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Species profile

Cardinal Sulawesi Shrimp

Caridina dennerli

Common names: Cardinal Sulawesi Shrimp, Cardinal Shrimp, White Glove Shrimp

Recognized speciesCaridina Shrimp
Cardinal Sulawesi Shrimp (Caridina dennerli)

Adult size

Up to 3 cm

Typical adult length 2–3 cm.

Up to 3 cm

Countries of origin

  • See all stock from Indonesia

Good fit for your tank?

Good fit for

  • A dedicated Sulawesi aquarium with warm, alkaline mineral water, strong oxygenation, and months of biofilm growth on rock.
  • An experienced keeper who wants a small but visible red shrimp with white spots and constantly moving white front legs.
  • A rocky species tank shared only with carefully chosen Sulawesi animals, such as compatible rabbit snails.

Think carefully if

  • Your existing Caridina tank uses cool, acidic water and active soil. Cardinal shrimp need almost the opposite water conditions.
  • The tank has only recently cycled. These shrimp depend heavily on mature biofilm and do poorly in clean-looking but biologically young aquariums.
  • You cannot keep prepared replacement water close to the aquarium's temperature and mineral balance. Sudden changes can cause rapid losses.

A deep red shrimp with white spots and white tips on the front legs, which give it the name White Glove Shrimp.

Appearance and Identification

A deep red shrimp with white spots and white tips on the front legs, which give it the name White Glove Shrimp.

Scientific epithet normalized to lowercase.

Females are usually slightly larger, with a fuller underside, particularly when carrying eggs. Males are slimmer, although the differences can be subtle.

Tank Requirements

Suggested filter
About 120–150 litres an hour
Suggested heater
About 25–50 W for this tank
Minimum tank volume
30 litres
Minimum tank length
45 cm
Minimum group size
6
Recommended group size
10
Activity level
Moderate
Flow preference
Low to moderate
Planting preference
Lightly planted
Hiding places
Yes
Jumping risk
Low

Use a mature, heated aquarium of 30 litres or more, with rocks and hardscape that grow plenty of biofilm. These shrimp are sensitive to change, so add them only to an established tank with gentle but steady water movement.

Behaviour and Tankmates

Peaceful and often active in the open, spending most of the day grazing on rock and hardscape.

Maintain with conspecifics or peaceful shrimp-safe tankmates where ecological requirements overlap.

Not normally territorial.

Best in a species-only tank. Few fish or other shrimp are happy in this warm, alkaline water, and small fish may eat young shrimp.

Check tankmates for this species

Water Parameters

Temperature
27–30 °C
pH
7.5–8.5
GH
5–10
KH
3–8
TDS
150–300
Stability importance
Very important

Warm, alkaline, moderately hard water is essential, and it is very different from what bee and tiger shrimp need. Many keepers use remineralised RO water with a Sulawesi mineral salt. Published figures vary, so aim for stability within this range.

Parameter caveat
Stable, mature conditions are essential; do not chase exact numbers through abrupt corrections.

Feeding

Diet types
Aufwuchs Grazer, Detritivore, Omnivore
Feeding frequency
Daily
Preferred foods
  • Mature biofilmCore natural grazing resource.
  • Fine complete shrimp foodFeed sparingly and remove excess.

Specialized grazer that benefits from mature biofilm, algae-coated rockwork, and small amounts of appropriate prepared food. Avoid unstable or newly established aquariums.

Monitor body condition and avoid overfeeding or unstable organic waste accumulation.

Breeding

Breeding type
Direct Developer
Breeding difficulty
Difficult
Breeding temperature
28.5 °C
Breeding pH
8
Brood or egg count
Small broods, often about 10 to 20 eggs
Incubation
28 days
Parental care
Maternal care
Baby foods
  • Microscopic natural food and mature biofilmExact juvenile or larval requirements depend on the species.

Females carry a small number of eggs, and the young hatch as tiny shrimp with no larval stage in salt water. Breeding needs a stable, mature tank, and broods are small.

Habitat and Origin

Geographic origin
Asia, Indonesia, Sulawesi
Natural habitat
Ancient Lake, Rocky Shoreline
Aquarium contexts
Shrimp Tank, Species-Only Aquarium, Sulawesi Aquarium
Audience level
Advanced, Specialist

Classification

Profile type
Recognized species
Genus
Caridina
Family
Atyidae
Species group
Caridina Shrimp, Sulawesi Shrimp

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