Type — Arthropoda.
Subtype — Crustacea.
Class — Malacostraca.
Order — Decapoda.
Superfamily — Atyoidea
Family — Atyidae.
Genus Caridina.
— Caridina cantonensis “Golden Bee” — Snow White shrimp, Golden Bee, Golden Crystal, Snow White Crystal. “Golden shrimp”, “Golden Crystal Red shrimp”, “Snow White Crystal shrimp”, “Snow White Bee shrimp”, “Snow shrimp”, “All-White Crystal Red shrimp”, “Crystal White Bee shrimp”, “Weiße CRS”. China. 2.5-3 cm. Selective breeding origin from Crystal Red, Crystal Black, etc.
These are majestic and unique shrimps. The flesh itself is colored in an orange-golden hue, and the carapace is of a whitish-creamy color throughout the body, just as intense and bright as in Crystal Red shrimp. Despite the main white color, their appearance, as well as the quality of their coloration, can vary across different color shades. The body features various color patches ranging from almost white to golden-orange.
Since the Golden Bee has no red color on its body at all, the grading of Crystal Red shrimp is not fully applicable to this species. When crossed with red bee shrimp, less dense white pigments are passed into the snow-white shrimp, which leads to a “dirty” white or even pinkish or reddish tint on the white parts. Offspring can vary greatly. Moreover, Golden Bees often produce culls in their offspring – transparent areas, mostly on the tail. As a rule, low color density and a pinkish or reddish tint of the white body parts indicate that the snow-white shrimp were crossed with red bee shrimp.
If the shrimp is healthy and aquarium maintenance parameters are suitable, its carapace will be colored in a rich, intense, and beautiful white color. Some aquarists believe that these shrimp can be graded depending on the intensity of their white coloration. In some individuals of this species, the entire carapace is not completely colored white, so the highest grade belongs to those whose carapace is entirely white.
The cephalothorax may feature a pattern similar to “Mosura Flower”. There is an opinion that “Snow White Bee” shrimp carry black crystal genes, while “Golden Bee” carry red crystal genes. Not all white shrimp have an ideal white color; very often the white coloration is quite poor with a large number of transparent areas.
— Caridina cf. cantonensis “Golden Bee”, “Golden White” — Golden Bee. Shrimps with a shiny yellowish, pinkish, and sometimes orange up to red tint.
— Caridina cf. cantonensis “Golden Bee High”, “Snow High (Snow flake)”, “Snow White Bee” — Snowflake. Completely dense white coloration and no areas without pigmentation (including white tail, nose, and chin), except for thin lines on the “cheeks”, small separate reddish spots, and the gut is not visible. A representative of higher quality, it is the most expensive in this series.
— Caridina cf. cantonensis “Golden Bee Super High” — Covered with a glowing white color, no colorless spots, no red pigmentation, appendages are colored white, gut is not visible.
— Caridina cf. cantonensis “Golden Bee Medium/Mid”, “Snow Medium/Mid-High” — This is a middle-class Snowflake. There is no uniform dense white coloration, extensive transparent areas are present, and the gut can be seen. The white color may have a reddish or brownish tint, especially on the cephalothorax. If they have a reddish or brownish tint of white, especially on the cephalothorax, they are called “Golden Snow White”.
— Caridina cf. cantonensis “Golden Bee Low”, “Snow Low” — Shrimps of low white quality. The white color is uneven, weak and irregular red and orange color spots, many separate transparent areas, legs are barely colored. Low white quality shrimp.
— Caridina cf. cantonensis “Golden Bee Skeleton”, “Snow White Skeleton” — Weak white-orange coloration, partially transparent stripes, legs are barely colored.
Very active, love to swim. Non-aggressive. Prefers soft, acidic, and, importantly, clean water. Water temperature should be below 26°C (20-24°C), pH level 6.2-6.8, dH 4-6°, and kH approximately 1-2. Regular water changes are important for shrimp health, and any presence of nitrites and ammonia will lead to death. Under inappropriate water parameters, the white coloration fades or disappears. It is very crucial to keep this shrimp in stable water parameters, as in water with drastically different indicators the golden bee will experience stress, lose coloration, may fall ill, and ultimately it will end fatally.
This shrimp does not differ from others in food preferences. It belongs to those shrimp species that are algae-eaters and are constantly in search of food. Feeds on oak leaves, algae, and a small amount of fish food. Feeding is best done once a day. Sometimes it is useful to arrange fasting days for your shrimp.
Breeding is easy. Distinguishing a male from a female is difficult. The easiest way is to identify the female. Females are larger in size and the carapace around the abdomen is much wider than in males (the place where eggs will develop after fertilization). Breeding the Golden Bee is similar to breeding crystal reds. This shrimp breeds like most Caridina. The female carries 20-25 eggs. During pregnancy, brown eggs gather on the female’s abdomen. The cleaner the water and the more suitable the water parameters, the more offspring there will be.
You should not keep the Golden Bee with other crystals to avoid losing the quality and intensity of the white color. A large healthy colony of shrimp constantly reproduces offspring. Juveniles look like adult shrimp and grow fast. You can immediately see the white coloration of the carapace, which becomes increasingly intense as the shrimp matures. Peaceful and can be housed with small fish, but it is better to keep them separately. They live up to 1.5 years.
Identification: Caridina cantonensis Golden Bee Shrimp.
Caridina brachydactyla, breviata, brevicarpalis, fernandoi, gracilirostris.
Caridina cantonensis “Black Crystal”. 
