Shrimp King has several main food products that are specifically made for Crystal Red Shrimp, Red Cherry Shrimps as well as other shrimps from the Caridina and Neocaridina davidi species. So, which among the Complete, Mineral and Protein feed sticks is the best?
You can find out in this comparison guide here at Aquarium Blueprints.
Quick Summary
Unlike the Shrimp King Complete and Shrimp King Protein, the Shrimp King Mineral comes with calcium carbonate, which will help your Neocaridina shrimp with molting. For that reason, we recommend getting the Mineral sticks if you can only get one of these food products.
If you can get two of these, then we suggest getting the Shrimp King Protein as its Corynebacterium glutamicum, daphnia and krill ingredients should provide plenty of extra protein to help your shrimps grow and breed.
While the Shrimp King Complete is also a great product, it doesn’t contain as much essential minerals as the Shrimp King Mineral. Not to mention that the protein content from Complete is lacking when compared to Shrimp King Protein.
Shrimp King Complete vs. Shrimp King Mineral vs. Shrimp King Protein Comparison Chart
You can find our comparison table for the Complete, Mineral and Protein feeding sticks below.
| Shrimp King Complete | Shrimp King Mineral | Shrimp King Protein | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Compatible Shrimp Species | Caridina Neocaridina davidi | Caridina Neocaridina davidi | Caridina Neocaridina davidi |
| Container Size | 45 grams | 45 grams | 45 grams |
| Feeding Directions | One 5mm stick for every 20 shrimps | One 5mm stick for every 20 shrimps | One 5mm stick for every 20 shrimps |
| Water Quality Preservation Directions | Remove uneaten food residue after 24 hours | Remove uneaten food residue after 24 hours | Remove uneaten food residue after 24 hours |
| Ingredients | Kelp Insect proteins Dandelion Stinging nettles Spinach Mulberry leaves Chlorella Montmorillonite Moringa oleifera Rosemary Mannan-oligosaccharides ß-glucans Flower pollen Turmeric Cinnamon | Kelp Insect proteins Dandelion Stinging nettles Spinach Mulberry leaves Calcium carbonate Chlorella Montmorillonite Moringa oleifera Rosemary Mannan-oligosaccharides ß-glucans Flower pollen Turmeric Cinnamon | Bacterial protein from Corynebacterium glutamicum Insect proteins Stinging nettles Dandelion Mulberry leaves Daphnia Krill Chlorella algae Montmorillonite Moringa oleifera Rosemary Mannan-oligosaccharides ß-glucans Flower pollen Turmeric Cinnamon |
| Nutritional Analysis | 23.1% crude protein 6.2% crude fat 9.2% crude fibre 17.3% crude ash | 21.0% crude protein 6.0% crude fat 8.0% crude fibre 26.0% crude ash | 42.6% crude protein 7.5% crude fat 5.9% crude fibre 13.4% crude ash |
| Pricing | Check price on Amazon.(#CommissionsEarned) | Check price on Amazon.(#CommissionsEarned) | Check price on Amazon.(#CommissionsEarned) |
Caridina and Neocaridina Shrimps Diets
Before we begin, it is important to note that Caridina and Neocaridina davidi shrimps require protein in addition to minerals such as calcium and magnesium in their diets in order to grow healthily, molt properly and breed readily.
Container Size
The Shrimp King Complete, Shrimp King Mineral and Shrimp King Protein are all available in containers that can hold 45 grams. While the containers may seem small, these products should last for months if you are feeding one stick per day.
Feeding Directions
When it comes to feeding, one 5 mm stick from the Shrimp King Complete, Mineral and Protein should be enough to feed up to 20 shrimps.
Water Quality Preservation Directions
To keep your water quality pristine, Shrimp King recommends removing any leftover food residues from the Complete, Mineral and Protein feeding sticks after 24 hours have passed.
If you see that your shrimps haven’t completely finished the sticks after 24 hours, then we recommend feeding less of it next time so that you won’t have to go thru the trouble of removing the uneaten food.
Ingredients
When it comes to the ingredients, the only difference between the Shrimp King Complete and Shrimp King Mineral is that the Mineral sticks come with added calcium carbonate.
Unlike the Complete and Mineral products, the Shrimp King Protein doesn’t contain any kelp. Instead, the protein sticks replace that ingredient with Corynebacterium glutamicum (which is a form of bacterial protein), daphnia and krill.
The Shrimp King Protein does not come with any calcium carbonate.
You can find the full lists of ingredients for all three shrimp food products below:
Shrimp King Complete:
- Kelp
- Insect proteins
- Dandelion
- Stinging nettles
- Spinach
- Mulberry leaves
- Chlorella
- Montmorillonite
- Moringa oleifera
- Rosemary
- Mannan-oligosaccharides
- ß-glucans
- Flower pollen
- Turmeric
- Cinnamon
Shrimp King Mineral:
- Kelp
- Insect proteins
- Dandelion
- Stinging nettles
- Spinach
- Mulberry leaves
- Calcium carbonate
- Chlorella
- Montmorillonite
- Moringa oleifera
- Rosemary
- Mannan-oligosaccharides
- ß-glucans
- Flower pollen
- Turmeric
- Cinnamon
Shrimp King Protein:
- Bacterial protein from Corynebacterium glutamicum
- Insect proteins
- Stinging nettles
- Dandelion
- Mulberry leaves
- Daphnia
- Krill
- Chlorella algae
- Montmorillonite
- Moringa oleifera
- Rosemary
- Mannan-oligosaccharides
- ß-glucans
- Flower pollen
- Turmeric
- Cinnamon
Nutritional Analysis
When you break these feed sticks down based on nutritional value, the Shrimp King Protein provides the most protein (crude protein) for your shrimp while the Shrimp King Mineral provide the most minerals (crude ash).
You can find the full breakdown of the values below:
Shrimp King Complete:
- 23.1% crude protein
- 6.2% crude fat
- 9.2% crude fibre
- 17.3% crude ash
Shrimp King Mineral:
- 21.0% crude protein
- 6.0% crude fat
- 8.0% crude fibre
- 26.0% crude ash
Shrimp King Protein:
- 42.6% crude protein
- 7.5% crude fat
- 5.9% crude fibre
- 13.4% crude ash
Which is Better: Shrimp King Complete, Shrimp King Mineral or Shrimp King Protein?
Out of these three Shrimp King products, we recommend picking up Shrimp King Mineral as it offers the most balance when it comes to providing protein and minerals for your freshwater shrimps.
The Shrimp King Protein is also a great complementary food to go along with Shrimp King Mineral due to its high protein content.