Blue Velvet Shrimp – Care Guide

Have you ever come across a blue velvet shrimp?

The Blue Velvet Shrimp is a blue coloration mutation of the Cherry Shrimp. It is one of the most popular crustaceans among freshwater aquarium owners. This shrimp is a freshwater shrimp species with a stunning appearance. When you first review their brilliant deep blue color, it almost appears to be false.

As a result, a sizable percentage of aquarists want one for their home aquarium. While they may not be as well-known as some other freshwater shrimp, they are certainly not forgotten! However, they are more than their blue color. These shrimps are simple to maintain and use for your entire aquarium.

This dwarf shrimp, like many others, are helpful plants tank cleaners. They’re like little live-in janitors who clean off any algae or biofilm that has formed on your plants. Continue reading if you need to know everything there is to review about these tiny blue velvet shrimp.

What is a Blue Velvet Shrimp?

The Blue Dream Shrimp, sometimes known as the Blue Velvet Shrimp, is a color mutation of the Cherry Shrimp (Neocaridina davidi). They are native to Taiwan and belong to the Atyidae family of freshwater shrimp. This review color, however, has not arrived in nature.

Neocaridina davidi is distinguished by its deep blue color. It is the result of the careful breeding of blue velvet shrimp. On the shrimp’s body, the color reviews as per how much blue there is compared to black. The most typical review of Blue Velvet Shrimp is as an algae remover. They may be kept in tanks as little as 5 gallons with nano fish.

They grow to be about 2 inches long when fully grown, and they only live for 1-2 years. They’re hard to come by in a chain pet store because this blue color is so unique.

Key Facts:

Experience Required: Freshwater aquariums

Shrimp Scientific Name: Neocaridina davidi

Family Name: Atyidae

Other Names: Dream Blue Velvet Shrimp, Blue Dwarf Shrimp, Blue Cherry Shrimp

Color Forms: 4 different grades of blue

Size: 1.5 inch to 2 inch

Lifespan: 1-2 years

Tank Size: 5+ gallons

Tank Temperature: 65-85°F

Blue Velvet Shrimp – History

When first described in 1918, the scientific name for the cherry shrimp was Neocaridina denticulata Sinensis. A blue color morph did not exist at the time. Review through the twentieth century, the species was widely investigated in its natural habitat, at a time when freshwater fish from Southeast Asia was a hot issue in the field of marine biology.

While they were first seen outside of their native habitat in 1991, they were first imported to the aquarium trade in 2003. The Blue Velvet Shrimp is a unique ornamental color morph that first appeared in 2003. They are exclusively found in captivity and are the result of the selective breeding review. The blue shrimp is not as prevalent as the natural red cherry shrimp or orange color morphs due to the difficulty of isolating the genes responsible for the color.

Blue Velvet Shrimp – Appearance

The color of this magnificent shrimp is the first thing you review about them. Other unique color morphs of the Cherry Shrimp include green, yellow, orange, and blue. There is, however, a lot more to them than meets the eye. They are members of the Decapoda order, which includes all shrimp. This means they have five pairs of legs.

Crustaceans have a cephalothorax, which is a combined head and thorax protected by a carapace. This is tied to their five pairs of walking legs. Their abdomen is divided into five sections, each with a couple of swimming legs (or swimmerets).

The first pair of legs, the chelipeds, have little pincers. Because this tiny shrimp does not pinch much, its chelipeds are usually employed to grip food. Then there are their swimming legs (or pleopods), which let them navigate through the water. The rearmost pleopods help to carry eggs during copulation. Their telson (or tail) aids in balance when swimming, and the shrimp’s fan-shaped uropod at the end assists them to float backward and forwards.

The shrimp have two long antennae on their heads to sense movement and vibration in the substrate. Two short antennules are present next to them, which helps to detect changes in salinity and pressure. On the ends of two eyestalks are their beady black eyes. They aren’t blind, and they can perceive colors and patterns that other sea creatures can’t.

The exoskeleton is the hard outer shell. They will shed their old exoskeleton multiple times as they grow and develop into a new one. Adult shrimp can grow up to 2 inches in length, although most stay about 1.5 inches. The difference between males and females is discernible. Female has a bright hue and is more significant and rounder in shape than male.

Grades

Although this shrimp is only available in one color, there are four different color classes. Here is a list of the color grading system:

Low Grade: These shrimp have big black scars all over their heads, indicating low grade. The blue tint seems translucent in certain places, and some low review shrimp is more black than blue.

