If you're on the quest for a place of color that will actually stands out against green plant life, the bloody mary neocaridina is definitely probably the best choice. I've kept various shrimp over the many years, but there's something in regards to the deep, clear red of these types of guys which makes a standard cherry shrimp look a bit pale by comparison. They're hardy, they will breed like crazy once they're settled, and honestly, they're simply fun to view because they buzz round the tank looking for snacks.
Why these shrimp are different from cherries
Most people get a bit puzzled when they very first learn about these. You might think the red shrimp is just a red shrimp, best? Well, not exactly. Standard Red Cherry Shrimp have their color in their shells. If you look closely in a high-grade cherry, it appears like it's wearing a thick coat of red paint.
The bloody mary neocaridina , however, actually has crimson tissue. Their shells are more transparent, so you're seeing the color from the particular inside out. This gives them a much deeper, nearly "glowy" look that's hard to duplicate. Since the color is usually in the flesh, they don't get those splotchy or clear patches as easily as some additional lines do. In the event that you've ever observed a shrimp that will looks like a tiny piece of ruby moving through the water, it was possibly one of these.
Another awesome thing is their own rostrum—the little "nose" part of the shrimp. Upon a bloody mary, it's usually smaller than what you'd see on the common cherry. It's a small detail, yet it's one of those stuff that shrimp nerds (like me) use to tell if they're having the real deal or even just a high-grade painted fire red.
Setting up the perfect home
You don't need a massive setup for these guys. I've noticed people keep all of them in 2-gallon jars, though I wouldn't recommend that if you're just starting out. A 5 or 10-gallon tank could be the sweet spot. It's small enough to suit on the desk but huge enough that the water chemistry doesn't go haywire the second you look at it funny.
For base, I always tell people to go dark. If you put bloody mary neocaridina on light-colored sand, they can look a bit washed out. Yet put them on black sand or even a dark active soil, and that red just pops. It's a night-and-day difference. Plus, shrimp feel a lot safer on dark surfaces, so that they are likely to show their best colors when they will aren't stressed away by a bright white ground.
Plants are non-negotiable inside my publication. You want moss—lots of it. Java moss, Christmas moss, anything you can get your hands on. Moss provides a huge surface region for biofilm in order to grow, which will be the main food supply for baby shrimp. It also gives all of them a location to hide when they've simply molted and their own new shells are still soft. Throw in some driftwood and maybe some Indian Almond leaves, and you've got a shrimp paradise.
Water parameters and persistence
The excellent thing about Neocaridina is that these people aren't nearly simply because picky as their cousins, the Caridina (like Crystal Reds). These people can handle quite a wide range associated with parameters, but the key is stability. They hate sudden changes.
Ideally, you're looking at the temperature between 70°F and 75°F. They can survive in warmer or cooler water, but they appear happiest and live longest in that will range. For ph level, anywhere from 6. 8 to 7. 8 is generally fine. I've kept mine in somewhat harder tap water with a pH of 7. five, and they've flourished.
The almost all important thing to watch is your GH (general hardness) and KH (carbonate hardness). Shrimp need minerals to develop their shells. When the water is as well soft, they'll have trouble molting, which often leads to the particular "white ring associated with death"—a gap behind the head where the shell failed to split properly. When you're using RO water, make certain you're remineralizing this. If you're making use of tap water, make absolutely certain you use the good dechlorinator to get rid of chlorine and heavy metals.
What do they have?
One of the best components about having bloody mary neocaridina is that they will are basically the tiny, adorable cleansing crew. They invest almost every waking second picking at algae and biofilm on your plants and glass.
That said, you should still feed them a dedicated shrimp food a few times per week. I actually like to move between high-quality pellets and blanched veggies. If you've by no means seen a group of shrimp swarm a piece of blanched zucchini or even spinach, you're missing out. It's like a tiny mosh pit.
You need to be careful not in order to overfeed. This will be the biggest error new shrimp owners make. Leftover foods will rot, spike your ammonia, plus kill your nest faster than you are able to say "shrimp scampi. " If they will haven't finished the particular food in two or three hrs, take it out. A starving shrimp is the healthy shrimp.
Breeding and keeping the line "bloody"
If a person make them happy, they can breed. It's not really a matter associated with when , but when . You'll start seeing females with a "saddle"—an orange or yellowish patch behind their heads, which are actually unfertilized eggs. After they will molt and lover, those eggs move down to their pleopods (swimmerets) under their own tails. We call this being "berried. "
About 30 days later, you'll have tiny, microscopic versions of the parents running around. Today, here's the catch: even with the high-quality bloody mary neocaridina nest, not every child will be a knockout. Some might come out a little light or even brownish.
To maintain your colony looking its best, you have to do something called culling. This just indicates moving the less-colorful shrimp to a different tank so that they don't breed and dilute the genetics of your main colony. You don't need to get rid associated with them—I usually have the "cull tank" which is just a mixed bag associated with random shrimp—but if you want that will deep, bloody crimson to stay consistent over generations, you've got to be the little picky regarding who stays within the main tank.
Common problems to avoid
I've made plenty associated with mistakes using these men, so you don't have to. The biggest one? Water piping. Copper is dangerous to invertebrates. In the event that you use a plant fertilizer or a fish medicine that contains copper mineral, it's game over for your shrimp. Always double-check the particular labels.
Another thing is the particular filter. If you're utilizing a standard hang-on-back filter, those intake vents are essentially a vacuum for infant shrimp. Use the sponge filter or at least put a pre-filter cloth or sponge on the intake. It's heartbreaking to clear out your filtration system and find the dozen tiny shrimp that didn't create it.
Finally, don't rush the particular acclimation process. If you bring your bloody mary neocaridina home, use the drip acclimation kit. Slowly adding your tank water to their shipping bag over a couple of hours assists them adjust to the difference in TDS (total dissolved solids) and pH. It's the difference between a shrimp that thrives and a single that dies through shock 24 hours afterwards.
Final thoughts on these red gems
All in all, these types of shrimp are just satisfying to keep. These people aren't high-maintenance divas, but they perform need you to pay attention to the little things. If you give them clear water, some moss to hide in, and maintain the real estate agent away, they'll reward you with a stunning display of color that really provides a tank to life. Whether you're a pro or simply starting your very first nano tank, you can't go incorrect with a colony of these serious red gems. Just be prepared—once you start keeping all of them, you'll probably end up staring at your own tank for method longer than a person planned.