Breeding Snow White Shrimp (Caridina cantonensis)
Breeding the opaque-white Snow White, a top-grade Caridina cantonensis refinement of Golden Bee: sexing, conditioning, an acidic low-TDS setup, berried females and shrimplet care.
Overview
The Snow White is a pure, opaque-white line of the bee shrimp Caridina cantonensis, a top-grade refinement of the Golden Bee with denser white pigment. It develops directly with no larval stage and has the same soft, acidic, low-TDS needs as other bee shrimp. The breeding goal is preserving the dense, even white through selection.
Sexing
Females are larger with a deeper abdomen, in line with the bee-shrimp pattern, while males are smaller and slimmer. The solid white body hides a developing clutch well, so size and abdomen depth are the most reliable cues.
Conditioning
Run a mixed-sex colony on stable soft acidic water and feed lightly with biofilm, algae and shrimp foods. The 24-25 C (75-77 F) range that Wikipedia links to strongest bee-shrimp colour also supports breeding; consistent water chemistry is the key trigger.
Breeding Setup
- Minimum tank volume: 30 L for a stable colony
- Temperature: 22-25 C (72-77 F)
- pH: 5.8-6.8 (soft, acidic); GH 4-6 dGH; KH 0-2 dKH
- Low TDS, roughly 100-180 (active soil substrate helps)
- Sponge filter and dense moss for shrimplets
- Very stable parameters; avoid swings
Spawning & Berried Females
On correct water the female carries the eggs beneath her abdomen and they hatch into miniature adults; Wikipedia gives an expected hatch of about 28 days at 22 C (72 F) for bee shrimp. Keep parameters stable through incubation so the female does not drop the clutch.
Shrimplet Care
Shrimplets graze biofilm from the first day, so a mature, biofilm-rich tank with dense moss is the essential first food and refuge. Exclude predatory fish. Select the most opaque, evenly white juveniles to hold the top grade across generations.
Common Challenges
Snow White shares the bee shrimp's sensitivity to unstable water and needs a closely managed acidic, low-TDS tank. It interbreeds with other Caridina cantonensis morphs, including its Golden Bee origin and CRS/CBS, so isolate it to keep the pure white. Caridina cantonensis does not interbreed with the separate genus Neocaridina.