Orange Eye Blue Tiger (OEBT) Breeding Guide
Breeding the demanding OEBT morph of Caridina cantonensis: very soft acidic low-TDS water, sexing, berried females and direct-developing shrimplets that emerge as miniature adults.
Overview
The Orange Eye Blue Tiger (OEBT) is a high-grade tiger morph of Caridina cantonensis prized for its blue body and orange eyes. It descends from the same southern China, Hong Kong and Taiwan stock as other bee-line shrimp and reproduces by direct development, with eggs hatching into fully formed young rather than free-swimming larvae.
OEBT is one of the more parameter-sensitive tiger lines, so breeding it is generally considered an advanced undertaking that rewards very stable water.
Sexing
As with all Caridina cantonensis, females grow larger and carry a deeper abdomen than males. Wikipedia notes that receptive females release pheromones, after which males swim vigorously around the tank searching for a mate.
Conditioning
Condition the colony in a mature, low-light tank with soft, acidic water. Bee-line Caridina favour soft water and slightly cool temperatures; The Shrimp Farm cites roughly 18-24 °C (65-75 °F). A varied diet of biofilm, blanched vegetables and prepared shrimp food keeps females in breeding condition.
- Active buffering substrate to keep pH below 7.0
- Daily light feeding to avoid fouling the soft water
- Sponge or guarded filtration to protect shrimplets
Breeding Setup
OEBT does best at the soft, low-mineral end of the bee-line range. The Shrimp Farm recommends GH near 4-6, KH 0-2 and a pH under 7.0 for these shrimp, achieved with remineralised RO water held at a low, stable TDS. A dedicated single-species tank avoids cross-breeding and parameter compromise.
Spawning & Berried Females
A berried female holds her eggs under the abdomen, fanning them with the pleopods for oxygen and circulation. Wikipedia reports hatching in about 28 days at roughly 22 °C, while The Shrimp Farm gives about 30 days for bee-line Caridina; cooler, stable water improves egg survival.
Shrimplet/Larval Care
Newly hatched OEBT are independent miniatures of the adults, a few millimetres long. They feed on biofilm and detritus in a seasoned tank, so the key is a mature, stable environment rather than any larval-rearing protocol.
Common Challenges
OEBT is especially prone to losses from TDS or pH instability and from temperatures that climb too high, which Wikipedia links to reduced egg survival and higher mortality. Keep them away from Neocaridina and most fish, both of which the source data flag as poor companions for this line.