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Species profile

Red Dragon Caridina Shrimp

Caridina spp.

Common names: Red Dragon Caridina Shrimp, Red Dragon Shrimp, Red Dragon Caridina

Breeding lineCaridina Shrimp
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Adult size

Up to 3 cm

Typical adult length 2–3 cm.

Up to 3 cm

Good fit for your tank?

Good fit for

  • An experienced soft-water shrimp keeper looking for a less common red patterned line to develop through selective breeding.
  • A dedicated tank where red coverage, white markings, and the breeder's particular Dragon pattern can be compared among offspring.
  • A buyer who can view parent shrimp or breeder photos and understands exactly how that seller defines Red Dragon.

Think carefully if

  • You assume Red Dragon is one universally fixed strain. The trade name may describe different patterns or genetic lines in different markets.
  • You expect all offspring to retain the parents' colour and markings without selection.
  • This is your first Caridina tank or you plan to use untreated hard tap water instead of a stable low-KH setup.

A modern red Caridina breeding line sold under the Dragon name and selected for intense colour and complex patterning.

Appearance and Identification

Strong red pigmentation with variable white, metallic, spotted, galaxy, or scale-like pattern elements depending on breeder line.

Red Dragon is not a standardized taxonomic or breeding classification. Different sellers may apply the name to distinct advanced hybrid lines, so provenance is essential.

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
5.5–6.5
GH
4–6
KH
0–1
TDS
90–140
Stability importance
Very important

Use remineralized reverse-osmosis water and an active substrate. Keep hardness and dissolved solids stable, and avoid abrupt water 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
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

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Red Galaxy Caridina Shrimp

Caridina spp.

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

Red Pinto Caridina Shrimp

Caridina spp.

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

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