Middle Grade: Middle-grade shrimp have a large black area over their head and a mix of opaque and translucent blue hues.

Medium/High Grade: They have a faded blackhead spot over a fully opaque blue body, and they are the second-highest review.

High Grade: They have a solid blue body with no black or translucent patches, making them the most popular shrimp.

Blue Velvet Shrimp – Behavior & Temperament

When it comes to the behavior of Blue Velvet Shrimp, there isn’t much to say! The review says shrimps are peaceful creatures who spend their time scavenging. This is why they are helpful algae feeders. Whatever else is occurring in the tank or which other species you keep them with (provided they’re compatible), these tiny dwarf shrimp will always try to clean it.

It’s entertaining to see! They can be found under a rock, on a plant, in the middle of the substrate, and just about everywhere else. And their brilliant blue hue makes them stick out! Due to their calm demeanor, finding tank mates is a breeze for them (more on that below). Like the majority of shrimp, they like to go about their business and leave the other species alone.

Dream Blue Velvet Shrimp – Care Guide

Tank Guide

The Blue Velvet Shrimp care is pretty simple. These dwarf shrimp are low-maintenance and don’t necessitate any extra care from their owners. That said, you can’t just toss them in any freshwater tank and go about your business. For this blue shrimp to survive, review water parameters and circumstances must be satisfied.

Tank Size

Blue Velvet Shrimp requires a minimum tank size of 5-10 gallons. If possible, we recommend using several ten because it will allow you to review them with a more elaborate habitat and keep more consistency in terms of water parameters. Naturally, if you have a larger freshwater tank, that’s also acceptable! This will allow you to pair them with more tank mates, resulting in a more diversified filter ecology.

Water Parameters

One of the reasons the blue velvet shrimp associates program so well for novices is that they are one of the least sensitive dwarf shrimp varieties (or anyone looking for a more low-maintenance shrimp project). As per the review, the tank should constantly be thoroughly cycled, but this species isn’t particularly demanding. Keep things stable and review using a liquid test kit regularly to ensure that all water values are still correct.

Blue velvet shrimp can usually endure a wide variety of temperatures without the use of a heater. It’s OK at room temperature. Consider installing a heater if the temperature is prone to fluctuation, as these shrimps are resilient but require consistent conditions.

pH: 6.2-8

Temperature: 65-85 °F

GH: 4-8

KH 0: 3-15

Total Dissolved Solids: 150-250

Tank Accessories

A thickly plants grown Blue Velvet Shrimp tank is an important care requirement. This is how they are accustomed to living in their natural wild environment. It will be helpful in the preservation of excellent water quality.

Plants are also an excellent source of sustenance for these peaceful shrimp blue velvet. Biofilm and algae that form on plants and any organic debris that falls off are their favorite food. Java Moss is a popular diet option that works well. Plants will also be used as filters by this dwarf shrimp to conceal. This may appear amusing, given that this species is brilliant blue, but they’re trying!

Boulders and driftwood are also beautiful options if you want to encourage a moderate amount of algae development. These provide healthy surfaces for algae and biofilm to grow on, which the Blue Velvet may consume.

When it comes to the type of substrate you use for these shrimps, you have many options. While they favor rocky bottoms, they will acclimatize to other surfaces like sand if necessary. You can make this selection based on the demands of their tank mates.

Because Blue Velvet Shrimp don’t require special illumination, you can organize your aquarium around the plants and other species they’ll be sharing it with. Review that your filter intake isn’t too strong. These tiny shrimps are prone to be sucked up!

 

Tanks Mates

Finding tanks mate for Blue Velvet Shrimp isn’t a problem for them because of their calm temperament. Instead, you’re on the lookout for creatures who won’t eat them!

Small, tranquil fish and invertebrates are safe for velvet shrimp blue tanks mate. These are some excellent options:

• Small, peaceful fish
  • Asian Stone Catfish
  • Bushynose Plecos
  • Corydoras Catfish
  • Danios
  • Guppies
  • Hillstream Loaches
  • Otocinclus (safe to keep with breeding shrimp as well)
  • Ram Cichlids
  • Tetras (small tetras only)
• Filter Shrimp
  • Vampire Shrimp
  • Singapore Flower Shrimp
• Snails (all types)
  • Ramshorn Snails
  • Mystery Snails
  • Nerite Snails
  • Sulawesi Snails (aka Rabbit Snails)

Tanks Unsafe Mate: Any vast and aggressive fish or invertebrate that can consume a dwarf shrimp. 

