Orange Fire Shrimp (Neocaridina davidi)

Bring solid orange colour to a planted tank with the Orange Fire Shrimp

The Orange Fire Shrimp is a bright orange colour line of Neocaridina davidi, the freshwater shrimp the hobby knows as the cherry shrimp. The shrimp in our photographs is a deep, saturated orange from the head to the tail fan, with orange legs, clear tips to the legs and long pale antennae. Against green moss it is one of the most eye-catching shrimp you can keep, and it shares the easy care and steady breeding that made cherry shrimp a staple of planted aquariums.

The wild species looks nothing like it. Wikipedia describes wild Neocaridina davidi from Taiwan, eastern China, the Korean Peninsula and Vietnam as a mottled greenish-brown or brown shrimp, and lists orange among the colours breeders have since fixed. The Shrimp Farm's orange care sheet traces orange lines to Taiwan and records Orange Sakura, Orange Pumpkin and Orange Sunkist as trade names for orange forms of the same species.

Understand the "Fire" in the name

Breeders grade cherry shrimp by how much of the body is coloured and how opaque the colour is. The Shrimp Farm's grading guide sets out the ladder for red shrimp, and sellers borrow the same words for other colours:

Grade names are not regulated, and different sellers draw the lines in different places, so we describe the photographs rather than rely on the word. If you already keep our Orange Sakura Shrimp, treat the two as the same species at different colour grades. Our Orange Rili Shrimp is sold as a separate orange form of the same species, and both will cross with Orange Fire.

Know exactly what arrives

One purchase quantity supplies one live Orange Fire Shrimp, unsexed. Wikipedia notes that females are larger, more richly coloured and more opaque than males, and the grading guide adds that a male can therefore sit a step lower on the colour ladder than his sisters. A newly arrived shrimp is often paler until it has settled, so the photographs show the colour form, not a guarantee of each individual.

Order enough for a colony

• Starting group: OATA asks for at least five shrimp; Practical Fishkeeping's Neocaridina FAQ suggests at least six, because small groups become shy, and notes that a larger group widens the gene pool.
• Room to grow: in a Practical Fishkeeping answer, Neale Monks reckons a 20-litre tank could hold about two dozen cherry shrimp and suggests buying 6–12 adults and letting the colony find its own level.
• Adult size: about 3–4 cm according to Wikipedia; OATA puts cherry-type shrimp at about 3 cm.

Read how we deliver live shrimp and plan the order for a day when you can be home to unpack it.

Match water values for Orange Fire Shrimp

Cherry shrimp of every colour share the same needs, and they are among the most forgiving shrimp you can buy. The published values differ mainly on hardness, so the table shows each source in full before our planning range.

Compare the sources

The planning temperature is Practical Fishkeeping's best range for lifespan and breeding; the pH is where every source overlaps; the hardness follows Neale Monks's advice to aim for middling values. The FAQ adds that warmer water speeds growth and breeding but shortens life, so there is no benefit in pushing to the top of the range.

Check your tap water before you buy

Practical Fishkeeping's introduction says tap water that is low in nitrate and phosphate can be used once dechlorinated, or mixed with RO water. If your supply is very soft, the FAQ recommends a calcium supplement, because calcium is needed for moulting. One UK habit to drop: never fill a shrimp tank from the hot tap, which the FAQ names as a source of copper poisoning. Our water matcher compares your tap water with the shrimp's needs in a minute.

Lay out a tank that grows a colony

OATA's minimum is 10 litres for a group of small shrimp, and Practical Fishkeeping's FAQ accepts about 15 litres if the tank is well planted and filtered. We recommend 20 litres or more, because temperature and water quality hold steadier in a larger volume and a successful colony multiplies. Our stocking calculator helps if fish will share the tank.

Use this layout checklist

Cycle the tank fully before the shrimp arrive. The FAQ is blunt: even traces of ammonia are fatal and nitrite is not tolerated, so stock only an established aquarium.

