There is not a whole lot of info available about the Sri Lanka Dwarf Shrimp as of yet and it is very new to the USA having been imported in 2005 by Mustafa Ucozler and then offered to other hobbyists as well. Before that it was imported from Sri Lanka to Germany where it quickly caught on according to Mustafa. I waited quite some time to get my stock and they are directly from Mustafa at Petshrimp.com and these shrimp are not seen for sale in the USA very often at all. Not sure why that would be with them being around for 3 years or more and this is another shrimp often misrepresented at sale sites so know for sure what you are getting.

What attracted me to the Sri Lanka Dwarf Shrimp was the fact that this shrimp has a wide range of different colors hues that the Females show from Blues as well as Greens in different intensity while remaining see through. The males are not as colorful as with many species of Dwarf Shrimp, but are still reported to be quite attractive. Another interesting feature is the "hump" in the back of this species which you do not see in many Caridina sp shrimp. I will know more and add info as I successfully raise and breed these shrimp, but have had them just over a month as of November 20 2008 and have just now found the first berried female around the 11th.

An interesting thing about this shrimp is that the young hatch as larvae and become small versions of the adults in a few days time. The larvae either rest on the substrate or in the moss unless disturbed then they twitch away and float in the current until coming to rest again. This process happens in freshwater unlike many other species of larva producing shrimp which require brackish water for the young to survive. The larval stage last about 3 days and then you will start seeing small but fully developed shrimplets about 2mm in size. The Malaya Shrimp is another Caridina sp. that has larval young in a freshwater cycle as well.

I feed my Sri Lanka Shrimp as you would any other shrimp in the hobby and care is also the same. A clean well cycled and mature tank will keep them healthy and happy and thus far I have had no real experiences with breeding yet as my shrimp are still young, but again I will add info as gathered from experience as opposed to regurgitating someone else's information.

Below are some more photos of these beautiful shrimp all are young and one has just recently become berried so in a few weeks I will add much more info!

My Sri Lanka Dwarf Shrimp are tank raised by me and kept in excellent health and I may have some available for purchase from time to time. I prefer to sell only juvenile shrimp from 1/4 to 1/2 inch long because they ship and adapt to your tanks parameters better and live a longer life than if you are sent adults that you have no clue as to age. Your Sri Lanka Dwarf Shrimp will live from 1 to 1.5 years on average so getting youngsters is a good idea. Please check my forum for availability