Blue Bolt Shrimp Care Guide - Aquarium Setup, Diet & Breeding

Blue Bolt Shrimp are small freshwater shrimp prized for their striking opaque white and blue colouration. The blue may range from pale, icy tones to deep cobalt, while the white often covers the head, middle of the body or tail in contrasting blocks and bands. Colour intensity varies between individuals and can change with age, mood, genetics and background.

Like other Taiwan Bee shrimp, they have a compact body, delicate walking legs and fan-like appendages used to collect fine particles from the water. Their constantly moving swimmerets help circulate water over the abdomen, while the tail fan provides quick bursts of movement when they are disturbed.

These shrimp are peaceful, active grazers that spend much of their time searching over wood, leaves, stones, moss and other surfaces for biofilm. They may become more visible in a settled group, particularly when food is added, although they can still be overlooked because of their small size.

In nature, their Caridina relatives inhabit clear, cool, well-oxygenated streams with rocky or gravelly beds and abundant periphyton. Blue Bolt Shrimp themselves are an aquarium-bred strain, valued by shrimp keepers for their appearance and for the challenge of maintaining and selectively breeding high-quality patterns.

Blue Bolt Shrimp are a selectively bred Taiwan Bee colour form derived from Caridina cantonensis, a species native to freshwater streams and tributaries in southern China, including Hong Kong. The blue-and-white pattern was developed in the aquarium trade rather than occurring as a typical wild form.

A group of Blue Bolt Shrimp can be housed in an established aquarium of at least 20 litres, with a footprint around 30 x 25 cm or larger; a longer tank is preferable to a tall, narrow one. Use a mature, fully cycled setup with gentle filtration and a sponge pre-filter so young shrimp cannot be drawn in. Fine inert or shrimp-specific substrate, driftwood, smooth stones, moss and other plants create valuable grazing surfaces and shelter. Leaf litter, subdued lighting and open areas for foraging help replicate the calm, structured habitat they favour.

Females reach a maximum of around 3 cm (1.2 inches), while males are usually smaller at approximately 2.5 cm (1 inch).

Blue Bolt Shrimp graze naturally on biofilm, algae, microorganisms and decomposing plant material. Supplement this with small portions of quality shrimp pellets or wafers, blanched vegetables such as spinach or courgette, and occasional protein-rich foods such as daphnia or specialised shrimp food. Indian almond leaves and other safe dried leaves provide both grazing surfaces and a useful supplementary food source. Remove uneaten food promptly to protect water quality.

Blue Bolt Shrimp are best kept in a dedicated shrimp aquarium or with peaceful nano fish and invertebrates. Suitable companions can include small rasboras, ember tetras, celestial pearl danios, otocinclus, pygmy corydoras, nerite snails and other non-aggressive freshwater shrimp. Avoid bettas, larger tetras, gouramis, cichlids, loaches, crayfish and other fish that may eat adult shrimp or their young. Keeping them with other Caridina varieties may produce mixed-colour offspring and is usually avoided by breeders seeking to preserve the Blue Bolt pattern.

Blue Bolt Shrimp breed readily when settled in mature, stable aquariums. Females carry the fertilised eggs beneath their abdomen, where they remain until fully formed miniature shrimp hatch after around three to four weeks. The young require no larval stage and can be raised in freshwater, feeding on biofilm, powdered foods and other fine foods. A mature aquarium with abundant surfaces for grazing gives the best survival rate.

Females are generally larger and deeper-bodied than males, with a broader abdomen that forms a rounded underside for carrying eggs. Mature females may also show an ovary, or saddle, behind the head; males are slimmer and more streamlined.