Black King Kong Shrimp (Caridina cantonensis)

Pflegeparameter

Temperatur

20–26 °C

pH

5.8–6.8

GH-Härte

3–8 dGH

Größe ausgewachsen

2–2.5 cm

Mindestaquarium

30 L

Schwimmebene

Bottom — grazing moss and leaf litter

Schwierigkeit

Anspruchsvoll

Charakter

Very peaceful

Artübersicht

King Kong Shrimp is a high-grade selective-bred morph of Caridina cantonensis, the Hong Kong hill-stream atyid whose famous red-and-white 'Crystal Red' form revolutionized the shrimp hobby after Japanese breeder Hisaaki Suzuki stabilized it in 1996 from bee shrimp × tiger shrimp hybrids. The King Kong Shrimp wears a fully jet-black opaque body — one of the darkest shrimp in the hobby, occasionally with tiny white antenna tips or a faint white tail glow. Like every cantonensis-line shrimp it demands soft, acidic, ultra-stable water: 20-26 °C, pH 5.8-6.8 and 3-8 dGH, ideally over active soil that buffers the chemistry, with nitrate kept near zero through gentle filtration and small, regular water changes. It grows to 2-2.5 cm, grazes biofilm and specialized bee-shrimp foods, and breeds in freshwater — but slowly and sensitively: the female carries only 20-30 eggs, larvae are smaller and slower than neocaridinas, and swings in parameters trigger molting failures. This is a connoisseur's shrimp — dazzling in a dark, mossy tank, but happiest with a keeper who measures rather than guesses.

Natürlicher Lebensraum

Lebensraum

Soft, acidic, ultra-stable aquariums

Strömung

Gentle current

Gelöster Sauerstoff

Moderate oxygen

Aquascaping & Technik

Substrat

Active soil that buffers soft acidic water

Harte Dekoration

Java moss and leaf litter over dark substrate

Pflanzen

Moss for grazing; avoid fast-melting plants

Charakter, Fütterung & Vergesellschaftung

Schwarmverhalten

Groups of 10 or more

Fütterung

Biofilm grazer; specialized bee-shrimp foods

Empfohlene Mitbewohner

• Other soft-water Caridina morphs — Same chemistry; interbreed — keep lines separate
• Otocinclus catfish — Safe, gentle, same soft water
• Taiwan bee / shadow bee lines — Close relatives with identical needs

Nicht vergesellschaften mit

• Neocaridina (cherry-type) shrimp — Different water chemistry; one side will suffer
• Copper-based medications — Lethal to all invertebrates
• Large or boisterous fish — Stress and predation; shrimp need calm

Zucht & Hinweise

Geschlechtsdimorphismus

Females are deeper-bodied with a curved, rounded underbelly and a visible saddle; males are slim, smaller and less intensely colored.

Fortpflanzungsart

Breeds in freshwater but slowly and sensitively. After mating the female carries 20-30 eggs for about four weeks; hatchlings are tiny and appreciate powdered food and mature biofilm. Stable parameters matter more than any single number — swings cause failed molts.

Häufige Fragen