Yellow Shrimp

English name: Yellow shrimp
Scientific name: Neocaridina heteropoda var. "yellow"
Origin: Selectively bred from the same wild type as the Red Cherry Shrimp. Selective breeding of the yellow morph first took place in Japan.
Size: 1 in / 1.2 in (male/female) 2.5 cm / 3 cm
Water temperature: 72 – 82 °F / 22 – 28 °C
Recommended pH range: 6.5 - 7.5
Behaviour: non-aggressive
Difficulty: easy
Breeding rate: very high

Introduction to Yellow Shrimp

The yellow colour morph of the species Neocaridina heteropoda is one of few yellow shrimps currently found in the aquarium trade. It is a selectively bred from the same wild type as the Red Cherry Shrimp and its origin lies in Japan. It appeared on the market in the early 2000s and is now a much appreciated shrimp due to its distinctive colour.

Geographical origin and habitat

Neocaridina heteropoda var. "yellow" hails from the wild Neocaridina heteropoda which lives in China (and possibly also other parts of Asia).

Physical appearance

As the name suggests, the Yellow shrimp has a yellow coloration. When fully grown, the exoskeleton becomes really opaque making the shrimp look strikingly yellow. 

Keeping Yellow Shrimp

The Yellow shrimp is a sturdy creature that can adapt to a wide range of water parameters. It is known to survive in both hard and soft water and the pH-value can be from 6.0 (acidic) to 8.0 (alkaline). The water temperature should be kept in the 72-84 °F / 22-28 °C range. To avoid chock, let any changes in water parameters be slow and gradual. The Yellow shrimp can be kept in a species tank or be combined with other creatures as long as they won’t consider the shrimp prey.
Keep the levels of soluble waste down in the tank to avoid poor health. If you have water quality trouble, it is okay to let the shrimps go without food for a few days while you get the parameters in check.  

Feeding Yellow Shrimp

The Yellow shrimp is not a picky eater in the aquarium and will happily devour a long row of different food types. You can for instance give your shrimps bloodworms and pellets combined with algae wafers and blanched lettuce and zucchini. Keeping your shrimps on a varied diet that contains several types of food will decrease the risk of nutritional deficiencies.

If there is food left in the tank 2-3 hours after feeding, you are giving your shrimp too much food or they are too shy to come out and look for food. Give them more hiding spots, feed when the aquarium is dark, and/or cut down on food, depending on the reason behind the situation.

Sexing and breeding Yellow Shrimp

Sexing Yellow shrimp is not very tricky, because the female is normally larger than the male, her colouration is darker, and she has a curved underbelly. Some females are also decorated with a stripe along the back. In adult females you can usually also spot a saddle, sometimes even with eggs attached to it.

If you keep healthy Yellow shrimp in a suitable environment, they will usually reproduce without any special coaxing and they can be extremely prolific. The female can carry over 25 eggs per batch. When hatching is just a few days away, you will be able to see the eyes of the youngsters through the shells of the eggs. The emergence of a new saddle (for carrying eggs) in a female shrimp already carrying fertilized eggs is another sure sign of imminent hatching.