Blue Velvet Shrimp - Care Guide

Dream Blue Velvet Shrimp, which are a variant of the ever-popular Red Cherry Shrimp, are breathtakingly beautiful specimens. Their striking cerulean blue coloration adds elegance and a soothing ambiance to any aquarium set-up.

Overview

Bred from the same wild type as Sakura Red Cherry Shrimp, the Dream Blue Velvet Shrimp is a color variant of the Neocaridina davidi (formerly Neocaridina heteropoda) species. Little is known about how this variant came to be bred, but they are slowly gaining in popularity within the dwarf shrimp hobby due to their stunning coloration and ease of care. Their care requirements are very similar to Red Cherry Shrimp (the most popular type of dwarf shrimp in the aquarium hobby), and they are just as hardy and easy to breed. This makes these shrimp perfectly suitable for beginners looking to keep dwarf shrimp.

These are freshwater shrimp and can live in almost any freshwater aquarium due to their extremely adaptable nature. They are very popular for planted tanks and community tanks, and many people use them in large aquariums for waste management and algae control. They breed very quickly, forming a colony that works as a very effective cleaning crew and enhances any aquarium with their beautiful color.

Species

Neocaridina davidi (formerly Neocaridina heteropoda)

Size

These shrimp grow to a maximum size of 2 inches in length, although this will only be attained by the largest females. The most common maximum length is about 1.5 inches for females, and 1.25 inches for males.

Recommended Tank Parameters

pH level range: 6.4 to 8.0, ideal range: 6.8 to 7.5
Temperature range: 72° to 82° F
Water type: kH 0-8; gH 4-14; TDS 100-300
Notes from the owner:
- All dwarf shrimp prefer to live in tanks with live aquatic plants (such as willow moss, baby tears, green cabomba, etc). There are a few reasons for this:
  - 1. Dwarf shrimp love the cover that plants provide them
  - 2. They love to graze on the plants for algae
  - 3. Plants help keep the water clean for the shrimp
We have kept Blue Velvet Shrimp in a wide array of water parameters with great success. Though they are extremely adaptable and will thrive in a pH of 6.4 to 8, we have found that the optimum pH is between 6.8 and 7.5. Water temperature can be anywhere from 68°to 80° (Fahrenheit), but the fastest breeding occurs at about 76° F. If you plan to breed the shrimp, you will NEED to have a sponge prefilter on your filter intake to prevent the shrimp from being sucked in.
Also, nearly every species of fish will eat dwarf shrimp fry, so breeding is best accomplished in species-only tanks. They are very tolerant of hard water. We have kept them in water as hard as 20gH/400 TDS and still saw them breed incredibly fast.

Compatibility

Safe: Small, peaceful fish and invertebrates. Good choices are:

Other dwarf shrimp
Small, peaceful fish
- Asian Stone Catfish
- Bushynose Plecos
- Corydora Catfish
- Danios
- Guppies
- Hillstream Loaches
- Otocinclus (safe to keep with breeding shrimp as well)
- Ram Cichlids
- Tetras (small tetras only)
Filter Shrimp
- Vampire Shrimp
- Singapore Flower Shrimp
Snails (all types)
- Ramshorn Snails
- Mystery Snails
- Nerite Snails
- Sulawesi Snails (aka Rabbit Snails)

Unsafe: Any fish or invertebrate large and/or aggressive enough to eat a dwarf shrimp. Examples:

Angelfish
Barbs (the aggressive kinds)
Bettas
Glo Tetras
Catfish (large)
Cichlids
Crayfish (most types)
Discus
Pacu
Plecos (large)
Goldfish
Gourami

Feeding

Blue Velvet Shrimp require very little food. When we say very little, we mean that one fish flake the size of a dime every day is enough for 10 or more shrimp. Overfeeding is a common cause of death, so do not feed them more than they can eat in two hours. In established tanks where there is plenty of algae and biofilm, dwarf shrimp may not need extra food at all.

In addition to fish or shrimp flake foods and pellets, dwarf shrimp will also eat blanched vegetables (such as zucchini, carrots, and spinach), as well as algae wafers or pellets.

Warning! Avoid any food product, medication, or plant fertilizer that contains Copper of any form. Copper is toxic to invertebrates. Many commercial fish foods, medications, and plant fertilizers contain copper or more commonly copper sulfate. Always look at the ingredient list for any product going into the aquarium to ensure they are copper free.

Breeding

Blue Velvet Shrimp are VERY easy to breed. In fact, you don't have to do anything but provide the shrimp with good conditions, cover your filter intake with a pre-filter (such as a sponge), and keep them in a tank without any fish (with the exception of Otocinclus catfish - they are fine to keep with breeding shrimp). Females will carry between 30 and 50 eggs at a time in a cluster beneath their tails, and the newborn shrimp hatch as miniature versions of the adults that are immediately able to fend for themselves. However, there must be adequate algae and/or biofilm in the tank for them to feed on. In tanks lacking algae or biofilm (usually newer tanks), shrimp can be fed by crushing algae flakes before dropping them in. Within 3 months, the newborn shrimp will be sexually mature and able to breed. When properly kept, 10 shrimp can turn into 1,000 within 6-8 months.

What to Expect from Us

We generally ship young adult shrimp that are already of breeding age.

Our Blue Velvet shrimp are all a bright cerulean blue color, with no other markings or colors. Some of the younger shrimp have not reached their full potential yet and will grow into a brighter blue color as long as they are comfortable in their new environment. Lower intensity lighting and dark substrate also helps them achieve the brightest blues.

All Aquatic Arts brand plants and animals come with a 100% live arrival guarantee, plus free email support directly from the owners! All that we require is that you send us a clear, digital picture of the unopened bag of DOAs, and we will replace them free of charge.