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Freshwater / Inverts

Blue Tiger Shrimp Information

30 0 Blaue Tiger Zwerggarnele Caridina Cantonensis 1 6562003

Introduction to Blue Tiger Shrimp

Blue Tiger Shrimp started emerging in the hobby in 2007 and are still highly sought after and moderately hard to find. Their popularity is due to their stunning blue body color blended with bright golden/ orange eyes. The blue color does not breed totally true and colors from blonde to extremely dark blue (almost black) can be anticipated. The golden/ orange eyes are a recessive trait and that does breed true.

English name: Blue Tiger Shrimp

Scientific name: Caridina cf. Cantonensis “Blue Tiger”

Origin: Selectively Breeding

Size: 1″ to 1.2″ (2.4 – 3 cm)

Water temperature: 69-81F

Water Parameters: pH 6.5-7.5

Breeding Rate: Medium

Behavior: Non-aggressive

Difficulty: Medium

Blue Tiger Shrimp Appearance

Blue Tigers have vertical black stripes (identical to the Tiger Shrimp) and as noted above a blue color that ranges from extremely dark blue (almost black) to the blonde. Baby Blue Tigers look like regular tigers but as the shrimp raise their blue color will develop and grow darker as the shrimp matures. Blue Tigers that start developing their color when they are smaller usually are a darker blue as adults comparatively to the individuals that start developing their color later.

Blue Tiger Shrimp Feeding

Feeding the Blue Tiger Shrimp is also pretty easy but due to the expensive and delicate nature of this species some breeders feed specialized foods. They eat anything from zucchini, blanched spinach, and algae wafers. Shrimp Feeding is best done once a day. Only feed an amount of food that the shrimp can easily finish within 2-3 hours maximum. It is not sensible to feed in excess and have food sitting for too long. Overfeeding is also a known cause of death and can also cause various water quality issues. You must remember that the shrimp are scavengers in the wild. They will eat whatever they find and are not used to a steady food source 24/7. Not feeding for one or two days is fine and will not hurt this species at all. Some people also don’t feed them for a couple of days so as to let the shrimp cleanse their systems and keep the water dirt free and hygienic at the same time.

Blue Tiger Shrimp Sexing

Sexing the Blue Tiger Shrimp is extremely easy. Females are easy to recognize as they are larger and also have a curved underbelly. As far as, differing of the intensity of the blue coloration, it is believed that the females will be somewhat darker than that of the males. However, some people believe that the dissimilarity in coloration is not enough to truly sex this species. Instead look for size difference and more importantly the underbelly. The saddle of a female Blue Tiger Shrimp may be virtually impossible to see because of the dark blue coloration.

Blue Tiger Shrimp Breeding

The Blue Tiger Shrimp does not breed true, some offspring will have the blue coloration but some will not. However, all offspring will have orange eyes. This species is not dyed in any way but it doesn’t produce 100% blue offspring. The non-blue offspring are simply known as the Orange Eyed Tiger Shrimp or sometimes called Blonde Tiger Shrimp. The exact ratio of blue: the non-blue offspring is unidentified. It is said that breeding both the blue species will produce a higher ratio of the blue offspring. Breeding this species can be hard however. Since it is continually inbred to keep the blue coloration, the Blue Tiger Shrimp will start to be susceptible to disease and become vulnerable in the poor water conditions.

Blue Tiger Shrimp for Sale and where to buy

Blue Tiger Shrimp are a bit harder to find than the tiger shrimp or super tiger shrimp. But If you like the color variation, they are one of the more unique mutations to buy. You can usually find Blue Tiger Shrimp in forums or online vendors. Check out the recommended vendor below that sell these bright blue guys!

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