Тип — Arthropoda.
Подтип — Crustacea.
Класс — Malacostraca.
Отряд — Decapoda.
Надсемейство — Atyoidea
Семейство — Atyidae.
Род Каридина — Caridina.
— Caridina cantonensis “Black Crystal” (CBS) — Black Shrimp, Black Bee, Black Crystal. “Black Bee Shrimp”, “Black Crystal Bee shrimp”, “Black & White Bee”, “Bienengarnele”. These shrimps inhabit fast-flowing rivers in the immediate vicinity of Hong Kong and southern regions of China. 2.5-3 cm. Eyes are black or dark red. White with black stripes. The black color can have two shades: bluish-black and brownish-black. An orange spot may be present on the tail.
In crystals, the red and black colors are more or less saturated, but in poor lines, transparent areas may appear instead of snow-white. To maintain the quality of the line, selective breeding work must be constantly carried out. It is directly related to the Crystal Red shrimp – genetically, the shrimp belongs to the Crystal Red species. Crystal Red and Crystal Black must not be kept in the same aquarium as they interbreed with each other.
The grading of the Black Bee shrimp is the same as that of the Crystal Red shrimp. The quality of the shrimp is determined by color saturation, and for two-color breeds, also by the ratio of stripe widths. In Crystals, the red and black colors are more or less saturated, but in poor lines, transparent areas may appear instead of snow-white. These shrimps are classified in the same way as CRS (Crystal Red), depending on the quality of coloration and pattern. The value of shrimps of different classes also varies greatly.
The lowest class is C. The shrimp is colored almost entirely in black with small white stripes. The coloration is not solid, and many colorless areas can be observed. Class B shrimp has 3 or 4 wide white stripes. Some specimens have 4 black and 3 white stripes, while others have the opposite. However, there are patches of black on the white background. At the same time, the black and white colors are not solid, with many colorless areas. Shrimps with a large number of colorless areas on the white stripes, even if they lack black markings, are also assigned to this class. Classes A and S. These classes are almost completely identical. Shrimps have 3-4 wide white stripes. The only difference is the uniformity of the white color and the width of the black stripes. In class A, the white color is not solid and has a certain number of colorless areas, with rather wide black stripes.
In class S shrimp, the white stripes are colored more uniformly, and the black stripes are somewhat narrower. With each subsequent letter added in class S (S+, SS, SSS, SSSS), the coloration quality and other external characteristics of the Black Crystal are honed to perfection. Representatives of the highest class among Black Bee shrimp can be crossed with class A Crystal Red shrimp. Such crossings help improve the immune system of both species and reduce the vulnerability of shrimps to environmental changes, which very often happens with continuous interbreeding of the same individuals among themselves. After all, it is well known that the higher the class of Black Bee or Crystal Red shrimp, the higher their care requirements, and the higher the mortality rate if these are not met.
An aquarium with plenty of plants, especially Riccia and mosses. Moss thickets are the best shelter for shrimp fry and molting adults. Do not keep with large and aggressive fish. This shrimp species prefers soft and acidic water, with high oxygen content and low concentrations of nitrates and phosphates. In addition, the water must be clean. They are very sensitive to nitrates. Regular water changes are mandatory in the aquarium.
Large fluctuations in water parameters should also be avoided, as this shrimp species is very delicate. The water temperature should not drop below 24°C, the pH level should be around 6.2 to 6.8, and the dH level between 4-6°. It is very important that the shrimp are kept in precisely suitable water parameters. Extremes in any water indicators should be avoided. Large fluctuations in water parameters should also be avoided, as this shrimp species is very delicate.
Breeding is similar to that of Crystal Red shrimp. When breeding Bees, water parameters and feeding become even more important. If you want to obtain shrimps of a certain class, you should carefully study the grading of this shrimp species to use this knowledge when sorting them. The higher the shrimp class, the more demanding it is regarding maintenance conditions. If you intend to keep the highest quality representatives of this species, creating the aforementioned parameters becomes the most important task. If you want to get offspring from your pets, first of all, feed them with high-quality food, monitor the parameters and cleanliness of the water.
Caridina cantonensis “Golden Bee”, Golden, Snow-white Crystal.
Caridina cantonensis “Crystal Red”, Crystal Red Shrimp. 
