Yellow Shrimp

Introduction To Yellow Shrimp

The Yellow shrimp is a robust creature that can adapt to a wide range of water parameters. It is best-known to survive in both soft and hard water. The pH of the water can range from 6.0 (acidic) to 8.0 (alkaline). Like several other Neocaridina species, Yellow Shrimp are relatively easy to keep and also to breed. They live for around 1 to 2 years and do well in temperatures between 72-80 degrees Fahrenheit.

Although they can be easily kept in a wide range of pH levels and temperatures, they are not as likely to breed when they are kept outside their comfort zones. Yellow Shrimp get to be approximately 1″ in size when fully grown. As with any other freshwater invertebrate, it is very essential to keep their water clean.

• English Name: Yellow Shrimp, Yellow Cherry Shrimp
• Scientific Name: Neocaridina Heteropoda var “yellow”
• Origin: Selectively Bred
• Size: 1″ to 1.3″ (2.54 – 3.3 cm)
• Water Temperature: 72 -82F
• Water Parameters: pH 6.5 – 7.5
• Breeding Rate: Very High
• Behavior: Non-aggressive
• Difficulty: Easy

The Yellow Shrimp’s Background

Yellow Shrimp are another color morph of Neocaridina Heteropoda that began appearing in the hobby between 2006 and 2007. Like other Neocaridina Heteropoda color variants, they are a great starter shrimp due to their attractive color, hardiness and prolific breeding rate. It is thought that the yellow color was selectively bred from the wild Neocaridina Heteropoda, a native of Southern Asia. The yellow coloring does not come about in the wild.

The Yellow Shrimp is a reasonably recent color variation of the wild Neocaridina heteropoda. This color variation was primitively bred in Germany and began to appear in the Freshwater Aquarium Shrimp hobby in the early 2000’s.

Appearance Of Yellow Shrimp

Yellow Shrimp range in color from bright yellow to pale yellow. When fully grown, the exoskeleton turns really opaque, making the shrimp appear strikingly yellow. Adult females are usually the most colorful and the males the least colorful. Numerous neocaridina species females will at times have a lucent stripe on their back.

Grading and Variations

Yellow shrimp follow the same grading guide as that of the Red Cherry shrimp: Sakura, Cherry and Fire. The Cherry grade is fully transparent with specks of the yellow across its body. The Sakura is a more translucent yellow, encompassing only minor lines of dots of clear through its carapace. The Fire is completely yellow and has no obvious lines placed anywhere on its body. Painted Fire is referred to as Fire grades that are totally opaque, and its eggs and saddles are only visible when perceived through high lighting.

Breeding Yellow Shrimp

Breeding or sexing the Yellow Shrimp is quite easy. Females are simple to identify as they are bigger than the males, have a much darker yellow color, and also have a curved underbelly. You can also differentiate a female from a male since a female Yellow Shrimp will often have a saddle, if not eggs. Females might also have a stripe along their back which males surely will not have.

Eating Habits of Yellow Shrimp

The Neocaridina Heteropoda (var. yellow) will eat anything from zucchini, blanched spinach, algae wafers, fish flakes, bloodworms, shrimp pellets, and many more. Feeding is the best done once a day. It is always sensible to only feed an amount of food that the shrimp can finish inside 2-3 hours maximum. It is not a good idea to overfeed and have food sitting for too long. Overfeeding is an illustrious cause of death and can also cause stern water quality issues.

Always remember that the shrimp are scavengers in the wild. They will eat whatever they will find and are not used to an invariant food source 24/7. Not feeding them for one or two days is okay and will certainly not harm this species.

Availability

Yellow shrimp won’t typically be found in local fish or large pet stores. They are usually bred by hobbyists and sold through private sellers. The prices on Yellow shrimp typically fall around the $2-5 mark depending on the quality and grade of the shrimp.

Yellow Shrimp For Sale

Here is a list of a few online stores where Yellow shrimp are for sale: