Blue Aura Neocaridina Shrimp (Neocaridina sp.) – Single Shrimp

A small blue shrimp for a settled freshwater aquarium

The Blue Aura Neocaridina Shrimp (Neocaridina sp.) is a small freshwater shrimp sold under the trade name Blue Aura. WoRMS lists Neocaridina as an accepted genus in the family Atyidae, among the decapod crustaceans, and Wikipedia describes the genus as small, land-locked freshwater shrimp native to East Asia, with roughly 25–30 described species.

It suits a keeper whose filtered freshwater aquarium has already matured, where ammonia and nitrite read zero and weekly testing and partial water changes are part of the routine. Fish can share its aquarium only when they are not predatory and cannot fit a shrimp in their mouth, so the simplest home is a shrimp-focused tank with gravel or sand, plants and places to shelter.

Part of the appeal is practical. OATA's care sheet for freshwater shrimp and snails notes that these animals are popular partly because they help to control nuisance algae, which they graze in the aquarium. That makes a small group a working part of a planted tank as well as something to watch.

Reading the name

The name has three parts, and each does a different job. Blue Aura is the trade name for this blue form and is not a scientific label. Neocaridina is the genus, the level at which the identity is confirmed. The abbreviation sp. is the standard way of writing a species within that genus that has not been identified, which is why the scientific label on this page reads Neocaridina sp. and nothing more specific.

What one purchase brings you

Each purchase is one live shrimp, dispatched at 1–1.5 cm. Set the quantity to the number of shrimp you want: a quantity of five brings five shrimp. The 1–1.5 cm figure describes the shrimp as it leaves us, not its adult size, so plan the aquarium around a settled group rather than around the length of a newcomer.

Because each purchase is one shrimp, you decide how large the first delivery is. In a newly matured 10-litre set-up, a modest first order leaves room to add more once the weekly tests stay at zero; in a larger, long-running aquarium with a stable record of zero ammonia and nitrite, a bigger first group is easier for the filter to absorb. The compatibility tab explains how to grow the group in stages.

The exact species has not been identified, so the care advice here follows the genus Neocaridina and its care group. The water ranges, feeding routine and maintenance on this page therefore come from OATA's care sheet for freshwater shrimp and snails, the RSPCA's aquarium welfare guidance and our own delivery policy, applied to a small Neocaridina shrimp.

Sex is guaranteed only when the selected option explicitly states male or female. This Blue Aura Neocaridina Shrimp listing has no sex-guaranteed option. Choose shrimp for the aquarium you can offer rather than for a particular mix of males and females.

Gallery images have been digitally enhanced to improve image quality. Natural colour, pattern, size and maturity can vary between live animals. Treat the photographs as a guide to the shrimp's general appearance, and use the care sections below to prepare for the one that arrives.

Before you order

• The filter has matured and ammonia and nitrite both test at zero, so the shrimp arrive into water that can already process their waste.
• Your tap water and aquarium sit inside the ranges in the water section, so routine water changes will not push the aquarium out of range.
• Nothing containing copper, and no treatment that is unsafe for invertebrates, is in use.
• Someone can be at the delivery address on the confirmed day, because live animals cannot be left unattended.

Mature the aquarium before the shrimp arrive

A shrimp of 1–1.5 cm lives entirely at the mercy of its water, so prepare the aquarium well before you order rather than on the day. The RSPCA explains that a working biological filter lets beneficial bacteria grow and break waste down naturally: ammonia, which is toxic, is converted to nitrite, which is also toxic, and then to nitrate, which is safer. Until those bacteria are established, ammonia and nitrite can reach unhealthy levels, the problem OATA calls new tank syndrome.

Make the filter the first purchase

Whatever the size of the aquarium, OATA is plain that a filter is always essential. Set it up, let it mature, and confirm with tests that ammonia and nitrite both read zero before any shrimp go in. Our freshwater shrimp tank set-up guide takes you through preparing and maturing a first shrimp aquarium.

Choose the size of aquarium

OATA recommends an aquarium of at least 10 litres for a group of small freshwater shrimp and advises buying an aquarium as large as possible, within reason. The reason is stability: the larger the aquarium, the more stable its temperature and water quality. If fish will share the tank, OATA advises that it will need to be larger again. Treat 10 litres as the starting point for a small shrimp group, not a target to squeeze a collection into.

A worked comparison makes the point. A missed water change or an overgenerous feed in a 10-litre tank affects every litre the shrimp live in; the same mistake in a 30-litre tank is spread through three times as much water. That margin is worth having while you learn how your group eats and how quickly your nitrate rises.

