A captive bred color line of the dwarf shrimp Neocaridina davidi, whose wild form lives in freshwater streams and ponds across eastern China and Taiwan.
Overview
A colony does well in as little as 20 L of stable, cycled water at 18 to 28 C and a pH of 6.5 to 8.0, ideally in a planted tank with moss and biofilm to graze. Keep them with other small peaceful shrimp or tiny fish that will not eat them. They breed readily with no special effort, so a few animals become a colony. Feed algae, biofilm, blanched vegetables and a little shrimp pellet.
In the wild
Bloody Mary is a deep, translucent blood red line of Neocaridina davidi, colored by red pigment over a clear shell rather than the opaque red of a painted fire red cherry. It is a small, peaceful algae grazer that spends its time picking over plants, wood and substrate. It is just as hardy and easy as any other Neocaridina color. A mature planted tank with stable water suits it best.
Good to know
Every Neocaridina davidi color line, from cherry to blue to this red, is the same species with identical care, and the color is a selected trait rather than a different animal. Bloody Mary was line bred from the chocolate and rili gene pool to fix its clear, glassy red. Females are larger and more deeply colored than males.
Did you know
Because the red sits over a clear shell, Bloody Mary shrimp can look almost see through in some light and glow solid red in others.
Weekly picks
Tank mates
Bloody Mary shrimp is a peaceful, social species that keeps to the bottom. These picks share a community profile with it, are safe together in both directions, and overlap on water type, temperature and pH.
1.2 in (3 cm)5 gal (20 L)64–79°F (18–26°C)
1.6 in (4 cm)5 gal (20 L)73–82°F (23–28°C)
1.6 in (4 cm)7 gal (25 L)64–73°F (18–23°C)
1.4 in (3.5 cm)5 gal (20 L)73–82°F (23–28°C)
1.4 in (3.5 cm)5 gal (20 L)73–82°F (23–28°C)
2 in (5 cm)8 gal (30 L)59–81°F (15–27°C)