The Blue Bolt Shrimp is a stunning addition to a freshwater aquarium. Blue Bolt Shrimp are very active as they scavenge the tank, cleaning up waste. They love to feed off of naturally occurring biofilm and algae, especially in a planted tank. These shrimp are not aggressive and can be kept as companions with other species. These shrimp are not recommended for beginners, particularly because their difficult care requirements means that there is little room for mistakes. However, with a little experience under your belt these gorgeous shrimp are worth the extra effort.

Blue Bolt Shrimp are a “mischling” or crossbreed. Mischling refers to shrimp that are the result of breeding Crystal Red or Black Shrimp (in this case black) with Taiwan Bee Shrimp. The Blue Bolt Shrimp is one result of such crosses. Blue Bolt Shrimp exhibit a range of brilliant blue coloration from intense royal blue to aquamarine with varying translucency. High grade shrimp have blue coloring with more coverage and opacity than a low grade shrimp. These shrimp may have white spotting, especially on the tail. Sexing Blue Bolt Shrimp can be somewhat difficult until the shrimp begin to mature. Female shrimp have slightly larger tails and display a “saddle” formation on the upper body, behind the head, where eggs are stored before fertilization. When female shrimp are “berried”, or have eggs ready for fertilization, the saddle shape will appear more prominent. Once the shrimp are fully-grown the males will be smaller than the females.

Blue Bolt Shrimp make an impressive addition to an experienced shrimp hobbyist’s aquarium. If you are looking for more of a challenge than Crystal Red or Black Shrimp, Blue Bolt Shrimp are a great place to start. Although these shrimp require more care and attention, keeping these stunning and active shrimp can be extremely rewarding.

Our water parameters:

• pH – 5.8
• GH – 5
• KH – 0
• TDS – 140

Ideal water parameters:

• pH (5,5 – 6,8)
• GH (4 – 6)
• KH (0 – 1)
• TDS (100 – 190)

What to feed your shrimp?

• Shrimp King range offers the best results in our experience
• GlasGarten foods are great value for money
• OG shrimp food is a great local brand, good food
• We feed our shrimp a variety of different foods, a different type for each day
• A well balanced diet is essential to a healthy shrimp

Our mineralization process:

1. Age your reverse osmosis (RO) water for 2 – 3 days with an air stone
   • This will remove any additional evaporative odors
   • Add a de-chlorinator for safety
   • Aging the water will drop the pH of the RO water
2. Add GH+ minerals to the RO water 24 hours prior to a water change
   • Add minerals to achieve desired TDS (total dissolved solids)
   • TDS will differ slightly in different areas
   • Our measurements with Shrimp King GH+ are
     • TDS 100 – GH of 4
     • TDS 120 – GH of 5
     • TDS 140 – GH of 6
   • Our water is prepped between 100 – 120 to make sure the GH in the tank does not rise above 6.
3. Remove 10 – 15% of your water from your aquarium
4. Add newly prepped water as slow as possible back to the tank
   • The biggest shrimp killers are adjustments in water quality
   • Acclimate slowly, add water slowly
   • This will avoid quick changes in GH and pH

Our shrimp are sold at 1cm – 1,5cm in size. Age of the shrimp at this size is 3 – 4 months. We sell shrimp at this size for 2 reasons:

1. The younger shrimps acclimate better to new environments and also travel better over long distances.
2. They will live longer for you and grow up with your maintenance habits and aquarium keeping traits. Everyone does this a little different.