Checking vendor inventory…
Tibee shrimp are the first-generation hybrid between Tiger shrimp and Bee shrimp - offering the hardier nature of Tigers with the pattern variability of Bees. Easier care than pure Taiwan Bee or CRS - tolerate slightly harder water and wider pH range. Step-up species for Neocaridina keepers wanting to enter the Caridina world.
Native range: Selectively bred hybrid. Aquarium specimens enter the trade primarily through captive-bred sources - selective breeding programs in Taiwan, Germany, the United States, and Indonesia produce the color-line specimens you find at LFS and online vendors. Wild-caught stock of any shrimp species is increasingly rare and often less hardy than captive-bred lines.
Tank size: 10 gallons is the practical minimum. Shrimp bioload is low - colonies of 50+ adults thrive in 10-gallon tanks with adequate biofilm and filtration. Water parameters: pH 6.0-7.0, temperature 68-75°F, hardness 4-8 dGH, 2-4 dKH. Filtration should be sponge-filter or matten-filter based to prevent shrimp and shrimplets from being sucked into intakes. Avoid HOB filters with strong suction unless modified with sponge pre-filters.
Substrate: depends on species. Neocaridina tolerate any inert substrate (gravel, sand, or planted aquarium soil). Caridina (CRS, Taiwan Bee) require active substrate (ADA Amazonia, Fluval Stratum) that buffers pH down to 5.5-6.8 and maintains soft water. Sulawesi shrimp require buffered alkaline substrate or crushed coral additives.
Plants: Java moss, Christmas moss, Subwassertang, and other fine-leaved species are essential - they provide grazing surface area for biofilm (the primary shrimp food) and cover for shrimplets. Heavy planting dramatically improves colony health and breeding rates.
Tibee Shrimps eat biofilm continuously and supplement with periodic protein/algae feedings. Primary diet: Specialty Caridina food. Feed sparingly - shrimp can survive on biofilm alone in mature tanks for weeks. Over-feeding is the primary cause of water quality problems in shrimp tanks. Best feeding practice: small amount once every 2-3 days, removed within 2-4 hours if uneaten.
Supplemental foods worth rotating: Indian almond leaf (for tannins + grazing surface), mulberry leaf, blanched spinach/zucchini/cucumber (small pieces, removed after 24 hours), snowflake food, mineral stones (Montmorillonite clay), and species-specific commercial foods like Bacter AE, Shrimp Cuisine, or Borneo Wild biofilm enhancers.
Safe: Other Caridina hybrids, otocinclus.
Avoid: Neocaridina, predatory fish, parameter instability.
Adult shrimp can defend against most very small fish, but shrimplets (newly-hatched, sub-3mm) are essentially defenseless and will be eaten by anything fish-shaped. Species-only tanks produce the most prolific colonies; community tanks with fish work but reduce shrimplet survival rate significantly.
Easier than pure Bee shrimp. ~20 eggs per clutch. Breeding triggers across most shrimp species: stable parameters, biofilm-rich environment, varied diet, moderate temperatures (slightly warmer than maintenance temperature often triggers breeding cycles). Female shrimp signal readiness by carrying eggs under the tail (called "berried" - eggs visible as a clutch of small spheres). Male shrimp pursue females immediately after molting.
Pattern instability in offspring; cross-breeding with other Caridina.
Tibee is F1 (first generation) Tiger × Bee cross. Mischling is F2 (Tibee × Bee) - more Bee genes, more variable pattern.
Intermediate level - easier than pure Bee shrimp but harder than Cherry. Good "step up" for Neocaridina keepers entering Caridina world.
Pattern varies widely - some look like striped tigers, others have bee-style banding, many are mixed. Color depends on parent stock.
$3-12 each depending on pattern.
Fast Aquatics vendors ship live freshwater shrimp overnight to all 50 US states with carrier-tracked Buyer Protection on every order.
Get drop alerts → Are you a shrimp vendor? Apply →