Furnish it for grazing and shelter

Use aquarium gravel or sand and, ideally, live plants to provide cover. Where live plants are not used, OATA suggests plastic plants and suitable ornaments, such as plant pots or model caves, so the shrimp have shelter. Plants, décor and the glass all give algae somewhere to grow, and freshwater shrimp graze on that algae between meals.

Keep the water inside shrimp-friendly ranges

Keep the aquarium at 17–27°C and pH 6.5–8.0, with general hardness of 4–18°dH and carbonate hardness of 3–15°dKH. OATA gives these as broad group-level guidance for freshwater shrimp and snails, not a species-specific optimum, and describes the group as usually undemanding of water chemistry. OATA also suggests checking any species-specific needs with your retailer; for an unidentified Neocaridina, the group ranges are the working plan.

Work out your own nitrate ceiling

The nitrate figure is relative to your supply, so test your tap water before the shrimp arrive. If the tap reads 10 mg per litre, keep the aquarium at or below 30 mg per litre; if it reads 25 mg per litre, the ceiling is 45. A reading that climbs towards the ceiling between water changes tells you the routine needs tightening, whether that means changing water on time or feeding less.

Check the tap against the ranges

Test pH, general hardness and carbonate hardness from the tap as well. If all three sit inside the table, conditioned tap water suits your water changes as it is. If one falls outside, plan how you will bring it into range before ordering rather than after the shrimp arrive. Enter your readings in our water parameter matcher to compare them side by side, and use our guide to aquarium water parameters to see what each test measures and why it matters.

When a reading is out of range

Hold the readings steady

Fit a thermometer where you can read it at a glance and keep the temperature inside 17–27°C through the seasons. Record each weekly result for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate in a notebook or phone; a steady run of zero ammonia, zero nitrite and a stable nitrate is the clearest sign that the aquarium suits the shrimp.

Receive, film, float and release on arrival day

Every order is hand-packed by the Tropical Fish Co team: bagged in pure oxygen, packed in an insulated poly box, with a heat pack when the weather calls for it, then carried on a tracked service by a licensed live-animal courier. You receive the tracking number and your confirmed delivery date by email, so you know when to be in. The full terms are on our delivery and Live Arrival Guarantee page; these are the steps that matter on the day.

1. Be at the delivery address to receive the parcel; live animals cannot be left unattended.
2. Film every delivery from the sealed parcel onward: start a continuous unboxing video with the parcel still sealed and the outer box visible, open it in one continuous take, and keep filming until the shrimp can be seen still inside the sealed bag.
3. Check the shrimp the same day the parcel arrives.
4. Float the bag in your aquarium for 20–30 minutes to acclimatise the shrimp slowly.
5. Release the shrimp without pouring the bag water into your tank.
6. If anything has gone wrong, contact us the same day with your order number and the unboxing video; WhatsApp is the fastest route. We will arrange a replacement or refund.

Have these ready before the courier comes

• Your order number, and a phone with enough charge and storage to record the unboxing in one continuous take.
• Space beside or in the aquarium for the bag, and a plan for moving the shrimp across without the bag water.
• WhatsApp to hand, which the delivery policy names as the fastest way to reach us on the day.

Aquarium checks for the day

Separately from the parcel steps, OATA advises checking that the aquarium's ammonia and nitrite are at zero before any shrimp is added. Test the day before delivery, so there is time to put things right if either reads above zero.

Over the first week, keep feeding to the normal routine in the next section rather than offering extra, and look over the newcomer against the health checklist further down. A shrimp that is active and grazing is settling in; one that hides constantly, changes colour or ignores food is worth a closer look at your test results.

Plan the first month with checkpoints

The first month is when a new aquarium and a new group of shrimp settle together. Working to fixed checkpoints turns the advice on this page into a timetable you can tick off.

What a good first month looks like

Shrimp moving and grazing across plants and décor, food cleared within the time you allow, zero ammonia and nitrite at every weekly test, and a nitrate reading that stays below your ceiling. If you see all four, keep doing exactly what you are doing.

When to slow down

If a weekly test shows ammonia or nitrite above zero, stop adding shrimp and work through the out-of-range table in the water section. Resume only when the readings are back at zero, so that each new arrival joins an aquarium that is already coping with the shrimp it has.

Feed lightly and let algae do part of the work

OATA describes freshwater shrimp as generally herbivorous animals that graze on algae in the aquarium. A matured aquarium with plants and décor supplies some of that grazing between meals; your job is to top it up without polluting the water.

• Grazing: algae growing in the aquarium, the base of the diet.
• Supplement: algae wafers, which OATA recommends so that shrimp get enough to eat.
• Alternative supplement: commercial pellets made for freshwater shrimp, which OATA notes also suit snails.
• How often: two or three times a week.
• How long: leave pellets or wafers for at least 30 minutes so the shrimp have time to eat.
• How much: no more than the shrimp will clear, because uneaten food breaks down and releases toxic waste into the water.

