8 beautiful red aquarium shrimp

Looking for a pop of color to add to your fish tank? Why not go for some gorgeous red aquarium shrimp?! There are many different dwarf shrimp varieties out there, some of which have been selectively bred for bright red coloration. In this article, we'll have a look at some of our personal favorites here at The Shrimp Farm.

Keep reading for a list of 8 of the most beautiful red aquarium shrimp!

Red Cherry shrimp (Neocaridina davidi “Red Cherry”)

If you're going to discuss red aquarium shrimp, the Red Cherry shrimp just has to be at the top of the list. One of the first selectively bred varieties of the popular Neocaridina davidi dwarf shrimp, this fully red number is appreciated for its bright coloration and easy care. No wonder it's pretty much the most common aquarium shrimp around! In fact, it's considered one of the best beginner shrimp in the hobby.

Red Cherry shrimp are found for sale under different names, which depend on their color grade. A deeper and more opaque red shrimp is considered more valuable and may be sold under names like Fire Red, Painted Red, Sakura Red or similar.

You can find everything you need to know about this ever-popular Neocaridina variety in the full Red Cherry shrimp care guide. And PS: if you like the Red Cherry shrimp, don't forget to check out the funky-colored Red Rili as well.

Red Tiger shrimp (Caridina mariae “Red”)

Wild type tiger dwarf shrimp (scientifically known as Caridina mariae) are translucent with black stripes. Selective breeding has led to a bunch of differently colored results, including the spectacular Blue Tiger shrimp, as well as today's subject: the Red Tiger. We love the combination of a somewhat transparent body with bright red stripes!

As an added bonus, there is even an orange-eyed Red Tiger shrimp variety, which makes for an extra "spooky" look. All tiger shrimp are considered relatively easy to care for and breed.

You can find everything you need to know about this beautiful tiger shrimp in the full Red Tiger shrimp care guide. PS: If you like the Red Tiger shrimp, check out the Fancy Red Tiger shrimp as well. Due to being crossed with Crystal Red shrimp, these sport a spectacular red-and-white striped pattern.

Crystal Red shrimp (Caridina cantonensis “Crystal Red”)

Another wildly popular dwarf shrimp is the Crystal Red, a selectively bred Caridina cantonensis (bee shrimp) variety. Its candy cane pattern makes this a spectacular eye-catcher in the aquarium, especially against the green of a planted tank. For those who aren't actually fans of red coloration on shrimp, there's even a black version available: the Crystal Black shrimp.

Crystal Reds are considered easy enough to care for. Like other shrimp, they just need high water quality and plenty of food. They'll take care of the rest, producing plenty of offspring that you can keep or sell!

You can find everything you need to know about caring for these popular dwarf shrimp in the full Crystal Red shrimp care guide. PS: Love the Crystal Red shrimp? It has been selectively bred further to create a bunch of additional varieties. Check out the Red Santa shrimp, Super Crystal Red and Red Wine shrimp as well.

Red Onyx shrimp (Neocaridina davidi “Red Onyx”)

Wow! If you're looking for a more muted, rusty red rather than the bright candy apple coloration of the shrimp discussed earlier, you'll love the Red Onyx shrimp. Like the Red Cherry shrimp, this is a selectively bred variety of Neocaridina. It's named after the red onyx stone, which features a similar mottled, brownish red pattern. This one just screams 'Halloween'!

Because the Red Onyx shrimp is a type of Neocaridina davidi, it's easy to care for and prolific. Like other brightly colored shrimp, we'd keep these on a dark substrate to really make their colors pop.

If you're interested in keeping Red Onyxes, you can find everything you need to know in the full Red Onyx shrimp care guide. PS: If you like the more muted, dark red of this shrimp, you may also like Neocaridina davidi 'Chocolate'. As its name suggests, it's a nice, reddish brown in color.

Bloody Mary shrimp (Neocaridina davidi ‘Bloody Mary’)

Another Neocaridina davidi variety makes the list! If the Red Cherry shrimp discussed at the top of this list still wasn't quite red enough for you, you may like the Bloody Mary shrimp more. The two look very similar, but there are some subtle differences.

In Bloody Maries, the color isn't just superficial. It's their actual flesh that is red, giving it extra intensity and opaqueness. This does mean that they're often a bit more expensive than their cherry cousins. Another small difference between Red Cherry shrimp and Bloody Mary is the fact that the latter has a slightly shorter nose (rostrum). This can help you tell them apart.

Thinking of getting your own Bloody Mary colony? You can find everything you need to know in the full Bloody Mary shrimp care guide.

Cardinal shrimp (Caridina dennerli)

How gorgeous is the wine red cardinal shrimp with its white gloves?! This species, scientifically known as Caridina dennerli, is the odd one out on this list. This is because it's a Sulawesi shrimp, one of a number of shrimp species found exclusively in the lakes of the Indonesian island of Sulawesi (also known as Celebes).

Sulawesi shrimp like this one aren't considered the easiest to keep in the aquarium. They require specific water values and constant high water quality to thrive, so we don't recommend them for beginning shrimp keepers. If you have some experience, though, they really do make a beautiful choice for a new aquatic project.

Want to take on the challenge and start keeping cardinal shrimp? You can find all the details about their care in the full cardinal shrimp care guide. PS: Like the cardinal shrimp? There are multiple other red aquarium shrimp from Sulawesi. Check out Caridina woltereckae, Caridina glaubrechti, Caridina loehae, Caridina striata, Caridina spinata and more!

Red Pinto shrimp (Caridina cantonensis “Red Pinto”)

Yep, another Caridina cantonensis! If you've been into keeping shrimp for a while, you'll probably know that this is one of the most widely selectively bred dwarf shrimp species. And it never stops either: shrimp hobbyists and professional breeders around the world are always producing new and exciting varieties with different colors and patterns.

One relatively recent addition is the Red Pinto shrimp. Crimson in color and with some white coloration on its back, this is really quite a looker. It was produced by crossing a tiger shrimp with a bee shrimp and then crossing the offspring back to a Taiwan bee shrimp, which in turn is a bee shrimp mutation. Are you still following? After all this, selective breeding for color resulted in the Pinto shrimp we know now.

One coveted subset of Red Pinto shrimp is referred to as Fishbone Pintos. These lend their name from the specific pattern on their backs.

Red Devil (Caridina cantonensis “Red Devil”)

There are many more red Caridina cantonensis varieties out there (Red Ruby, Red Bolt, Red King Kong), but we'd like to close off the list with one of the most spectacular ones: the Red Devil shrimp. Deep crimson in color, this variety sports bright orange eyes. The orange eye mutation is becoming more and more popular in the shrimp hobby, and we can see why. It really lends the shrimp an extra spooky appearance!

Red Devils were bred by Skyfish, a leading producer of new fancy dwarf shrimp varieties. They also refer to it as the Red Diamond. It isn't widely for sale yet and it's probably best for more experienced shrimp keepers, but we'd say its appearance definitely makes the extra effort worth it.