Blue Velvet Shrimp (Neocaridina davidi)

The Blue Velvet Shrimp (Neocaridina davidi) is the blue color line of the same easy dwarf shrimp as the Cherry, bred for a deep, rich blue with a soft velvet sheen. It is hardy, peaceful and always busy, picking over plants, wood and glass for biofilm and algae, cleaning up leftover food, and breeding readily in a stable tank. Females show the deepest blue, while males stay slimmer and lighter. Browse the rest of our freshwater invertebrates and live aquarium plants to build a shrimp tank around them.

Care Guide

• Mature tank first: add shrimp only to a fully cycled tank that has been running for several weeks. Established tanks carry the biofilm shrimp graze on, and brand new tanks often do not.
• Acclimate slowly: drip acclimate over an hour or more. Blue Velvets tolerate a wide range of water but not sudden swings in temperature, pH or hardness.
• Keep a group: start with 10 or more for a good mix of males and females and a colony that keeps growing.
• Minerals matter: shrimp need some hardness to molt cleanly. Aim for 6 to 12 dGH. If you use RO or very soft tap water, remineralize with Seachem Equilibrium.
• No copper: copper kills shrimp. Many fish medications and some plant fertilizers contain it, so read every label, and treat sick fish in a separate tank.
• Deeper blue: a dark substrate such as Fluval Plant & Shrimp Stratum, plenty of plants and a varied diet bring out the strongest color. Stressed or newly moved shrimp often look pale for a few days, then color back up.
• Filter intake: use a sponge filter or cover the intake with a sponge so shrimplets are not pulled in.
• Feed lightly: a small pinch once a day or every other day. Remove leftovers after a couple of hours.

Specifications

Compatibility

Blue Velvet Shrimp are completely peaceful and never bother fish, snails or plants. What matters is whether the tank mates will eat them.

• Great with: Amano Shrimp, nerite snails such as the Tiger/Zebra Nerite and Batman Nerite, and Otocinclus.
• Good with some losses: nano fish like Micro Tiger Rasboras and Ember Tetras leave adults alone but will eat some shrimplets. Heavy moss and plant cover keeps the colony growing.
• Other Neocaridina colors: Cherry Shrimp, Blue Diamond and Rili Shrimp are the same species and will crossbreed with Blue Velvets. They live together fine, but mixed offspring lose their color over generations, so keep each color in its own tank if you want them to breed true.
• Avoid: cichlids, angelfish, gouramis, goldfish, loaches, and any fish big enough to swallow a 1 inch shrimp. Bettas are hit or miss and often hunt shrimp.

Recommended Foods & Supplies

• Hikari Shrimp Cuisine sinking staple sized for dwarf shrimp
• Seachem NutriDiet Shrimp Flakes to rotate in for variety and color
• Java Moss nursery cover for shrimplets and a biofilm farm
• Fluval Plant & Shrimp Stratum dark substrate that makes blue shrimp pop
• Hikari Bacto-Surge Foam Filter shrimp safe filtration for breeding tanks

FAQ

What is the difference between Blue Velvet and Blue Diamond? Both are blue lines of the same shrimp. Blue Velvet tends toward a deep blue with some see-through areas, while Blue Diamond is bred for a more solid, opaque blue. Care is identical.

Why are some of mine paler than others? Males are naturally lighter and slimmer than females. Color also fades with stress, after a move or on a very light substrate, and usually returns once they settle in.

Will the babies be blue? Most will be. Like every color line, a colony throws some lighter or wild-colored babies, so remove those over time if you want the blue to stay strong.

How many should I buy? Start with 10 or more so you have both sexes and a colony that grows on its own.

Are they easy to breed? Yes. Females carry eggs under the tail for about a month, and the babies hatch as tiny fully formed shrimp. In a mature tank with moss and no shrimp eating fish, the colony takes care of itself.