Skip to content
underwatergreen
Menu

Species profile

Pure Black Line Caridina Shrimp

Caridina logemanni

Common names: Pure Black Line Caridina Shrimp, PBL Shrimp, Pure Black Line Shrimp, PBL Bee Shrimp

Breeding lineCaridina Shrimp
Pure Black Line Caridina Shrimp (Caridina logemanni)

Adult size

Up to 3 cm

Typical adult length 2–3 cm.

Up to 3 cm

Countries of origin

  • See all stock from China

Good fit for your tank?

Good fit for

  • A serious bee-shrimp breeder who values a documented pure black lineage rather than simply owning black-and-white shrimp.
  • A separate soft-water breeding tank where black depth, white coverage, and traditional bee patterns can be selected carefully.
  • A keeper able to buy from a breeder who can explain the line history and confirm it has not been crossed with Taiwan-bee or tiger shrimp.

Think carefully if

  • You intend to mix them with other Caridina. One accidental cross can defeat the main reason for keeping a Pure Black Line.
  • The seller uses PBL only as a colour label. A shrimp can look like a PBL without having a verified pure lineage.
  • You want a low-maintenance display rather than a breeding project. Much of the value lies in record keeping, selection, and preserving ancestry.

A selectively maintained black-and-white Bee Shrimp line bred to preserve black line genetics.

Appearance and Identification

Opaque white areas contrasted with deep black bands, patches, or head markings.

Pure Black Line is a breeding-line designation for black Bee Shrimp associated with Caridina logemanni. Reliable identification depends on breeder records and line history.

Adult females are generally larger and deeper-bodied than males. Colour and pattern intensity are not reliable sex indicators.

Tank Requirements

Suggested filter
About 80–100 litres an hour
Suggested heater
About 25–50 W for this tank
Minimum tank volume
20 litres
Minimum tank length
30 cm
Minimum group size
6
Recommended group size
10
Activity level
Moderate
Flow preference
Low to moderate
Planting preference
Heavily planted
Hiding places
Yes
Lid recommended
Yes
Jumping risk
Low

Use a mature, cycled aquarium with active substrate or another stable soft-water setup, gentle filtration, abundant biofilm, mosses, leaf litter, and protected filter intakes.

Behaviour and Tankmates

Peaceful dwarf shrimp that graze biofilm, algae, detritus, leaf litter, and prepared foods.

Best maintained in a group with other compatible Caridina lines sharing the same water requirements.

Not normally territorial.

Peaceful community fish may still eat shrimplets. Keep breeding colonies in shrimp-focused aquariums. Different compatible Caridina lines may interbreed and alter colour or pattern outcomes.

Check tankmates for this species

Water Parameters

Temperature
20–23 °C
pH
5.8–6.6
GH
4–6
KH
0–1
TDS
90–140
Stability importance
Very important

Use soft, mildly acidic water, active substrate, and remineralized reverse-osmosis water. Avoid carbonate buildup and large TDS changes.

Parameter caveat
Stability matters more than chasing a single number. Avoid abrupt changes in temperature, pH, GH, KH, or total dissolved solids.

Feeding

Diet types
Aufwuchs Grazer, Detritivore, Omnivore
Feeding frequency
Daily
Preferred foods
  • Mature biofilmPrimary natural grazing resource.
  • Complete dwarf-shrimp foodFeed sparingly and remove uneaten food.
  • Leaf litterProvides grazing area and slowly decomposing natural food.

Omnivorous biofilm grazer. Provide mature natural grazing surfaces and small portions of complete shrimp food, leaf litter, algae-based food, and occasional protein-rich food.

Avoid overfeeding. A mature aquarium with continuous biofilm is more important than heavy supplemental feeding.

Breeding

Breeding type
Direct Developer
Breeding difficulty
Moderate
Breeding temperature
22 °C
Breeding pH
6.2
Brood or egg count
Approximately 15–30 eggs, varying with female size and line
Incubation
28 days
Parental care
Maternal care
Baby foods
  • Mature biofilm and fine powdered shrimp foodShrimplets need constant access to microscopic food on established surfaces.

Direct-developing freshwater shrimp. Females carry eggs beneath the abdomen and release miniature shrimplets. Line purity and pattern consistency depend on selecting breeders and preventing unwanted crosses.

Habitat and Origin

Geographic origin
Captive Bred, China
Natural habitat
Freshwater Stream
Aquarium contexts
Breeding Aquarium, Planted Tank, Shrimp Tank
Audience level
Advanced, Intermediate

Classification

Profile type
Breeding line
Genus
Caridina
Family
Atyidae
Species group
Caridina Shrimp

Have you kept this species?

You can write a note about what worked for you, or send a photograph. We check everything before it appears here.

Share a note or photo

JPG, PNG, or WebP, up to 5 MB.

Red Dragon Caridina Shrimp

Caridina spp.

Care level
Intermediate
Adult size
2–3 cm
Minimum tank
20 litres
Temperature
20–23 °C

Red Galaxy Caridina Shrimp

Caridina spp.

Care level
Intermediate
Adult size
2–3 cm
Minimum tank
20 litres
Temperature
20–23 °C

Plan it with our tools