Common Names: Snowball Shrimp, White Pearl Shrimp

Scientific Name: Neocaridina cf. zhangjiajiensis var. white

Availability in the UK: Availability of this lovely little shrimp in the UK is poor. The author purchased his stock directly from Germany. Availability may improve in time.

Feeding: Mostly eat algae, but will scavenge fish flake. Have also been observed eating snailshop.co.uk algae pellets and also Hikari Crab Cuisine.

Imcompitible Shrimp: Snowball shrimp should not be kept with cherry shrimp, as these species will hybridise to give dull and sterile 'mutt' shrimp.

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 as such another lovely shrimp for the beginner, but difficult to find in the UK without importing them.

Sexing: Females are larger and more vividly white than the males, which are smaller and less striking, although still white. Also mature females when preparing to ' berry' have very distinct bright white saddles that if examined closely can be seen to be the pure white eggs inside the body.

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 pure white coloured Saddle on her back. Not long after this she will be seen carrying pure white coloured eggs on her underside, which is where these shrimp get the name of snowball shrimp from. 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.

Photos:

All images used are © 2008 the author.