Blue Dream Shrimp

Neocaridina davidi

Also known as: Blue Velvet shrimp, Blue Neocaridina, Dream Blue shrimp

Water Parameters

• Temperature: 18–26°C
• pH: 6.5–7.5
• Hardness (GH): 125–250 ppm (7–14 dGH)

Values above are general hardness (GH). For carbonate hardness (KH), the buffer that keeps pH stable, see the water parameters guide.

Care Summary

A deep, solid blue colour morph of the same species as the cherry shrimp, Neocaridina davidi, selectively bred from the blue line and one of the most popular dwarf shrimp going. Its care is identical to the cherry: hardy, peaceful, and happy in the moderately hard, slightly alkaline water that comes from most Australian taps, which makes it one of the easiest invertebrates to keep and breed. A starting group of ten grazes biofilm and algae all day and grows into a colony within months in a stable, mature, planted, copper-free tank. The deeper, more opaque blue shrimp are graded as Blue Dream and the paler, greyer ones as Blue Velvet, but they are the same fish. The one rule unique to the colour morphs: keep a single colour per tank, as Blue Dreams crossed with another Neocaridina colour throw drab wild-brown young within a generation or two.

Tankmates

Like all dwarf shrimp, Blue Dreams are tiny and defenceless, so adults are easily eaten and shrimplets picked off by most fish, even species sold as shrimp-safe. For a thriving colony, keep them in a shrimp-only tank or with only very small, gentle fish such as otocinclus and ember tetras, and plant densely with mosses for cover. Being Neocaridina, they want the opposite water to the Caridina bee shrimp: moderately hard and neutral to slightly alkaline, which suits most Australian tap water. Keep one Neocaridina colour per tank, since different colours interbreed and revert to wild brown. Killed by copper, so avoid copper-based medications and fertilisers.

Compatible with

• Bronze Corydoras
• Neon Tetra
• Harlequin Rasbora
• Otocinclus
• Mystery Snail
• Ember Tetra

Avoid keeping with

• Betta
• Angelfish
• Guppy Fry Predators
• Large Cichlids
• Loaches
• Gourami
• Kuhli Loach
• Dwarf Chain Loach
• Assassin Snail
• Tiger Barb
• Electric Yellow Cichlid
• Bumblebee Goby

Common Problems

• copper poisoning from medications or fertilisers
• colony collapse from ammonia or nitrite spikes in an immature tank
• moulting failure without enough calcium and general hardness
• loss of colour if mixed with other Neocaridina morphs, whose offspring revert to wild brown
• predation by fish tankmates

Sources: seriouslyfish.com, shrimpscience.com · Last updated: 2026-10-05