Red spotted rhinoceros shrimp - Caridina gracilipes

The scientific name of the red-spotted rhinoceros shr imp is Caridina gracilipes. The Latin word "gracilipes" means slender-footed and describes the long, slender walking legs of this elegant rhinoceros shrimp. The dwarf shrimp from the tropical Indo-Pacific belongs to the close relationship of Caridina nilotica. The red-spotted rhinoceros shrimp is found in nature both in plant-rich waters with little current and with brackish water and with fresh water with rather higher water hardness.

The red-spotted rhinoceros shrimp is transparent and has the namesake red dots on its body, along with fine white spots and reddish stripes. Their rostrum (the "nose") is strikingly long, which is why these dwarf shrimp are also called red spotted rhinoceros shrimp. These dwarf shrimp reach a total length of 3.3 cm. The females have a slightly more bulbous, bulky shape than the rather slender males, which also remain somewhat smaller. Studies in the wild have shown that Caridina gracilipes from brackish water areas grow significantly larger and heavier than red spotted rhinoceros shrimp from freshwater.

Caridina gracilipes is a shrimp that can reproduce in freshwater. Because it belongs to the partially abbreviated type , eggs first hatch into larvae suspended in water, but they can grow large in freshwater and do not need brackish water. After three molts they transform into a juvenile shrimp, which usually happens within 4-5 days. The breeding is similar to Caridina cf. babaulti. In hard water or in brackish water the young shrimps of the red spotted rhinoceros shrimp come through rather according to breeding experiences.

As a tropical species, the red-spotted rhinoceros shrimp needs water temperatures between 25 and 30 degrees in the aquarium. Because it lives in nature in habitats with a rather high pH-value or immediately in brackish water, it needs also in the aquarium medium-hard to hard water or brackish water with a light to medium salinity. The keeping can be compared best with that of Neocaridina dwarf shrimps.

The aquarium for Caridina gracilipes is set up with a neutral aquarium substrate, shrimp gravel is suitable for example. Roots and stones as well as many plants provide areas for grazing and hiding places for the red spotted rhinoceros shrimp. An aquarium edge length from 30 cm upwards is well suited for an initial stocking of 10 or 15 of the gregarious red-spotted rhinoceros shrimp. We cannot recommend keeping these social group animals individually.

As far as feeding is concerned, the red-spotted rhinoceros shrimp, like practically all dwarf shrimp in aquaristics, is an omnivore and a scavenger. The small rhinoceros shrimp like to eat biofilms in the aquarium and graze on algae growth. It is not yet known that plants are eaten. Brown autumn leaves are taken as permanent food and should be present in every shrimp aquarium anyway. The high quality NatureHolic Mainfeed shrimp food for dwarf shrimp is recommended, and twice a week the red spot rhino shrimp also likes a good protein food for shrimp, for example the NatureHolic Proteinfeed.

The Red-spotted Rhinoceros Shrimp can be socialized with small to maximum medium-sized peaceful fish, with snails or mussels, and with other dwarf shrimp - provided the water quality requirements of the aquarium inhabitants are roughly comparable. Crayfish are not suitable aquarium partners for these beautiful and rare shrimp.

However, because the red-spotted rhinoceros shrimp with its very small larval stages is so rare in the hobby, it is best kept in a species tank so that there can be offspring of these great and still very rare shrimp in the aquarium hobby with us.

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.