Berried shrimp and breeding

The short answer

Neocaridina breed readily in stable water and are the easy place to start. Caridina breed too, but they are slower and less forgiving of water swings. Amano shrimp are the exception: they will not complete their life cycle in a freshwater tank.

Step by step

1. Recognise a berried female

A berried female carries a cluster of eggs under her tail, which she fans with her swimmerets. Before that, a yellow or green patch behind the head (the saddle) shows the ovaries are developing.

2. Leave her alone

Do not net, chase or move a berried female. Stress and sudden changes can make her drop the eggs. Keep the water steady and skip big water changes.

3. Expect small, fully formed shrimplets

Neocaridina and Caridina hatch as tiny shrimp that look like miniature adults, with no separate larval stage. They hide at first, so you may only notice them after a few days.

4. Feed the babies lightly

Shrimplets graze biofilm and moss and take very fine food. Offer small amounts, and do not overfeed, since rotting leftovers foul the water.

5. Protect them from the filter

Put a sponge pre-filter or foam over intake tubes so shrimplets are not pulled in, and keep fish out of the breeding tank. See the tank mates guide.

Which water for which shrimp

Neocaridina do well in dechlorinated San Diego tap, which is hard and chloraminated, so it needs a conditioner that handles chloramine. Caridina need soft, acidic, low-mineral water made with RO and a remineralizer, and a stable setup matters more than chasing exact numbers. The water parameter table lists the range for each species, and the Neocaridina vs Caridina guide explains the difference.

Questions we get asked

How long are shrimp berried before the eggs hatch?

For Neocaridina it is roughly three to four weeks, and warmer water within the species range tends to speed it up. Caridina usually take somewhat longer. The exact time varies with temperature and the individual shrimp, so treat these as rough guides.

Why did my shrimp lose her eggs?

Dropped eggs are common, especially with young females or after stress. Typical causes are a sudden change in temperature or water parameters, a big water change, handling, or a failed molt. Keep the tank steady and she will often berry again.

Do shrimp need anything special to breed?

Not much. Healthy, mature shrimp in stable water with food and cover will usually breed on their own, and Neocaridina do so easily. Caridina are fussier about water and often breed more slowly.

Can I breed Amano shrimp in my tank?

Not in a normal freshwater aquarium. Amano females do carry eggs, but the larvae need salt or brackish water to develop, so they are very hard to raise at home. Most Amano sold are wild-caught.

Will different colors of Neocaridina cross-breed?

Yes. Neocaridina colors interbreed, and the young often drift back toward the plain brown or green wild look. Keep one color per tank to hold the color. Neocaridina and Caridina do not interbreed, and they should not share a tank anyway.

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