Black King Kong Shrimp Care Guide - Setup, Feeding & Breeding

Black King Kong Shrimp are a striking ornamental freshwater shrimp with a deep, opaque black body that may be marked with crisp white areas. The strongest examples have dense, even colouration across the shell, while individual patterns can range from mostly black to boldly banded or patchy. Their dark appearance makes them especially attractive against green plants, moss and pale hardscape.

These shrimp are small, peaceful scavengers that spend much of their time grazing across leaves, wood, stones and the substrate. Their walking legs and specialised mouthparts allow them to pick at soft growth and microscopic food films, while their delicate antennae constantly investigate the surrounding surfaces.

Black King Kong Shrimp are a selectively developed colour morph within the Taiwan Bee group. They are closely associated with other high-grade Caridina cantonensis varieties, including Crystal Black Shrimp, and their appearance can vary considerably depending on the breeding line.

In nature, their Caridina relatives inhabit cool, clear, slow-moving or gently flowing freshwater streams and pools. These environments typically contain leaf litter, submerged roots, rocks and abundant surfaces for biofilm, creating a complex habitat for small shrimp to graze and shelter.

Black King Kong Shrimp are a selectively bred Taiwan Bee form of Caridina cantonensis, developed in the aquarium trade rather than occurring as a natural wild population. Their ancestral stock comes from southern China and nearby parts of East Asia, including the Hong Kong region.

A group should have at least 20 litres, with a footprint of approximately 30 x 20 cm or larger; a longer aquarium is preferable to a tall one. Use soft, stable water and an inert or shrimp-specific buffering substrate, depending on the water chemistry required by the breeding line. Include fine-leaved plants, moss, driftwood, smooth stones and leaf litter to provide grazing surfaces and shelter, with gentle filtration protected by a sponge or pre-filter. Avoid copper-based treatments and sudden changes in temperature or water chemistry.

Around 3 cm (1.2 in) maximum. Females are generally larger and deeper-bodied than males, while males usually remain closer to 2–2.5 cm (0.8–1 in).

They graze naturally on biofilm, algae and decomposing plant material, supplemented with a quality shrimp food made from ingredients such as algae, vegetables and plant matter. Offer only small portions, with occasional blanched spinach, courgette or other suitable vegetables, and remove uneaten food promptly. Mineral-rich foods can be useful during growth and moulting, but overfeeding is a common source of aquarium problems.

Black King Kong Shrimp are best kept in a dedicated shrimp aquarium or with peaceful, very small tankmates such as ember tetras, chili rasboras, celestial pearl danios, Otocinclus and small freshwater snails. Avoid larger fish, fin-nippers and active predators, which may eat adults or hunt the young. Other Caridina cantonensis varieties can be housed with them, but different colour forms may interbreed and produce less predictable offspring.

Black King Kong Shrimp breed readily when mature females are well fed and water conditions are stable. After mating, a female carries a clutch of eggs beneath her abdomen for around three to four weeks, regularly fanning them until they hatch as fully formed miniature shrimp. The young require no larval saltwater stage and can be raised in the same freshwater aquarium, provided there is plentiful biofilm and fine powdered food available.

Females are usually larger, broader across the abdomen and more robustly built, with a noticeably curved underside for carrying eggs. Males are smaller and slimmer, and their colour may be slightly less dense, although colour quality alone is not a reliable way to sex them.