Orange Neocaridina

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: Common
Origin: Taiwan
Family: Atyidae

Overview

Keep them in a group. They're social, peaceful bottom grazers and a colony does best with at least ten to start. A tank as small as 20 liters works as long as it's cycled and stable. They handle a wide range, from around 15 up to 29 C and pH 6.5 to 8, but avoid copper, which is toxic to them. They eat biofilm, algae, and leftover food, with the occasional blanched vegetable or shrimp pellet.

In the wild

Orange Neocaridina are a selectively bred color form of a shrimp native to streams and ponds in eastern Asia. Wild Neocaridina live among plants, rocks, and leaf litter where they graze on biofilm. In the tank, give them a mature, planted setup with surfaces to forage on, like moss, wood, and rock. Stable water matters more than chasing exact numbers.

Good to know

This is Neocaridina davidi, a dwarf shrimp in the family Atyidae, reaching about 3 to 4 cm. Females are larger and rounder than males and carry eggs under the tail until they hatch. The young emerge as tiny shrimp, not larvae, so they don't need special conditions to grow. Adults typically live around one to two years.

Did you know

They breed so readily that a small colony can become a large one in a few months with no effort from you. Keep them away from their wild-type cousins and other Neocaridina colors, though. They interbreed freely, and within a couple of generations the offspring revert to a drab brown.