The Collector Tier: Galaxy, Fancy Tiger, King Kong and Boa Prices
Where dwarf shrimp prices climb past $10 an animal — current cross-vendor prices for the show and breeder lines, and why the spread is structural.
Published July 29, 2026 · figures recomputed from data through November 10, 2026 · by Shrimp Price Index
Above the crystal shrimp sits the hobby's collector tier: pinto-derived Galaxy lines, Fancy Tigers, the King Kong family, and one-vendor specialties with waiting lists. This is where dwarf shrimp prices climb past $10 an animal and the market starts behaving like a collectibles market — small supply, named lineages, and prices set by the breeder's reputation as much as the animal.
The collector tier, priced
| Line | Listings | Vendors | Per-shrimp low | Median | High |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boa Shrimp | 2 | 1 | $24.99 | $27.49 | $29.99 |
| Orange Eye Red Tiger Shrimp | 6 | 1 | $25.00 | $25.00 | $25.00 |
| Dragonblood Shrimp | 6 | 1 | $15.00 | $22.50 | $30.00 |
| Golden Calceo Shrimp | 7 | 2 | $9.00 | $18.41 | $21.67 |
| Royal Blue Tiger Shrimp | 9 | 1 | $17.00 | $17.00 | $17.00 |
| Galaxy Shrimp | 30 | 3 | $12.00 | $14.00 | $16.65 |
| Fancy Tiger Shrimp | 29 | 3 | $6.00 | $6.66 | $11.00 |
| Pinto Shrimp | 15 | 5 | $4.00 | $6.50 | $12.00 |
| Red King Kong Shrimp | 19 | 2 | $5.00 | $6.00 | $7.50 |
| Black King Kong Shrimp | 16 | 2 | $4.80 | $6.00 | $7.50 |
| Yellow King Kong Shrimp | 9 | 3 | $5.00 | $5.20 | $6.50 |
Why the spreads are structural
- Few vendors per line. Several of these morphs are stocked by one or two of the vendors we track — the "cross-vendor median" is honest but thin, and a single restock can move it. The vendor count column is as important as the price columns here.
- Pack structure is doing heavy lifting. The same line sells as a selected single at 2–3× its 10-pack per-shrimp price — the widest single-vs-pack premiums on the whole index are in this tier (measured). A high "high" is usually a hand-picked single, not a different animal.
- Lineage naming is vendor-specific. Pinto-family naming (Galaxy, Fishbone, Skull…) varies by breeder; we group by the vendor's own line name. Compare the actual animals in the listings, not just the names.
Buying in this tier
- These are Caridina with the genus's full soft-water requirements — the Caridina premium and its husbandry reasons apply doubly to animals at these prices. Prove your setup on crystals first.
- Expect availability, not price, to be the constraint: these lines go out of stock and stay out (prices here don't move — inventory does).
Prices are from in-stock listings as of November 10, 2026 and recompute with every daily update.