Shrimping 101: Care for Neocaridina Shrimp 🦐
Neocaridina Shrimp Are Great for Beginners!
They’re hardy, tolerant of a range of water conditions, come in many vibrant color variations, and often reproduce easily.
They can thrive in small tanks and are often kept in beautiful nano planted tanks.
What You Need:
Tank— They don't need a lot, we recommend a minimum 5 gallon tank for beginners.
Substrate — Use an inert substrate (like neutral gravel or sand) or aqua soil if you plan on adding plants. (Tip: If you are keeping low light, easy plants, you don't need the soil!)
Filter — A sponge filter or small HOB with a sponge, mesh or guard over the intake.
Heater— A heater isn't required if your room stays stable, but you may need a small heater plus thermometer to keep temp 65-78'F
Lighting (for planted tanks) — A light that supports plant growth helps, and promotes biofilm and algae for shrimp to eat.
Water conditioner / dechlorinator — If you’re using tap water, treating it is essential to neutralize chlorine/chloramine.
Décor: Live plants & hardscape — Live plants (like moss), driftwood, stones, catappa leaves or other hardscape give shrimp places to hide, forage, and graze on biofilm.
Water test kit — You should at least test for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, and pH to monitor water quality.
Water Parameters & Tank Conditioning
One of the most important steps when keeping Neocaridina shrimp is making sure the water parameters are appropriate and stable.
GH (general hardness): 9–11
KH (carbonate hardness) 4–6
pH: 6.5–7.6.
Make sure the aquarium is fully cycled (i.e. nitrogen cycle completed) before you add shrimp. Never put shrimp into a brand-new tank — they’re particularly sensitive to ammonia and nitrite.
Keep nitrate levels low, shrimp are more sensitive than fish to water quality.
Stability is important! Avoid large water changes or alterations that may shift pH, hardness, or temperature.
Cycling usually takes 2-14 days. Letting the tank run allows biofilm to grow and parameters to stabilize before adding the shrimp.
Feeding & Maintenance
Neocaridina are omnivorous scavengers: they’ll eat biofilm, algae, detritus, and shrimp pellet food.
Provide supplemental shrimp food sparingly. Overfeeding leads to waste, water pollution, and stress.
Perform regular water changes, 10-20% weekly or bi-weekly.
Monitor water parameters (ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, pH) regularly.
Use algae scrapers or sponges to keep the glass clean. Never use cleaning chemicals in or around a shrimp tank.
Common Mistakes
Introducing shrimp too early — never add shrimp before the tank is fully cycled and mature. no ammonia, no nitrite, small amounts of nitrate under 10 ppm.
Overfeeding — leftover food decomposes and pollutes the water; shrimp don’t need large feedings if biofilm and detritus are present.
Ignoring filtration/intake protections — strong filters without intake guards can suck up shrimp or shrimp babies.
Bad tankmates — many fish will eat shrimp if shrimp fit in their mouth; for best results, consider a shrimp-only tank or very peaceful nano fish.
Remember: stability is key. By giving your shrimp stable water parameters, a mature environment, safe filtration, and regular, gentle maintenance — you'll set the stage for healthy shrimp that often breed and thrive on their own.