Ovigerous female. The grayish eggs are barely visible.
|
Common Name: |
|
|
Scientific Name: |
Neocaridina sp. |
|
Size: |
2.5-3.5cm |
|
Temperature: |
wide range, but best kept at 70°F-80°F |
|
Water Parameters: |
Can live under conditions that are soft and slightly acidic (ph 6.6-7.0) to very hard and alkaline (ph 7.0-8.4 and above). Very adaptable shrimp. Is most productive and does best in soft to medium hard water with a ph in the alkaline range. Might not reproduce at all in water that is too acidic. |
|
Food: |
Algae, fish food (flake, pellets etc) |
|
Origin: |
Southern China |
|
Larval Development Type: |
Completely Suppressed: Larvae assume a benthic lifestyle after hatching, i.e. they are miniature versions of the adults. There is no planktonic larval stage. |
This shrimp is the wild variety of the Snowball Shrimp. The females have a grayish coloration, which can range in intensity from very light grey to an extremely dark, almost black gray. Some individuals also have a whitish-cream stripe on their backs (as in the picture above). The males are also gray but usually less so than them females. However, they are not almost see-through like the males of their cousins the Red Cherry Shrimp. Although the Snowball Shrimp was developed from this wild variety, this shrimp is still very rare even in Germany (where the Snowball Shrimp mutation occured) and virtually non-existent elsewhere. It should, however, become more widespread with time as it will breed just as easily as the Red Cherry Shrimp if given the right conditions. Like the Red Cherry Shrimp, these animals display a wide range of temperature tolerance, which can range from the 40s to the 90s.
Due to the fact that it is a Neocaridina species, it will most likely hybridize with the Red Cherry shrimp and other Neocaridina species.
Copyright © 2004-2005 Petshrimp.com