Chameleon Shrimp

The Chameleon Shrimp is an Indian Caridina cf. babaulti variant famed for its ability to shift body colour between shades of green, yellow, brown, and intermediate hues depending on its surroundings, mood, and diet. Unlike the Ninja Shrimp's full camouflage, the Chameleon's colour shifts are more about mood and nutrition than precise background matching, but the variability is nevertheless striking and endlessly entertaining.

This shrimp adapts well to a range of water parameters typical of the Indian subcontinent — moderately hard, warm, and neutral — making it considerably easier to keep than Caridina bee shrimp from East Asia. It does not require RO water or active buffering substrate in most cases.

The Chameleon Shrimp breeds readily in appropriate conditions and forms attractive colonies where the natural variation in colour expression among individuals creates a dynamic, ever-changing visual display.

Water: 22–28°C, pH 6.5–7.5, GH 4–10; most dechlorinated tap water suitable. Tank: minimum 20 L; provide varied decor — plants, moss, driftwood — to encourage colour-shifting behaviour. Feeding: algae, biofilm, blanched vegetables, spirulina wafers, shrimp pellets. Breeding: moderate; females carry 20–30 eggs; juveniles self-sufficient in established tank. Compatibility: peaceful; suitable with small shrimp-safe nano fish and other peaceful invertebrates.