Red Nose Shrimp

Caridina gracilirostris

📍 Southeast Asia (wild-caught or selectively bred variants)

Red Nose Shrimp are a striking freshwater variety characterized by their distinctive bright red coloration on the rostrum (nose/snout area), which contrasts beautifully with their translucent to tan body. This small, peaceful shrimp is prized by aquarists for its unique appearance and active grazing behavior, making it an excellent addition to planted and established aquariums.

Size1.5"

Min Tank5g

School10+

peaceful

Zonebottom

Care Guide

Diet

Red Nose Shrimp are detritivores that primarily graze on biofilm, algae, and decaying plant matter throughout the day. Supplement their diet with high-quality shrimp pellets (Shirakura, Mosura), blanched vegetables such as spinach and zucchini, and occasional protein sources like dried seaweed or bloodworm powder to ensure optimal coloration and health.

Behavior

These shrimp are active grazers that spend most of their time foraging on substrate and plants, helping to maintain tank cleanliness. They are generally social and do well in groups, exhibiting natural molting cycles every 4-6 weeks; provide plenty of hiding spots with plants and driftwood to support successful molts and reduce stress.

Breeding

Red Nose Shrimp are relatively easy to breed in established tanks with stable parameters and good water quality. Females produce small clutches of 20-30 shrimplets that develop through multiple larval stages; provide dense vegetation and biofilm-rich environments to maximize fry survival rates without requiring brackish water.

Tank Mates

Otocinclus

Small, peaceful algae eater that shares similar water parameters and grazing habits

excellent

Ember Tetra

Tiny, non-aggressive fish that will not predate on adult shrimp

good

Chili Rasbora

Micro rasbora that is peaceful and compatible with shrimp colonies

excellent

Amano Shrimp

Larger shrimp species that coexist peacefully in established colonies

good

Java Moss

Provides essential grazing surface, shelter, and breeding habitat

excellent

Common Diseases

Molting Failure / Incomplete Molt

Symptoms

Shrimp unable to fully shed exoskeleton, appearing stuck or lethargic; may result in death if not resolved

Treatment

Ensure adequate mineral supplementation (GH Booster), maintain stable water parameters, provide calcium-rich foods (blanched spinach, mineral supplements like Salty Shrimp GH+), and reduce stress by maintaining hiding spots

Bacterial Infection / Muscular Necrosis

Symptoms

White or opaque patches on body or appendages, lethargy, loss of appetite, discoloration spreading across segments

Treatment

Perform 30-50% water changes, increase aeration, add Indian almond leaves or tannins to lower pH slightly, avoid copper-based treatments, and quarantine affected individuals if possible

Vorticella (Ciliate Infection)

Symptoms

Fuzzy white coating on body and appendages, shrimp appearing stressed or immobile, difficulty molting

Treatment

Increase water changes (50% every 2-3 days), improve water quality and oxygenation, add salt-free mineral supplements, avoid copper treatments, and consider brief freshwater dips for severely affected individuals

Copper Toxicity

Symptoms

Sudden death, erratic swimming, loss of color, lethargy, inability to molt

Treatment

Perform immediate large water changes (75-100%), use copper-free medications only, check all fertilizers and treatments for copper content, and avoid tap water from copper pipes; shrimp are extremely sensitive to copper