Neocaridina Shrimp In The Planted Aquarium

I just want to state first and foremost that all the information posted in this blog was taken from the magazine Tropical Fish Hobbyist (www.tfhmagazine.com), the actually author is Rhonda Wilson. Pictures are from an Internet site www.theshrimptank.com

For anyone who is thinking about keeping these lovely specimens in their community tank, or just a shrimp only tank, here are a few things about each of the five “domesticated” shrimp species; Red Cherry Shrimp, Yellow Shrimp, Neocaridina heteropoda (Wild form), Snowball Shrimp, Blue Pearl Shrimp.

“Red cherry shrimp were the first to become widely available in the United States. They developed in Taiwan and their color is an unnatural color. When young, their color can be somewhat plain, but when mature the females are all red, while the males are some what clear with red streaks, dots and other patterns. As with everything in the fish world, the males are smaller, and the females develop yellow saddles and berries”.  Now from my experience with these shrimp is that they like the temperature of around 70 degrees F. The water has to be around 7.0, but harder water can be accepted. If the PH drops too low, they will die, and I have found that to be around 6.0. As of right now I have about 15 little guys maturing in a separate tank so that I can add them to my community tank. I also read that they like to live in “schools” or “pods” kind of like ants.

“Yellow shrimp were breed in Germany from the same Varietal, Neocaridina heteropoda. Female yellow shrimp can be a very bright sunshine-yellow color, while the males are more opaque. The saddle and eggs are also yellow.” Obviously not much is known about the variety, and trying to find them on the Internet can be quit troublesome at times. But I found some on eBay and quickly bought them not that long ago. Again, I have them housed separately with the baby red cherry shrimp and am awaiting maturity. If anyone knows more about this variety and would like to add, please do so.

“Neocaridina heteropoda are the wild form of all the shrimp listed. They are lets say in scientific terms the ‘constant’ value. This shrimp species has just started to hit the markets of the United States.” I have not seen very many people selling this shrimp, possibly a handful of adventurers. “This shrimp was formerly identified as ‘N. denticulata sinensis. The actual wild shrimp are found in China, Taiwan, and Northern Vietnam. The females can vary in color from brownish to an almost blue color, with brown saddles and eggs, while the males are mostly clear.” I have no experience with these shrimp, again if someone has, please post.

“Snowball Shrimp are another color of shrimp that were breed in Germany. These are impressive shrimp that show up well against a dark substrate and backing. The females have white saddles and white eggs (hence the name snowball).” The author states that she has found these shrimp very easy to breed and she says even easier than Red Cherry Shrimp. Once again, I have had no experience with these shrimp.

Finally, “Blue Pearl Shrimp were also breed in Germany, and are another one of those shrimp slowly becoming more rapidly available in the United States. The blue coloring can vary from shrimp to shrimp, with some being extremely blue and other being more of an opaque blue. Some even show signs of brown to red markings, with the females having a brown saddle and eggs.” Once again, I have no experience.

A very important fact that should also be noted is that this shrimp varietal can cross bred, and it is recommended to contain one shrimp bred/color at a time.

Although I have only had experience with two of these varieties I know that they are amazing little creatures. You really have to be careful though, as too much Co2 in a planted aquarium can “explode” a shrimp, resulting in death, too  many chemicals such as copper can kill them. I have found though that these shrimp are very hardy to water changes, although I do not allow my tank to become a swamp. I also found it easier and cheaper to buy these types of shrimp on-line, such as eBay, or aqua bid. When I have bought them at a local pet shop they can cost anywhere from 5 to 7 dollars, and that is just for the more commonly found Red Cherry Shrimp, but as for the Internet I can buy them for around 2 dollars a shrimp, possible 3 dollars after shipping.