Green Jade Shrimp

Neocaridina davidi

FreshwaterShrimp

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 (20 L)
Temperament: Peaceful
Social behavior: Social
Swim level: Bottom
Difficulty: Beginner
Breeding: Easy
Rarity: Very common
Origin: Taiwan
Family: Atyidae

Overview

Keep them in a group. They are social, and a colony of ten or more does best and breeds steadily. They are peaceful and live on the bottom and on plants, constantly grazing algae and biofilm. Stable water matters more than exact numbers, so keep it in the listed range and avoid swings, and skip copper-based medications, which are toxic to shrimp. Feed sparingly with shrimp pellets, blanched vegetables, and the biofilm in a mature tank. Keep them away from fish big enough to eat the babies.

In the wild

Green jade shrimp are a selectively bred color form of Neocaridina davidi, a shrimp from streams and ponds in Taiwan and nearby. Wild Neocaridina live among plants, leaf litter, and rocks in slightly hard, near-neutral water. They are very adaptable on temperature, fine from around 15 up to 29 C, and do well in pH from 6.5 to 8. A planted tank with moss and biofilm suits them.

Good to know

This is a dwarf shrimp in the family Atyidae. Adults reach about 4 cm. The jade green color is a line-bred trait, not a wild pattern. Females carry fertilized eggs under the tail until they hatch into fully formed miniature shrimp, with no free-swimming larval stage in fresh water, which is why they breed so readily.

Did you know

Because they breed true to color, a stable colony keeps throwing green offspring generation after generation. Mix two different color forms of Neocaridina, though, and the babies tend to revert toward the plain wild brown over a few generations.