A worked week

For a small group, a sensible pattern is feeding on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday, with the weekly water change and tests on a day without food. On a feeding day, offer the food, look again after at least 30 minutes, and lift out whatever is left before it spoils. If food is regularly left over, offer less next time. If the group clears everything and the aquarium has little algae to graze, keep to the same days and offer a little more.

Why restraint matters

Food that is not eaten does not simply sit there. As it breaks down it releases toxic waste, which the filter then has to process on top of the waste from the shrimp themselves. That is why OATA pairs its feeding schedule with a warning to take care not to overfeed. Holding back is also the easiest way to keep the nitrate line in your weekly notes flat.

Signs the feeding is right

• Food is cleared, or nearly so, within the time you allow.
• Nitrate stays below your ceiling from one week to the next.
• The shrimp keep grazing on plants and décor between meals.

Keep a steady weekly routine

OATA strongly recommends a partial water change of 25% at least once every week, using a siphon to remove solid waste from the gravel, and testing the water at least once a week so that ammonia and nitrite do not build up. OATA stresses that good husbandry is essential for freshwater shrimp, and a fixed weekly slot is the simplest way to deliver it.

Why the weekly change matters

The filter's bacteria turn ammonia into nitrite and then into nitrate, which is safer but still builds up between changes. Removing a quarter of the water each week, together with the solid waste the siphon lifts from the gravel, is what keeps nitrate below the ceiling you worked out from your tap water.

Prepare the new water properly

Treat all replacement water with a tap water conditioner to remove any harmful chlorine or chloramine before it goes into the aquarium. Measure the volume, so the conditioner dose matches the water you are adding.

Look after the filter's bacteria

Check the filter for blockages as part of the routine. If it needs cleaning, do not run it under the tap: any chlorine or chloramine present may kill the beneficial bacteria established in the media. Rinse it lightly in the aquarium water you have just removed during the partial water change instead, which reduces the amount of bacteria lost.

A weekly checklist

• Test ammonia, nitrite and nitrate, and note the results.
• Siphon solid waste from the gravel as you remove a quarter of the water.
• Condition the replacement water before it goes in.
• Check the filter for blockages and rinse media only in removed aquarium water.
• Count the shrimp and compare their behaviour with the health checklist below.

Spot problems early and keep copper out

Being invertebrates, freshwater shrimp are very sensitive to copper and will die if exposed even to low levels. Always ensure that any treatment added to the aquarium is safe for invertebrates. Let the label decide: if it does not state that the product is safe for invertebrates at the dose you intend, keep it out of a shrimp aquarium.

That includes medicines bought for fish in another aquarium. Read the label before the dose, not after, and when a label is silent about invertebrates, treat that silence as a no.

What to watch for

Every shrimp varies a little in behaviour and appearance, so learn what normal looks like in your group. OATA lists the changes that help to identify a problem before it becomes a real health issue:

• Activity: more inactivity, restlessness or other unusual behaviour.
• Colour: turning darker or paler than normal.
• Temperament: a change in aggression, or hiding more than normal.
• Breathing: a change in breathing rate or effort, including more time spent in areas with higher oxygen levels.
• Appearance: white spots, discolouration, lesions, abnormal growths, damage to the exoskeleton or loss of appendages.
• Condition: noticeable weight gain or loss, or abnormal swelling.
• Feeding: eating less, or no interest in food.

If you notice a change

Start with the water. Test ammonia, nitrite and nitrate, and use the out-of-range table in the water section to put right anything that has moved. Then think back over the past week: a new treatment, a missed water change or heavier feeding are the first places to look, and each has a clear fix in the sections above.

Choose companions that cannot eat a shrimp

OATA describes freshwater shrimp as generally compatible with most species in the aquarium, and also warns that they should be mixed with caution because common aquarium fish may eat them. In a mixed tank the risk is to the shrimp, and at 1–1.5 cm on arrival a Blue Aura shrimp is small enough for that to matter.

Avoid

• Any fish that can fit a shrimp in its mouth.
• Any species known to be predatory.

Mix with caution

• Other common aquarium fish, which may eat shrimp. Check each species before it goes in with them.

Straightforward companions

• Freshwater snails, which OATA treats alongside shrimp as generally compatible aquarium inhabitants.

Questions to ask before adding any fish

• Could it fit a 1–1.5 cm shrimp in its mouth, now or once it has grown?
• Is it a species known to be predatory?
• Is the aquarium larger than the 10-litre starting point for a shrimp group, as OATA advises when fish share the tank?

