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Caridina cantonensis family tree
By rah-bop
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I have a confession: I really really really like.... shrimp. Shrimpkeeping is a thing. Boy is it ever.
There are many different kinds of shrimp that are kept in the hobby and their relationships to each other are sometimes complex and mysterious. In an effort to make it more clear I am trying to make family trees of some of the most common breeds starting with this species, Caridina cantonensis. This one shrimp is found with at least five different color morphs in the wild and from there hobbyists have selectively bred the crap out of it to create all of the different colors and patterns we have today. The beauty and variety make C. cantonensis a very popular shrimp.
Prints and posters of this diagram are available here.
There are many different kinds of shrimp that are kept in the hobby and their relationships to each other are sometimes complex and mysterious. In an effort to make it more clear I am trying to make family trees of some of the most common breeds starting with this species, Caridina cantonensis. This one shrimp is found with at least five different color morphs in the wild and from there hobbyists have selectively bred the crap out of it to create all of the different colors and patterns we have today. The beauty and variety make C. cantonensis a very popular shrimp.
Prints and posters of this diagram are available here.
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© 2013 - 2021 rah-bop
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And here I thought a clownfish breeding pair at $500 was crazy [link]
Who knew shrimp could be so expensive?
Who knew shrimp could be so expensive?


I want to say I once saw an auction where somebody paid $800 for a pair of black king kong shrimp.
Yep, here it is. Looks like I was wrong, it wasn't $800 for a pair, it was $800 a piece.
Yep, here it is. Looks like I was wrong, it wasn't $800 for a pair, it was $800 a piece.

That's pretty crazy. Check out this article. I'm not sure if it's true or not but amazingly I can believe it.
If you can stand to wait a few years, the price comes down a lot as more people get them, and as people learn how to keep them better so they don't die so fast. One guy I know bought his first Crystal Red shrimp at $150 apiece back when they were new and rare. These days they are about $5.
If you can stand to wait a few years, the price comes down a lot as more people get them, and as people learn how to keep them better so they don't die so fast. One guy I know bought his first Crystal Red shrimp at $150 apiece back when they were new and rare. These days they are about $5.

$ 8,500
I just
Wow. Those hobbyists must have a lot of disposable income to be able to drop upwards of 8k on a pair of finicky, short-lived crustaceans. At a minimum, it seems like a huge gamble... what if the shrimp die in transit? What if they don't like the new water conditions and instantly keel over? Money down the toilet, quite literally if the owner goes with the "flush the corpse" method.
So true. Once they proliferate the market and stop being such rarities -- and one more and more people breed them -- the prices will drop. It's almost like a shrimp-based pyramid scheme.
I just
Wow. Those hobbyists must have a lot of disposable income to be able to drop upwards of 8k on a pair of finicky, short-lived crustaceans. At a minimum, it seems like a huge gamble... what if the shrimp die in transit? What if they don't like the new water conditions and instantly keel over? Money down the toilet, quite literally if the owner goes with the "flush the corpse" method.
So true. Once they proliferate the market and stop being such rarities -- and one more and more people breed them -- the prices will drop. It's almost like a shrimp-based pyramid scheme.

Forget grants and fellowships, I think I've found how to fund my graduate school education + research!
... except that I live in a tiny studio and lack the space for any tank larger than about 5-8 gallons. DOH. That, and the water quality in this city is atrocious -- very hard with high TDS -- and it has a reputation for wrecking folks' aquariums. I get the feeling any shrimp colony outside of maaaaybe an RCS/CRS mix would crash and burn the moment the shrimp hit the water.
... except that I live in a tiny studio and lack the space for any tank larger than about 5-8 gallons. DOH. That, and the water quality in this city is atrocious -- very hard with high TDS -- and it has a reputation for wrecking folks' aquariums. I get the feeling any shrimp colony outside of maaaaybe an RCS/CRS mix would crash and burn the moment the shrimp hit the water.
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