Caridina cantonensis 'Blue Bolt'
Taiwan Bee line with gradient blue/white head-to-tail. Pricier and more sensitive than CRS. Active soil + RO + remineraliser is the standard setup.
Blue Bolt Shrimp (Caridina cantonensis 'Blue Bolt') reaches 2.5–3 cm and needs a minimum tank of 30 L with a colony of 10+. Native to Selectively bred (Taiwan Bee line). Aim for 20–24 °C, pH 5.8–6.5, 3–6 dGH, and 100–150 ppm TDS. Lifespan: 1.5 years. Breeding: medium, soft, acidic, very stable water. Diet: omnivore / detritivore, Specialised caridina foods, biofilm, blanched spinach. Plant-safe: Yes. Tank-mates: Species-only.
Care at a glance
Taiwan Bee line with gradient blue/white head-to-tail. Pricier and more sensitive than CRS. Active soil + RO + remineraliser is the standard setup.
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The parameters that decide whether blue bolt shrimp fits in your tank.
10+
Omnivore / detritivore
Specialised caridina foods, biofilm, blanched spinach.
Medium, soft, acidic, very stable water
1.5 yrs
Bred from Caridina, wild kin in Chinese mountain streams
Selectively bred (Taiwan Bee line)
Tank-mate safety and the species this one is documented to thrive (or fail) alongside.
Other Caridina (Taiwan Bee compatible). Will crossbreed.
Same as CRS.
Weighing it against something similar? Compare Blue Bolt Shrimp head to head:
Hard-won lessons from the tank.
Taiwan Bee line is more fragile than CRS. Stability is paramount. Buy from a reputable breeder with photos of their colony — Asian wholesale Blue Bolts are often poorer genetic stock.
What can go wrong and how to spot it.
Failure modes, in order of how dramatic the fix is.
Same as CRS.
Mixing colour morphs (acceptable if you want experimentation, problematic if you want pure lines). Underestimating water parameter precision required.
The practical routine, read top to bottom.
Identical to CRS — active soil, RO + remineraliser, sponge filter, no fish.
Where it comes from, how it behaves, and the variants you'll see at retail.
Where it lived before it came home.
See where the Blue Bolt Shrimp and every other species comes from on the species world map.
Taiwan Bee selective breeding line from C. cantonensis.
How they pair, reproduce, and grow.
Same as all Caridina.
Same as CRS — sensitive.
Direct freshwater development.
The named cultivars and the lookalikes worth flagging.
Pure Blue Bolt: white head, gradient blue body. Variants include 'Blue Bolt White Stripe' and 'King Kong Blue Bolt'.
Direct answers to the questions search engines and AI assistants surface most often about this species.
Minimum tank: 30 L with a colony of 10+. Blue Bolt Shrimp (Caridina cantonensis 'Blue Bolt') reach 2.5–3 cm as adults.
Target 20–24 °C, pH 5.8–6.5, 3–6 dGH, and 100–150 ppm TDS. Mature, cycled, low-nitrate water is non-negotiable.
Tank-mate notes: Species-only. Plant safety: Yes.
Breeding: Medium, soft, acidic, very stable water. In a stable colony of 10+ adults you will see berried females naturally once parameters and food are right.
Diet: omnivore / detritivore, Specialised caridina foods, biofilm, blanched spinach. Algae-eating rating: 3/5.
Typical lifespan: 1.5 years.
A planted tank is a system. Pair this shrimp with one entry from each other pillar to plan the whole scape.
