Breeding and Crossbreeding Shrimp
Many people choose to keep shrimp, and a few of them choose to breed them as well. Breeding is not that hard for most of the commonly kept shrimp, simply have a clean tank and a supply of food and the shrimp will do the rest. However some shrimp need certain water perameters and could need salt water, so check to see if your shrimp needs anything special should you decide to try and breed them.
When housing two species of the same genus, lets say a Neocaridina var Red (Red Cherry Shrimp), and a Neocaridina var Yellow (Yellow Cherry Shrimp), the two will crossbreed. Instead of forming an Orange Cherry Shrimp which some people may expect, they will revert back to the wild coloration or what we call the standard Neocaridina Heteropoda. Simple shrimp colors do not always apply to what the outcome will be. Why?
When housing two species of the same genus, lets say a Neocaridina var Red (Red Cherry Shrimp), and a Neocaridina var Yellow (Yellow Cherry Shrimp), the two will crossbreed. Instead of forming an Orange Cherry Shrimp which some people may expect, they will revert back to the wild coloration or what we call the standard Neocaridina Heteropoda. Simple shrimp colors do not always apply to what the outcome will be. Why?
Genetics is the short answer, my suggestion is to research what the outcome will likely be, or simply play around and do not be surprised if you get a wild variation. To stop this from happening you should always look at a breeding chart to make sure the two species wont crossbreed, unless of course... you want them to. By letting them crossbreed you can cause very nice looking shrimp to be born, such as the Wine Red or King Kong Bee Shrimps.
Most people who are looking to breed or crossbreed shrimp that are kept in the hobby, want to know if a certain shrimp will in-fact breed with another. After looking at a lot of charts, and finding data from around the web (including the sites listed on the data collection page), I didn't really see a comprehensive chart, so I created one. While this chart wont display the breeding outcomes in terms of color, it will quickly let you know if the crossbreed is possible, as a place to begin. This chart will be updated as I find out more information on the shrimps listed and as I continue to add species to the website. If you know of any mistakes please let me know.
Hope this helps you breeders out there~
*It is recommended to use the regular PDF chart or the Google Docs, the Google PDF is low quality and needs to be downloaded to assure accurate reading.
Nanocaridina's Freshwater Shrimp Breeding Chart (pdf)
Nanocaridina's Freshwater Shrimp Breeding Chart (Google PDF)
Nanocaridina's Freshwater Shrimp Breeding Chart (Google Docs)
| Nanocaridina Freshwater Shrimp Breeding Chart |
Special Note:
If you have any information regarding any shrimp listed or unlisted on the website, please contact me at [email protected].
