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Variety of Neocaridina shrimp

Chocolate shrimp

Neocaridina davidi

One of 11 varieties of Neocaridina davidi · See all varieties →

Also known as Chocolate Neocaridina

FreshwaterShrimp

Chocolate shrimp (Neocaridina davidi)

Varieties · Neocaridina davidi

See all 11 →

Care at a glance

Temperature
59–84°F
15–29°C
pH
6.5–8.0
Adult size
1.6 in
4 cm
Minimum tank
5 gal
19 L
Temperament
Peaceful
Social behavior
Social
Swim level
Bottom
Difficulty
Beginner
Breeding
Egg carrier · Easy
Rarity
Rare
Family
Atyidae
Origin
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

The chocolate shrimp is a dark brown Neocaridina for the bottom of a peaceful planted tank. It is easy and hardy, and a good first shrimp.

Did you know

Brown is close to the wild Neocaridina color, so the chocolate shrimp is one of the easiest lines to recreate by accident. It turns up when mixed color colonies interbreed.

Caring for the chocolate shrimp

Keep chocolate shrimp in a colony of ten or more, in a stable, cycled tank of 5 gal (19 L) or larger. Plants, moss and leaf litter give them places to graze and hide. Their dark color stands out against a light substrate and green plants.

They handle 59 to 84°F (15 to 29°C) and a pH of 6.5 to 8.0. Their care matches every other Neocaridina color.

Feed biofilm, algae, blanched vegetables and the occasional shrimp pellet. Chocolate shrimp molt as they grow and stay soft for a few hours afterward. They eat the cast shells for the minerals.

House them only with small, peaceful fish or other dwarf shrimp. Females grow larger than males and carry 20 to 40 eggs under the tail for three to four weeks. The young hatch as fully formed shrimp with no larval stage, so they breed readily in an ordinary tank.

Dark lines can throw lighter or wild-colored young, so cull to hold the color. Keep one color per tank, since crossed colors drift back toward the wild type within a few generations.

Good to know

The chocolate shrimp is a dark brown line of Neocaridina davidi, a dwarf shrimp in the family Atyidae, ranging from warm cocoa to near black. It is also sold as the Chocolate Neocaridina or carbon rili, and rili describes the broken, banded pattern. Rili patterned shrimp show a clearer band across the middle of the body.

In the wild

The chocolate shrimp is a captive bred color line. The wild form of Neocaridina davidi lives in freshwater streams and ponds across eastern China and Taiwan.

Weekly picks

Tank mates

The chocolate 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.

Check the full mix in the stocking calculator

Common questions

Is a chocolate shrimp a different species from the Neocaridina shrimp?

No. A chocolate shrimp is a variety of the Neocaridina shrimp, Neocaridina davidi, and it wants the same tank, water and food as the species.

What size tank does a chocolate shrimp need?

A chocolate shrimp needs at least 5 gal (19 L). It spends most of its time in the bottom.

What does a chocolate shrimp eat?

A chocolate shrimp grazes biofilm and algae. Feed it blanched vegetables and the occasional shrimp pellet as well.

How big does a chocolate shrimp get?

An adult chocolate shrimp reaches about 1.6 in (4 cm).

How can you tell a male chocolate shrimp from a female?

Female chocolate shrimp grow larger than males. A female with eggs carries them under her tail.

How does a chocolate shrimp breed?

A female chocolate shrimp carries 20 to 40 eggs under her tail for three to four weeks. The young hatch as fully formed shrimp with no larval stage, so a colony breeds readily in an ordinary tank.

Related species