Oiran

Named after the high-ranking courtesans of old Japan, Oiran is the mutation that split off from Blue Ghost: a bright body draped in bold colour blocks like a kimono. One of the most valuable Sulawesi strains today.

Mutation of Blue GhostNot found in the wildFlagship strain

A great strain isn't one beautiful shrimp — it's the whole colony looking the same.

— Jack Shrimp Farm

ORIGIN

Ancestry from Lake Matano

DISTRIBUTION MAP

An ancient cradle

Sulawesi shrimp are endemic to a handful of ancient tectonic lakes — 1–4 million years old, among the oldest freshwater lakes on earth.

Lake MatanoHome of Cardinal & White Sock (C. dennerli)

Lake PosoHome of White Orchid, Blue Legs (C. “Poso”)

Towuti · MahalonaThe Malili lake system, linked by rivers

IDENTIFICATION

How to identify an Oiran

🎴Kimono patterningContrasting colour blocks over a pale body — every individual is patterned differently.

🧬Split from Blue GhostOiran is the next mutation branch after Blue Ghost, entirely a product of farm selection.

👑A collector's endgameWidely treated as one of the final destinations for serious Sulawesi keepers.

🔬Hard selectionOnly animals with clean, balanced patterning are kept back for breeding.

WATER

Ideal keeping conditions

27–30°

Temp C

7.8–8.5

150–250

TDS ppm

6–8

3–6

The golden rule: stability beats perfect numbers. A swinging parameter does more damage than one that sits slightly off but never moves. Use a Sula Sand substrate and a dedicated bacteria culture to keep the buffer rock-solid.

STRAIN DATA

Oiran profile

Strain data

Strain code: OI-01
Selected grade: SSS+
Origin: Mutation of Blue Ghost
Scientific name: Caridina sp. "Oiran"
Farm origin: Vietnam

Strain map — White Sock & its mutations

Every strain below is a selectively-bred farm mutation of the White Sock. None of them exist in the wild, which is exactly why they are rare and highly collectible.

Colour / body mutations

White Sockbase strain
Blue Ghostmutation of White Sock

Blue Ghost then splits into:

OiranYellow GhostWhite Ghost

Orange Eye (OE) · separate branch

White Sock OE
Blue Ghost OE
Oiran OE

Orange eye is an independent mutation on the White Sock line and can appear on several base strains.

FOOD & SET-UP

The matching set-up

FEEDING

Omnivorous, but mostly grazing on biofilm and algae growing on rock. Add the White Powder + Yellow Powder pair for colour and steady breeding, and set the tank on Sula Sand to hold an alkaline pH long-term.