Black Bee Shrimp

The Bee Shrimp is sometimes called the Black Bee or Crystal Black Shrimp. Unfortunately the this species does not get as much publicity as its red coloured cousin. The Bee Shrimp is directly related to the Crystal Red Shrimp. In fact the Crystal Red Shrimp is the red colour mutation of the Bee Shrimp and is why it is sometimes called the Red Bee Shrimp. A Japanese breeder, Mr. Hisayasu Suzuki, discovered a Bee Shrimp with red stripes instead of black stripes. Of course the rest is history as far as the red variation is concerned

Water paramaters

The Bee Shrimp prefers soft acidic water. Clean water is also a must as with all shrimp in the hobby. However, like the Crystal Red Shrimp, the Bee Shrimp may also be the most vulnerable shrimp when housed in dirty water. Water changes are a must for this species. Temperature should be lower than 26oC and the pH should range from 6.2 to 6.8, gH should be between 4-6 and kH should be between 1-2. It is very important that the Bee Shrimp be housed in specific conditions. Extremes in either water parameters mentioned should be avoided. It cannot be stressed enough how delicate this shrimp is. As you approach higher grades of this species, water parameters become even more important. using a product such as bee shrimp minerials and trace elements will achieve the required water parameters for these shrimp.

Breeding

Breeding the Bee Shrimp is virtually identical to the breeding of the Crystal Red Shrimp. Breeding is not as difficult as some may think. However, this is definitely not a beginner shrimp. You must have experience keeping shrimp before attempting to keep and breed the Bee Shrimp. Water parameters and feeding are extremely important when it comes to this class of shrimp. Overbreeding to achieve high grades also causes susceptibility to diseases as well causing the shrimp to have a fragile nature.

Grading

Grading with this species is exactly the same as the grading with the red variation. All standards apply with this species as far as the grading is concerned. Acquiring a high grade Bee Shrimp is not such a bad idea to increase the grade of the Crystal Red Shrimp. It can potentially save you a lot of money instead of purchasing a high grade Crystal Red Shrimp. Some grades can cost upwards of €600 for a single shrimp and even more has been reported. It may seem insane but it is the truth. There are true hobbyists out there that want the rarest grades. The price of the Bee Shrimp is lower than its red cousin, simply due to its lower level popularity. This is still a cool looking shrimp though. I suspect that one day this species will make a resurgence and become more popular as the Crystal Red Shrimp phase wears off. One cool thing could perhaps be a black and red Bee Shrimp, a totally new colour varition. Maybe one day that will occur just as the red variation randomly occured in 1996.

Feeding

Feeding Bee shrimp should be no different than any other shrimp. One thing to keep in mind is to feed according to population size; as your shrimp reproduce, you will have to feed more to support a larger number of shrimp. Powdered baby food is a good idea to feed to young shrimp, as the first few days in a shrimp's life are the most vital. Feeding is done best once daily in amounts that shrimp are able to consume in 1-2 hours.