Black tiger bee shrimp, Tibee - Caridina logemanni / mariae

This black and white patterned tiger bee shrimp is a hybrid of the popular bee shrimp and the beautiful tiger shrimp from southern China(Caridina logemanni x mariae). Their ancestry is the guarantor for interesting drawing variations and a very wide range of different patterns. The tiger shrimp, also called Tibee or Tibi, combines the high variability of the bee shr imp and its colors with the opaque colors and beautiful patterning of the tiger shrimp. Especially with breeders these beautiful animals are therefore very popular, but they are also suitable for the hobbyist, who wants to enjoy the always new expressions in his aquarium.

With a maximum length of 3 cm, female black tiger bee shrimp grow rather large for dwarf shrimp. Males are usually quite a bit smaller and have a more slender build. The abdominal segments of the females, which extend far downward, serve to protect the eggs when they are bearing.

Black Tibees are peaceful group animals that can be socialized well with other shrimp species and varieties that have the same water and food requirements. Especially with tiger bees one often consciously accepts a crossability to increase the pattern variability or the color coverage of the offspring. We recommend an initial stocking of 10 to 20 black tiger bees. Black tiger bee shrimp can be kept very well with peaceful snails as well as with small, non-predatory fish. If you want to breed specifically, however, we rather advise against socializing with fish.

The black tiger bees are hybrids created in the aquarium, which do not occur in nature. They prefer a low carbonate hardness in the water and should therefore only be kept in really suitable, very soft tap water. Alternatively, we recommend the use of hardening salt for bee shrimp and other soft water shrimp, with which demineralized water or osmosis water can be mineralized to an optimal value of approx. 300 microsiemens. An active Soil in the aquarium favors the production of good water values for tibees, but it also works on non-hardening neutral substrate such as natural gravel or colored gravel especially suitable for shrimp.

The black tiger bee shrimp prefers clean, cool and low-germ water, weekly water changes of 10 bs 30% are mandatory. In summer, care should be taken that the water does not become too warm and thus too low in oxygen, we therefore recommend cooling to 25 °C or below and the use of an aerator or an oxydator. In water that is not too warm, Black Tibees are much less susceptible to disease and have much fewer problems with molting. Cool temperatures and soft, oxygen-rich, healthy water are also very beneficial to their reproduction rate.

In good conditions, the Black Tiger Bee is not difficult to breed. After mating, the female lays 20 to 40 eggs under her abdomen, from which hatch after between three and six weeks, depending on the temperature, the young, which look like miniatures of their parents in terms of physique. The patterns can be strongly scattered, the offspring of Black Tibis are small surprise eggs . Occasionally even animals with a red pattern or half-siblings can appear. By specific selection, the characteristics can be consolidated - a great challenge for breeders! Baby tiger bees are very locational at first, so the use of a high quality dust feeder is recommended to ensure that they all find something.

Adult black tiger bee shrimp are not picky about their food choices. As omnivores they like to take a mixed diet with a high vegetable content. Twice a week they should be fed a targeted protein diet, and a permanent food is brown autumn leaves , which can easily be left in the aquarium until they are eaten. Brown foliage does not affect the water values negatively, on the contrary.

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.