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Wine Red Shrimp

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Introduction to Wine Red Shrimp

The Wine Red Shrimp is a vibrant red Taiwan Bee shrimp and is one of the most sought after shrimp in the hobby. The Wine Red Shrimp is an exceptional mutation of CRS, first bred in Taiwan. The vibrant white and wine-red translucent colors are extremely deep and bright. They are really an exceptional shrimp.

  • English name: Wine Red Shrimp, Wine Red Taiwan Bee
  • Scientific name: Caridina Cantonensis
  • Origin: Taiwan
  • Size: 0.9″ to 1.2″ (2.3 – 3 cm)
  • Water temperature: 68 -74F
  • Water Parameters: PH Range 5.6-6.2, TDS 80-140
  • Breeding Rate: Low
  • Behavior: Non-aggressive
  • Difficulty: Hard

Wine Red Shrimp Origins

The origin of Wine Red Taiwan Bee shrimp is highly debated. Some claim it was an impulsive mutation of the Snow White Bees, while others claim that it was a cross of a Blue Bee with a (CRS)red bee/(CBS)black bee hybrid. The more accepted theory is that it was a mutation rather than a complicated cross breeding, however there is still some debate.

Tank Setup for Wine Red Shrimp

The tank must have a lot of hiding places in the form of plants, terracotta and foliage tubes. Plant species which are most suitable are moss balls, Java moss and Java Fern. Cryptocoryne and Anubias are not good choices since their roots may release some toxic substances. The water in a Wine Red Shrimp tank should never contain any copper in it. Before you purchase any shrimp, ensure that your shrimp aquarium is set up properly and has been functioning successfully for at least 1 month.

Feeding Habits

Wine Red Shrimp tend to be picky eaters, but usually they will happily feed on blanched spinach and high grade vegetarian shrimp feed. A varied diet is generally a healthy diet. There are also advantages of feeding freeze dried copepods as a dietary supplement. For juveniles, a diet of high protein and calcium is chiefly recommended for ease of digestion. Feeding should be done in moderation.

It is uncertain whether the Wine Red Shrimp is a direct morph of the wild Orange Bee, or the Crystal Red Shrimp, or perhaps a combination. Wine Reds look quite similar to the Crystal Reds, with the exception of a mostly-red headgear, along with deeper shades of solid white and red.

Sexing of Wine Red Shrimp

The Wine Red Shrimp can be complex to sex until sometime after the sexual maturity is reached. It is almost impossible to recognize a saddle except when the back of the female shrimp is well illuminated. Even if a female is berried, it can still be complicated to spot the eggs at first glimpse. Once they are well into sexual maturity, the size and body shape of the shrimp can be used to recognize the sexes. The females will be a bit larger and boast rounder undercarriage as is the case with most other Caridina cantonensis var. “Wine Red” species.

Breeding Wine Red Shrimp

Wine Red Taiwan Bee shrimp will breed as long as their water is completely clean, although additives can really help this extra sensitive grade of shrimp. The female generally carries eggs for 3-4 weeks, and after that around 30 fully developed self-sufficient juveniles will result. The young shrimps are about 1-2mm in size. Since the adults will not eat their babies, these shrimps need not be relocated. A thick mulm layer accompanied with Cattappa leafs are very useful in raising juveniles. You will not productively breed this specific type of shrimp in an aquarium with fish, since the fish make them nervous and they will tend to not breed.

Wine Red Shrimp vs Crystal Red Shrimp

In order to distinguish Crystal Red Shrimp from Wine Red Shrimp, you must pay attention to the head. Wine Red Taiwan Bee shrimps have a head that is roughly all red and in a deep shade of red. You can clearly see in the picture the difference between the two – the wine red shrimp being more vibrant in its colors compared to the Crystal Red Shrimp.

Wine Red Shrimp for Sale

You won’t find Wine Red Shrimp at your local pet or fish store. They are more commonly found from hobbyists and online vendors. They come in all different grades and variations, so make sure to carefully pick out what you want. Check out below for more information  and a few online vendors selling Wine Red Shrimp.

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