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Encyclopedia / Shrimp / Sulawesi spinata shrimp
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Variations

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Sulawesi spinata shrimp

Caridina spinata · Spinata, Sulawesi orange rili, Orange spinata

Peaceful.

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2.5 cmAdult size ✓
28–30 °CTemperature ✓
8–8.5pH ✓
30 LSmallest tank ✓
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Not recommended
  • They need different temperatures (28–30 °C vs 21–25 °C). No setting suits both.
  • Their pH needs don't quite meet (8–8.5 vs 5–7). Aim between the two and keep it steady.
Not recommended
  • They need different temperatures (28–30 °C vs 20–26 °C). No setting suits both.
  • Their pH needs don't quite meet (8–8.5 vs 6–7). Aim between the two and keep it steady.
Not recommended
  • They need different temperatures (28–30 °C vs 22–27 °C). No setting suits both.
  • Their pH needs don't quite meet (8–8.5 vs 5.5–7.5). Aim between the two and keep it steady.
With conditions
  • Only a narrow temperature range suits both: 28–29 °C.
  • Their pH needs don't quite meet (8–8.5 vs 4.5–7). Aim between the two and keep it steady.
With conditions
  • Only a narrow temperature range suits both: exactly 28 °C.
  • Their pH needs don't quite meet (8–8.5 vs 5.5–7.5). Aim between the two and keep it steady.
Compatible
Compatible
Compatible
Compatible
Facts checked against sources on 16 Oct 2026. ✓ means a source backs it; ? means no reliable source yet. See sources

Care and water

Hardness ✓5–7 dGH
Group size ✓10 or more
Temperament ✓Peaceful
Swims at ✓Bottom
Care level ✓Hard
Diet Omnivore
Lifespan ✓2–3 years
Size in shops 1.5–2.5 cm
Growth Slow

Behavior

Peaceful. Keep with other Sulawesi shrimp, snails or small fish like Celebes rainbows.

Food

Biofilm, powdered food and algae wafers.

Tap a food to see what it is.

Male or female

Females grow slightly larger and, after their first brood, have a deeper brood pouch; otherwise the sexes are hard to tell apart.

Health

Common problems. Tap one to see the signs. This is a guide, not a diagnosis.

Breeding

Berried livebearer-style (free-swimming shrimplets) ·

Breeds in fresh water: the young develop fully inside the egg and hatch as miniature shrimp, so no salt water is needed. Breeding is possible but demanding and needs a mature, algae-covered tank.

Pairing

Keep a group of 15-20 and let them pair up; females moult and then mate within a day or two.

Setup

30 L tank with hard alkaline water (pH 7.5-8.5, KH 3-5), 27-30 C, rocks and shaded hides.

What starts it

Stable warm hard water.

Eggs

About 15-30 large eggs per brood (wild females 17-31; aquarium 15-20). Incubation time not confirmed.

Raising the fry

Tiny adults; feed biofilm and powdered food.

Common mistakes
  • Using hard tap water
  • Big swings in temperature or TDS
  • Adding copper-containing foods or medicines
Full breeding guide, day-by-day plan and simulator →

Where it lives in the wild

RegionIndonesia – Sulawesi, Malili lakes
Rivers and lakesLake Towuti and the Malili lake system
HabitatRocky substrates in ancient lake waters
Native rangeAbout 60 km across
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The story of the sulawesi spinata shrimp

A deep-red shrimp with two or three yellow-to-orange bands, endemic to rocky shores of Lake Towuti in Sulawesi. It needs warm, alkaline, very stable water.

German zoologist Erich Woltereck described this shrimp in 1937. It lives in the ancient lakes of Sulawesi. It is kept by specialist shrimp keepers.

First described by Erich Woltereck in 1937.

  • It lives only in Sulawesi's Malili lakes.
  • It needs warm, alkaline water.
  • Its body is yellow-orange with spots.

Sources

17 facts checked with sources