bees, they are initially very sedentary and do not move far from the spot where they hatched. Feeding sparingly but regularly with a well-distributing dust food is highly recommended.

Especially with bee shrimp or other Taiwan shrimp King Kong shrimp can be socialized very well. If you keep them together with bee shrimp, you will get the so called "mixer" shrimp in the first daughter generation, which look like bee shrimp on the outside, but also carry shadow genes, which will be used in the following generations. If you want to keep the King Kong shrimp together with other shrimps or snails , you should make sure that the animals have the same or at least similar requirements to the water values! Due to the relative sensitivity of the King Kong shrimp, we do not recommend keeping them together with fish, crabs, snails, mussels and freshwater crabs .

King Kong shrimp, being omnivorous, will readily take a variety of foods. In any case, they should be fed a predominantly vegetable diet and given a suitable protein food twice a week to meet their protein requirements. Brown autumn leaves should not be missing as a water-neutral permanent food in the King Kong aquarium.

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, which preserves the vitamins and other valuable ingredients 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.