Shrimp care that actually works.
ShrimpGuide is an independent resource for freshwater dwarf shrimp keepers. We exist for one reason: to publish the specific, sourced numbers that keep a colony alive, and to skip the vague hobby advice that sinks most first tanks.
Who we are
ShrimpGuide covers Neocaridina, Caridina, and Amano shrimp for keepers who want to get the water right the first time. Most of the people who land here are starting their first colony, or restarting after a die-off they never quite understood. That second group is who we write for hardest. A tank that crashes in week three is almost never bad luck. It is a parameter that drifted, a cycle that was not finished, or a remineralizer nobody mentioned.
We are not a forum, a store, or a newsletter brand. We are a small team that publishes specific, checked care numbers instead of vague advice.
What we cover
Three things, in depth, and nothing we cannot stand behind.
- Species profiles with exact water Every profile lists the five parameters that decide whether a colony settles or stalls: GH, KH, TDS, pH, and temperature, as ranges, not as a single hopeful number.
- Keeper tools that do the math A water target tool, a stocking calculator, and a loss diagnostic. Real, working tools, not a wall of text pretending to be a tool.
- Diagnostic care guides Setup, water chemistry, breeding, and the failure modes that catch keepers out, written to fix a real problem in front of a real tank.
How we are different
Most shrimp content recycles the same softened advice from one blog to the next, until a specific number turns into "keep it stable" and a real warning turns into "they are easy to keep." We do the opposite.
Specific numbers, not ranges of opinion
We publish the GH, KH, TDS, pH, and temperature a species actually wants, and we say plainly when tap water will do and when it will not.
Built around what actually fails
Each guide targets the failure modes that sink tanks, a parameter that drifted, an unfinished cycle, a remineralizer nobody mentioned, and explains how to avoid them.
Honest about difficulty
Crystal Reds are not "beginner friendly with the right setup." They need RO water and a buffering soil, and we say so. We would rather lose the click than lose your colony.
Sourced, not asserted
Our figures trace back to primary authorities: university extension fact sheets, peer-reviewed studies, USGS species data, and manufacturer dosing specs.
Who writes ShrimpGuide
ShrimpGuide is written and maintained by the ShrimpGuide team, a small group focused on freshwater dwarf shrimp: Neocaridina, Caridina, and Amano.
We work as a team rather than under individual names, and we check what we publish against primary sources before it reaches you.
Our standards
Every figure we publish is anchored to a primary source, conflicting sources are reconciled in the open, and we correct mistakes promptly rather than quietly. How we research and verify is written out in full.
Read how we check our numbers
Where our figures come from, how we handle sources that disagree, and how we keep everything current.
Editorial standardsEvery ShrimpGuide guide starts from primary sources: university extension fact sheets, peer-reviewed studies, USGS species data, and manufacturer specifications. AI tools help us draft the text and create the illustrations. The team chooses the topics, checks every figure against those sources, and has the final word before anything goes live.