Sulawesi White Orchid Shrimp (Caridina poso Klotz)

The White Orchid Sulawesi Shrimp is somewhat rare in the aquarium trade and are relatively new to the hobby. These shrimp are small and peaceful and get along with most aquarium species, making them popular in the hobby and great additions to the community tank. Like other Sulawesi Shrimp, they display unique patterning.

These shrimp are active every hour of the day, and you can often see them scavenging around the substrate, plants and rocks for food, displaying interesting social behaviours.

The White Orchid Sulawesi Shrimp are non-aggressive and seem to enjoy the presence of other species in the aquarium. These shrimp are remarkably shy until they are content with their new environment. Once they have settled into the aquarium and are not apprehensive of predators, they will come out more, and their colours will show this is why it is recommended to keep them in groups of 15 or more.

White orchid Sulawesi Shrimp have a clear to white body colouration and display various degrees of white striping. They are also covered with brown and black specks across its body. They have slender segmented bodies, long antennas, and tiny legs that match the body pattern.

Photos of the Sulawesi White Orchid Shrimp

Natural Habitat

The White Orchid Sulawesi Shrimp originates from Lake Poso in central Sulawesi in Indonesia in Southeast Asia. They inhabit calm, highly oxygenated waters where they hide between large rocks in deeper waters and small rocks in shallow water.

What to feed the Sulawesi White Orchid Shrimp

It is recommended that you keep your White Orchid Sulawesi Shrimp on a varied diet to ensure optimal well-being. They are consistent grazers of algae, but you should also provide them with substitutes such as shrimp pellets, algae wafers or a crushed flake if this is lacking in the tank. Giving them an occasional meaty treat is also beneficial.

These shrimp are comparatively small so remember this when choosing what food to give them. It would be better to feed these shrimp when it is dark and try not to overfeed them, supplying only what they can eat within two or three hours.

How to sex the Sulawesi White Orchid Shrimp

It is nearly impossible to differentiate males from females, unlike other dwarf shrimp where the females are more curved and more extensive than the males the Sulawesi shrimp look identical.

The females have a saddle under the carapace that shows the eggs. However, the only way to view this saddle is through infrared light. With the shrimp's outside shell being so dark, you cannot possibly see the saddle without specialised equipment.