Sulawesi Cardinal Shrimp: Caridina dennerli
Deep red with white spots, from the hot alkaline lakes of Sulawesi. Demands warmer, harder water than any other popular shrimp and will not tolerate the usual soft-water setup.
Also known as: Cardinal Sulawesi Shrimp · Caridina dennerli · White Spot Shrimp
Sulawesi Cardinal Shrimp
Deep red with white spots, from the hot alkaline lakes of Sulawesi. Demands warmer, harder water than any other popular shrimp and will not tolerate the usual soft-water setup.
Natural Habitat & Origin
The ancient lakes of Sulawesi, Indonesia — warm, hard and alkaline, quite unlike the water most shrimp come from.
Care Requirements
Keep Sulawesi Cardinal Shrimp at 27-30°C with a pH of 7.8-8.5. The most demanding shrimp in the hobby. Needs 27-30°C and a pH near 8, which is the opposite of standard Caridina care, and does not tolerate the soft acidic water used for crystal shrimp.
Use the Aquarium Tracker to log these parameters against your own readings — it flags a drift before it becomes a problem.
Diet & Feeding
Grazes biofilm. A mature tank with established algae is more important than prepared food.
Behaviour & Temperament
Peaceful and striking. Slow to settle and easily stressed by parameter swings.
Tank Mates
Species tank only. Almost nothing else shares its temperature and pH requirements.
Breeding
Breeds in fresh water but slowly, with small broods and low survival compared with Neocaridina.
Common Health Issues
Highly sensitive to parameter change and to copper. Losses usually follow a water change made with the wrong parameters.