Examples:

• Angelfish
• Barbs (the aggressive kinds)
• Bettas
• Glo Tetras
• Catfish (large)
• Cichlids
• Crayfish (most types)
• Discus
• Pacu
• Plecos (large) 
• Goldfish
• Gourami

Food Guide

Food and Diet

Blue Velvet Shrimp have a relatively simple diet. These creatures are omnivorous scavengers who spend their time searching for foods like algae and whatever other organic stuff they can find (like biofilm).

By simply maintaining them in a well-designed tank, they can naturally meet a large percentage of their nutrition diet. They’ll have plenty of foods if there’s plenty of plant life and surfaces for algae and biofilm to grow on.

However, this does not imply that you can be entirely hands-off. It’s still necessary to supplement their nutrition in some way. Standard plant-based fish flakes are an excellent choice for them, as it will review that these shrimps are well-nourished.

Here are some items that your shrimp can diet on:

• Algae
• Microbes and biofilm
• Detritus
• Shrimp flakes
• Spirulina (powder)
• Algae flakes and pellets (powder)
• Broccoli
• Spinach
• Zucchini
• Cucumber
• Lettuce

The ideal condition is when your tank supplies enough food for your Blue Velvet Shrimp to eat regularly. Then, to round things up, you add some flakes and veggies regularly. This is a low-maintenance feeding strategy that will maintain them in good health.

Blue Velvet Shrimp – Diseases

Blue Velvet Shrimp are demanding when it comes to illness and disease. As long as their basic needs are addressed, these species can often get along quite fine.

However, there are a few things to keep a review on:

The Blue Velvet shrimp, like other shrimp, do not mix well with copper. Copper traces in your water can (and almost certainly will) be fatal.

This implies that before introducing them to a new tank, you should always do a water review test. This is one of the most typical blunders of young business owners, and the consequences may be disastrous.

You’ll probably have to shift the shrimp to a new tank if you need to add medication to your aquarium. Because most fish treatments contain considerable amounts of copper, you’ll be killing your shrimp at the same time you’re treating your fish.

Bringing Blue Velvet Shrimp into well-established, well-tested aquariums is always the best option!

Blue Velvet Shrimp – Breeding

Blue velvet shrimp reproduce quickly and are an excellent first-bred endeavor. Breeding blue velvet shrimp requires fewer care requirements like foods and filters. Make sure to review for fewer males (more minor, less intense coloring) and females (bigger, brighter blue), then slowly introduce them to the tank and let them breed.

All you have to do is put the mating pair in a breeding tank without any fish (they might eat the eggs) and follow the water parameters indicated. To stimulate breeding, you don’t need to change any of the parameters. After that, you may relax and let the breed process unfold! Once they’ve married, the female will carry the eggs below her tail and breed them.

Females should start carrying yellow/greenish egg clusters between their rear legs soon (swimmerets). After around 30 days, these bred into tiny young shrimp. The fry can be placed in the main tank and will begin reproducing and multiplying.

After that, your only responsibility is to make sure the breeding tank has enough algae and biofilm for the neonates to eat. Although you can supplement with algae tablets, this will be their primary source of nutrition if necessary. The neonates will be fully grown and ready to breed in about 90 days!

Some blue velvets are ‘better grade’ than others, as with most shrimp. This does not imply that they are healthier or better; instead, their hue is more vibrant. Virtually translucent specimens are given the lowest grade. However, it can be selectively bred to generate higher-quality healthy breeds in the future.

Blue Velvet Shrimp – Purchase

If you want to build your own fine blue velvet shrimp colony, keep in mind that there are several different types of blue velvet shrimp. This dwarf shrimp is more likely to be found through aquarium supplies and online sellers, and you should expect to pay $6-$8 per shrimp. For this breed purchase, ask for a sponge package. There are blue pearls, blue jellies, blue dreams.

Local fish merchants that don’t specialize in shipping shrimp in sponges may inadvertently mislabel them. If you don’t mind taking a chance of a wild package without a sponge, it’s not a big deal. However, if you want to be specific, buy from a specialized (online) business or at the very least ship from an experienced hobbyist.

Bottom Line

Now that you’ve mastered the art of caring for Blue Velvet Shrimp, it’s time to get some for yourself. These shrimps’ care requirements are easy and a lot of fun to watch. That gorgeous vivid wild blue will never get old! As a new customer, neocaridina shrimp are easy to care for.

If you decide to buy this shrimp, make sure you buy them from a reputable source. This will ensure that you obtain a happy, healthy, quality shrimp that will live to its full potential.

Frequently Asked Questions About Blue Velvet Shrimp