Wild Shrimp

Description

Wild Shrimp

Great starter shrimp, or a shrimp where tank mates might eat some of your cleanup crew.

These Shrimps can vary in coloration but are generally brownish or a black brown

🦐 Wild Neocaridina Shrimp Care Guide

Quick Stats:

• Common Name: Neocaridina Shrimp (e.g., Cherry, Blue Dream, Yellow, Orange Sakura)

• Scientific Name: Neocaridina davidi

• Difficulty: Easy

• Temperament: Peaceful

• Lifespan: 1–2 years (sometimes longer with excellent care)

• Size: Up to 1.5 inches (3–4 cm)

---

🧪 Water Parameters:

• Temperature: 68–78°F (20–26°C)

  • (Lower end preferred for longer lifespan)

• pH: 6.5–8.0

• GH (General Hardness): 6–8 dGH

• KH (Carbonate Hardness): 3–6 dKH

• TDS (Total Dissolved Solids): 150–250 ppm

• Ammonia/Nitrite: 0 ppm (VERY sensitive)

• Nitrate: <20 ppm

Important:

• Stability matters more than hitting “perfect” numbers.

• Always cycle the tank fully before adding shrimp.

---

🏡 Tank Setup:

• Tank Size: 5 gallons minimum (10+ gallons recommended for colonies)

• Substrate: Inert sand, planted soil, or shrimp-specific substrates.

• Plants: Heavily planted tanks are ideal!

  • Mosses (like Java Moss)

  • Floating plants

  • Anubias, Bucephalandra, Java Fern

• Decor: Driftwood, rocks, shrimp hides.

• Filtration: Gentle sponge filter or pre-filter sponge over intake (they’re tiny and can get sucked in).

---

☀️ Lighting:

• Lighting Needs: Moderate (for plants)

• Notes: Shrimp don’t mind light intensity as much as plants do. More light = more biofilm = more food!

---

🍽️ Feeding:

• Diet: Omnivores and scavengers.

• Staple Foods:

  • High-quality shrimp-specific pellets or wafers

  • Blanched veggies (zucchini, spinach, carrots)

• Supplements:

  • Biofilm (they graze on it naturally)

  • Occasional protein (like tiny bits of algae wafers or fish food)

• Feeding Frequency:

  • 3–4 times per week for small portions.

  • They should be slightly hungry to keep grazing naturally.

---

🧹 Cleaning and Maintenance:

• Regular water changes (10–20% weekly).

• Always match temperature and parameters closely during water changes.

• Use dechlorinated water — they’re sensitive to chlorine and heavy metals.

• Avoid copper-based medications in shrimp tanks (copper is toxic to them!).

---

🧬 Breeding:

• Difficulty: Easy

• How it Happens:

  • Females carry eggs under their tail (“berried”) for about 3–4 weeks.

  • Tiny shrimplets hatch fully formed and immediately start grazing.

• Requirements:

  • Stable, safe water.

  • Lots of moss and hiding spots for baby shrimp.

  • No predators (even small fish might eat babies).

---

🛠️ Special Notes:

• Molting:

  • Shrimp shed their exoskeletons regularly.

  • Don’t remove molts — shrimp eat them to recycle minerals.

• Color Quality:

  • Good food, stress-free environment, and selective breeding keep their colors vibrant.

• Tankmates:

  • Best with shrimp-only tanks or peaceful nano fish like:

    • Ember Tetras

    • Otocinclus

    • Pygmy Corydoras

    • Nerite Snails

  • Avoid anything aggressive like Bettas, Guppies, or larger fish.

---

Fun Fact:
Each color morph of Neocaridina (like Blue Dream, Bloody Mary, Yellow Neon, etc.) comes from selective breeding — they’re the same species, just different “shrimp breeds”! 🦐✨