1 kinds · tap one for a closer look
Peaceful grazer of algae.
210 species in our list are a good match.
Peaceful grazer of algae. Do not mix with big fish, and keep the water brackish-leaning.
Algae, biofilm and soft wafers.
Tap a food to see what it is.
Males stay slightly smaller than females and show red lines along the body; females are more transparent and less colourful.
Common problems. Tap one to see the signs. This is a guide, not a diagnosis.
The larvae need brackish or sea water, so it doesn't breed in a freshwater tank.
Full breeding guide, day-by-day plan and simulator →A mostly transparent shrimp with a very long red rostrum ("nose") that regrows if broken. It lives in brackish and fresh water in the wild and can be kept in a freshwater aquarium, but its larvae need brackish water.
Dutch zoologist Johannes de Man described the red-nose shrimp in 1892. Its long red-tipped rostrum gives it its name. Its larvae need salt water to develop.
First described by Johannes G. de Man in 1892.
16 facts checked with sources
RENAME FLAG: moved from Caridina to the new genus Gracidina Cai, 2026 (WoRMS record created 2026-07-09). Still sold as Caridina gracilirostris (red rhino / red nose shrimp). Synonym: Caridina pseudogracilirostris. Invertebrate: atyid shrimp.
WoRMS/DecaNet: Gracidina gracilirostris (De Man, 1892)New value.
WoRMS/DecaNet: Gracidina gracilirostris (De Man, 1892)Total length. Legacy 6 cm not supported.
Wikipedia: Caridina gracilirostris · Garnelio: Red rhino shrimp - Caridina gracilirostrisGarnelio 6.5-8.5; Wikipedia (citing a hobby site) 6.5-7.5. Legacy 7-8 inside the Garnelio range.
Garnelio: Red rhino shrimp - Caridina gracilirostris · Wikipedia: Caridina gracilirostrisNew value; very wide hobby tolerance range.
Garnelio: Red rhino shrimp - Caridina gracilirostrisLegacy 40 L slightly below.
Garnelio: Red rhino shrimp - Caridina gracilirostrisSingle hobby dealer source.
Garnelio: Red rhino shrimp - Caridina gracilirostrisActive swimmer using open water.
Garnelio: Red rhino shrimp - Caridina gracilirostrisLegacy 3 (hardest). Hobby dealer rates it beginner-level for keeping; breeding is hard.
Garnelio: Red rhino shrimp - Caridina gracilirostrisNew value. Wikipedia range cites IUCN (De Grave et al. 2013). Type locality Sulawesi.
Wikipedia: Caridina gracilirostris · WoRMS/DecaNet: Gracidina gracilirostris (De Man, 1892)Planktonic larvae needing salt water: does not breed in a freshwater home tank. Wikipedia also cites Heerbrandt & Lin 2006, a larviculture study (J. World Aquaculture Soc. 37: 186-190), not fetched.
Garnelio: Red rhino shrimp - Caridina gracilirostris · Wikipedia: Caridina gracilirostrisAgrees with legacy "many tiny eggs".
Wikipedia: Caridina gracilirostris · Garnelio: Red rhino shrimp - Caridina gracilirostrisLegacy says it "often dies in plain freshwater"; sources say adults do fine in fresh water. Only the larvae need brackish water.
Wikipedia: Caridina gracilirostris · Garnelio: Red rhino shrimp - Caridina gracilirostris