Neocaridina davidi (Neocaridina davidi)
Neocaridina davidi
19 Litres (5 US G.)
1.3-4.1cm (0.5-1.6 ")
Freshwater
7 - 8
13.9-28.9°C (57 -84 °F)
5-15 °d
1-2 years
This animal is available captive bred
Contents
Tank compatibility
Do not stock with anything that can fit the entire shrimp in its mouth. Best kept in a shrimp-only tank if breeding success is desired, as there are very few fish that will not eat newly hatched shrimplets. Compatible fishes that will not eat shrimp are Otocinclus.
Diet
Eats mostly algae, however will eat carrion and prepared fish food. Is more accurately described as an opportunistic omnivore/detrivore, meaning that it will eat most any organic matter it can find. Shrimp will also eat microfauna and biofilms that grow on the plants and glass of the aquarium, providing a wider variety of vitamins they need. If there is a light on the tank for long periods (10+ hours per day) the shrimp do not need to be fed at all as they graze on microfauna (infusoria). When they are starving they will eventually eat some softer types of algae.
Environment Specifics
Planted aquariums will be beneficial to the health of these shrimp. A heavily planted tank will allow them to hide from other fish making them feel safer.
Shrimp and all inverts are very sensitive to elemental copper. Copper compounds, in low amounts, do not hurt them. So the copper sulphate found in almost every fish food will not harm the shrimp.
Breeding
This shrimp is easy to breed. You just need a male and a female. Keep these shrimps relatively cool at 18-23°C (64.4-73.4°F) and they will breed. Females are larger and much more deeply colourfully red, males are smaller and display a clear carapace colouration with red spots.
When the female is mature (after about 3 months) she will often at times display a saddle (an internal mid section area which is light yellow or green in colour). The saddle is the eggs developing in the ovaries. It takes typically 30-45 days from pregnancy to hatching. Provide an amount of Java moss is all that is generally required to make these shrimps feel safe to breed. The female carries the eggs around with her until they hatch.The female has a bigger tail to hold the eggs.
Behaviour
Approximately once a month (depending on diet, age and environmental factors, especially water temperature), the shrimp will "molt" (that is, shed its old shell (carapace) to allow a new, slightly larger one to form). During this time, the shrimp will seek out a place to hide from any would-be predators while its new shell hardens. The empty shells should be left in the tank as the shrimp will come back and eat them to regain lost nutrients and minerals.
Availability
Several color variants of Neocaridina davidi, including red, blue, green, black, and yellow, are commonly found in aquarium stores throughout the US for around $5 each.
Pictures
- Blue dream shrimp.jpeg
