Yellow 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: Very common
Origin: Taiwan
Family: Atyidae

Overview

Keep them in a group, the bigger the better, since a colony is more active and visible. They stay on the bottom and graze constantly over plants, wood, and substrate. They eat algae, biofilm, and leftover food, with the occasional blanched vegetable or shrimp pellet to fill gaps. They are peaceful and tiny, so house them only with small, gentle tankmates, or keep them in a species tank where the fry survive. A 20 liter tank is plenty for a starter colony.

In the wild

This is a selectively bred color form of Neocaridina davidi, a small shrimp from Taiwan and nearby East Asia that lives in streams and ponds among plants and leaf litter. It is hardy and tolerates a wide range of conditions, which is why it is such an easy starter shrimp. Give it a planted tank with hiding spots, a pH from about 6.5 to 8, and stable water. It handles anything from cool room temperature up to the high 20s C.

Good to know

It is a dwarf shrimp in the family Atyidae, reaching about 3 to 4 cm. The yellow color is a tank-bred line, not a wild pattern. Females carry their eggs under the tail and fan them until they hatch into tiny but fully formed shrimp, with no free-swimming larval stage, so breeding is easy in freshwater. Adults typically live a year or two.

Did you know

They breed without any special trigger. As long as the water is stable and there are no fish eating the babies, a healthy group will just keep producing young, since the eggs hatch straight into miniature shrimp instead of needing brackish water for larvae. A small starter group can become a full colony in a few months.