page_title: Neocaridina davidi
section_title: Breeding
hierarchical_section_title: Neocaridina davidi / Breeding
caption_attribution_description: English: 2-days-old Neocaridina davidi (red morph) shrimplet ( ~1mm in length)
context_page_description: Neocaridina davidi is a freshwater shrimp from Taiwan which is commonly kept in aquaria. The natural coloration of the shrimp is green-brown. There are a wide range of colors such as red, yellow, orange, green, blue, violet, black, etc., however, the red morph is more frequently sold. The density of coloration on adult shrimp, dependent on breeding, determines their sale price and "quality". This "quality" is purely aesthetic, as the size, behavior and other characteristics of the animal is more or less equal across varieties. Full-grown shrimp reach about 4 centimetres long. They prefer clean water, with a pH of 6.5-8, and a temperature of 14–29 °C They are most comfortable at 22 °C. N. davidi shrimp are omnivores that may live 1–2 years. These shrimp have previously been classified as Neocaridina heteropoda and Neocaridina denticulata sinensis, however are now known as Neocaridina davidi which is based on the oldest known published description of the species.
context_section_description: N. davidi shrimp reach sexual maturity when they are around 4–6 months old. Breeding only requires a sexed pair of shrimp, stable water parameters, and a food source. Eggs may be observed developing in the female's ovaries as a green or yellow triangular "saddle" marking on her back. When she is ready to lay the eggs, which occurs after molting, she releases pheromones into the water to signal her availability to males. The male shrimp in the tank will often become agitated, swimming very actively about as they search for the source of the pheromones. After a brief mating process, during which the male deposits sperm onto the female's body, the female lays her eggs and affixes them to her swimmerettes. The eggs are not fertilized within the female; they are fertilized as they pass from the ovaries to the outside of the body. Therefore, it is certain that any shrimp carrying eggs has mated. A female carrying eggs under her abdomen is said to be "berried".
  Some report that young female shrimp carrying their first clutch of eggs tend to drop some or all of the eggs, possibly due to inexperience or small size. If a berried shrimp is stressed by predators or poor water conditions she may also abandon the eggs.
  They have 20–30 eggs, which take 2–3 weeks to hatch. The eggs are green or yellow, depending on the color of the saddle. They turn darker and darker until the young shrimp hatch after about three weeks. As the eggs near the end stages of growth, tiny dark eye spots of the developing shrimp within can be observed. When the young hatch, they are tiny (~1 mm) copies of the adults. They have no planktonic larval stage. They spend their first few days of life hiding among plants or stones, where they are almost invisible, nibbling on the biofilm on the plants. They then emerge and graze on algae on tank surfaces and ornaments.
  Female shrimp, under ideal conditions, can breed again within a few days of hatching the previous clutch.
caption: 2-days-old Neocaridina davidi (red morph) shrimplet ( ~1mm in length)
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