Orange Eye Blue Tiger Shrimp
Caridina mariae
Also known as: OEBT, Orange Eye Blue Tiger, Blue Tiger shrimp
Quick Facts
- Adult size: 2.5-3 cm (1-1.2 inches)
- Minimum tank size: 19 litres (5 gallons)
- Lifespan: 1–2 years
- Temperament: peaceful
- Swimming level: bottom-and-middle
- Diet: omnivore
- Minimum group size: 10
- Difficulty: advanced
Water Parameters
- Temperature: 18–24°C
- pH: 6–7.2
- Hardness (GH): 71–143 ppm (4–8 dGH)
Values above are general hardness (GH). For carbonate hardness (KH), the buffer that keeps pH stable, see the water parameters guide.
Care Summary
A selectively bred form of the tiger shrimp in which the body glows a cool steel to sky blue and the eyes are a vivid orange, one of the most arresting dwarf shrimp in the hobby. In water terms it sits between the easy tiger and the demanding Taiwan bee: it does not need RO water or active soil, doing well in cooler, moderately soft to neutral water over an inert substrate, but the heavy line-breeding that fixes the blue body and orange eyes makes it genuinely more fragile than a wild-type tiger, so it is kept as an advanced shrimp. Give it cool, clean, stable, copper-free water in a mature, planted tank and a group of ten, hold the temperature out of the high twenties, and keep a single line so the colour does not dilute. Rewarding, but not a first shrimp.
Tankmates
A selectively bred blue line of the tiger shrimp (Caridina mariae), kept like the standard tiger but more delicate. It tolerates cooler, moderately soft to neutral water over an inert substrate and does not need the RO and active soil the Taiwan bees demand, but the inbreeding behind its colour makes it noticeably more sensitive, so stable, clean, copper-free water is essential. Defenceless against fish, it belongs in a dedicated shrimp tank or with only tiny, gentle species such as chili rasboras and ember tetras. It does not interbreed with Neocaridina but crosses with other tigers and bees, so keep one line per tank.
Compatible with
Avoid keeping with
- Betta
- Large Cichlids
- Loaches
- Dwarf Pufferfish
- Assassin Snail
- Guppy
Common Problems
- greater fragility than wild-type tigers from the inbreeding that fixes the colour
- copper poisoning from medications or fertilisers
- heat stress above the mid-twenties, as they prefer cooler water
- moulting failure without adequate general hardness
- loss of the blue body and orange eye if crossed with other Caridina
Sources: seriouslyfish.com, shrimpscience.com · Last updated: 2026-10-05