Common Names: Marbled dwarf shrimp, sometimes called nectarine shrimp in Germany.

Scientific Name: Neocaridina Palmata

Availability in the UK: Availability of this rather ordinary looking little shrimp in the UK is poor. The author purchased his stock directly from Germany. Availability is unlikely to improve as they are often quite plain looking.

Feeding: Mostly eat algae, but will eat Tropical Shrimp Sticks, dry fish food, frozen brine shrimp, frozen bloodworm and algae pellets happily.

Imcompitible Shrimp: There isn't much information available on compatibility for these shrimp. However it would be best to assume that they will cross with other neocaridina species.

Overview: The profile for these shrimp is very similar to that for cherry shrimp for a reason, the care and breeding of both species is almost identical in every way, as is the ease of keeping this species. They are difficult to find in the UK without importing them, probably because they are often drably coloured when first received. Sometimes blue shrimp are seen, but this colour is not stable. Also wild caught specimens often have orange balls visible in them (hence the German name of nectarine shrimp) but these are actually the cysts of a parasite that needs large fish or waterfowl as the secondary host. Once established in an aquarium with a dark substrate, their colours will deepen and change, with a variety of body colour forming, observed colour include a deep maroon, dark greenish blue and blue. Rather an underappreciated species, much like rainbow shrimp, and very new to the hobby still.

Sexing: Females are larger.

Breeding: When these shrimp are happy it would be harder to stop them from breeding. They are very very easy to breed in freshwater, with no larval stage. When the female is ready to drop her eggs, or berry as it is called, she will develop a visible Saddle on her back. Not long after this she will be seen carrying brownish eggs on her underside. These eggs hatch as miniature versions of the adults. It is advised that they are kept in very well planted tanks, with plenty of moss and hiding places. If bred in the community tank this is especially important due to the small size of the young making them prone to predation. Also check filters regularly as the young often get sucked in and will live inside external filters. To call these shrimp fecund would be an understatement, 10 shrimp can become 100 within the space of a few months. The young also grow quite quickly.