If the answer to either of the first two questions is yes, keep the fish and the shrimp apart. Before adding this shrimp to an aquarium that already holds fish, ask us to check the combination against the fish you keep.

Build a shrimp-focused aquarium and grow the group slowly

The most secure home for this shrimp is an aquarium kept for shrimp, with snails as the only other residents if you want them. With no fish present, nothing in the tank can fit a shrimp in its mouth, and the group can graze across every surface.

Grow the group in stages

OATA notes that shrimp species are usually social, so plan a group rather than a lone shrimp. Build it in stages: OATA advises increasing shrimp numbers slowly, because the beneficial bacteria in the filter need to multiply each time more livestock is added and feeding increases. Adding a whole group to a young aquarium at once is how new tank syndrome begins.

A simple plan works well. Start with the first few shrimp, keep to the normal feeding and weekly routine, and confirm that ammonia and nitrite stay at zero through the following weekly tests before adding the next few. Repeat until the group is the size you want.

Choosing snails as companions

OATA names apple, nerite and assassin snails among the popular aquarium snails and notes that they come in various colours, shapes and sizes but are unlikely to grow larger than 5 cm. Unlike shrimp, snails are not social, so one or two can share the aquarium without a group of their own. One caution applies if you want several kinds: the assassin snail preys on other snail species, although it will also take commercially made foods.

Keeping more than one kind of shrimp

If you would like other shrimp as well, browse our shrimp and crustacean collection and check each animal's own water ranges and care before housing different shrimp together.

Common questions about keeping this shrimp

What is the Blue Aura Neocaridina Shrimp?

It is a small freshwater shrimp in the genus Neocaridina, which WoRMS places in the family Atyidae; Wikipedia describes the genus as land-locked freshwater shrimp native to East Asia. Blue Aura is its trade name, and because the exact species has not been identified it is sold as Neocaridina sp. and kept using care guidance for freshwater shrimp.

What size aquarium does a Blue Aura Neocaridina Shrimp need?

OATA recommends an aquarium of at least 10 litres for a group of small freshwater shrimp, and a larger one if fish will share it. More water keeps temperature and water quality more stable, and a matured filter is essential whatever the size of the tank.

How many should I keep together?

Plan a group rather than a single shrimp, because OATA notes that shrimp species are usually social. Add newcomers gradually rather than all at once, so the filter's beneficial bacteria can keep pace with each increase in livestock and feeding.

Is this shrimp suitable for beginners?

It suits any keeper who can offer a matured, filtered aquarium and a steady routine. OATA describes freshwater shrimp as usually undemanding of water chemistry; the essentials are ammonia and nitrite at zero, a partial water change of 25% at least once every week, weekly testing and no copper in the tank.

What does the Blue Aura Neocaridina Shrimp eat?

OATA describes freshwater shrimp as generally herbivorous grazers of algae in the aquarium. Supplement that grazing with algae wafers or commercial pellets made for freshwater shrimp two or three times a week, leave the food for at least 30 minutes, and take care not to overfeed.

What temperature and pH does it need?

OATA's guidance for freshwater shrimp and snails gives 17–27°C and pH 6.5–8.0, with general hardness of 4–18°dH and carbonate hardness of 3–15°dKH. Hold conditions steady inside those group ranges, with ammonia and nitrite at zero.

Is it aggressive towards other aquarium animals?

OATA describes freshwater shrimp as generally compatible with most species in the aquarium. The main risk in a mixed tank is to the shrimp itself, because common aquarium fish may eat it.

Which animals can live with it?

Freshwater snails are the simplest companions for a Blue Aura Neocaridina Shrimp, as OATA treats shrimp and snails as generally compatible. Never keep it with any fish that can fit a shrimp in its mouth or with any species known to be predatory, and check other fish with us before mixing.

How does it arrive alive in the UK?

Film the sealed parcel before anything else: start a continuous unboxing video with the outer box visible, open it in one take and keep filming until your Blue Aura Neocaridina Shrimp can be seen in the still-sealed bag. Someone must be at the address to receive it. Float the bag in the aquarium for 20–30 minutes, release the shrimp without pouring the bag water into the tank, and message us the same day with the video and your order number if anything has gone wrong.

Sources for this guide

• WoRMS: Neocaridina – accepted genus name and its family, Atyidae.
• Wikipedia: Neocaridina – natural history of the genus and its native range in East Asia.
• OATA: How to look after freshwater shrimp and snails – water ranges, aquarium size, feeding, maintenance, health signs and compatibility for the group.
• RSPCA: Fish environment – why filtration matters and how the nitrogen cycle works.