Keep the filter shrimp-safe and the routine steady

Practical Fishkeeping recommends air-driven sponge filters or Hamburg mat filters for shrimp tanks. With a power filter, cover the intake with fine foam or a stocking held on by an elastic band, and turn the flow down so small shrimp are not pulled in. In warm water add extra aeration, because warm water holds less oxygen.

Follow a weekly sequence

1. Test ammonia and nitrite, and while the tank is young also nitrate, pH and hardness, as OATA advises.
2. Siphon about 25% of the water from the substrate surface.
3. Prepare cold-tap water with a conditioner and bring it to tank temperature.
4. Pour slowly so hardness and temperature change gently.
5. Squeeze the sponge in removed tank water when flow drops, never under the tap.

If you inject CO₂ for plants, watch the shrimp: the FAQ names too much CO₂ or too little oxygen as a cause of deaths, with shrimp gathering at the surface or riding the filter outflow as warning signs. Our shrimp-keeping guide explains filter choice in more detail.

Feed for colour and clean moults

Biofilm and soft algae are the core of a cherry shrimp's diet, and Wikipedia notes that the species eats biofilm, algae and detritus but not vascular plants, so your plants are safe. OATA suggests algae wafers or shrimp pellets two or three times a week, left in for at least 30 minutes. Wikipedia also records that carotenoids in food are thought to supply pigment, and the FAQ says foods containing calcium and iodine, often seaweed-based, help with moulting.

Build one measured meal

• Staple: a small piece of our green algae wafers, sized so the group clears it within a few hours.
• Variety: blanched spinach, courgette, cucumber, nettle or dandelion, as Practical Fishkeeping's author uses.
• For young shrimp: a pinch of our spirulina mini granules crushed to powder.
• Rule: remove leftovers the same day; uneaten food breaks down into toxic waste.

In a shrimp-only tank there are no fish leftovers, so the FAQ advises target feeding. Leave shed skins in the tank: Wikipedia explains that shrimp eat their old shells to recover nutrients.

Settle new shrimp in gently

OATA's floating method suits cherry shrimp: lights off, float the sealed bag for 10 minutes, then add tank water to the bag gradually over at least 30 minutes before netting the shrimp across. Practical Fishkeeping's introduction prefers a slower drip at one to two drops a second for about an hour, which is worth doing if your water differs a lot from ours.

Run a first-week checklist

OATA advises close monitoring through the first week. Shrimp hiding for a day or two is normal.

Spot problems before they spread

Practical Fishkeeping's FAQ lists the usual causes of unexplained deaths. Working through them in order solves most problems.

Match the cause to the check

OATA adds visible signs to watch for: damaged shells, white spots, lesions, colour changes, loss of appetite and unusual swimming. Test the water before reaching for any treatment.

Keep the orange pure with one colour per tank

Practical Fishkeeping's introduction to shrimp explains that every Neocaridina colour crossbreeds and that crosses revert to the brownish wild form within a few generations. Even a pure line throws some off-colour young, and the advice is to remove the poorest young to keep the strain strong.

Decide which shrimp can share the tank

See every colour in our cherry shrimp range and the Neocaridina shrimp category, and plan one colour per aquarium.

Pick shrimp-safe companions

OATA's rule is to avoid any fish that can fit a shrimp in its mouth and any predatory species. Practical Fishkeeping's FAQ goes further: fish must be too small to eat shrimp, including the young, and mainly plant- or algae-eaters. It rates Otocinclus as completely safe, even with newborn shrimp; smaller Corydoras and small plecs as possibly safe; and reports keepers succeeding with dwarf gouramis, small tetras, small rasboras, cherry barbs and kuhli loaches in densely planted tanks.

Screen companions with this table

Even shrimp-safe fish change the numbers: a community tank raises fewer young than a shrimp-only one. Browse more invertebrate companions in shrimps and crustaceans.

Raise a breeding colony

Orange Fire Shrimp need no special conditions to breed, only a healthy group, stable water and food. Females usually spawn shortly after moulting, and Wikipedia notes that a moulting female releases pheromones that set the males searching. The developing eggs show as a "saddle" behind the head, which can be harder to see in a densely coloured shrimp.

Know the breeding timeline

Never release shrimp or their young outdoors. A peer-reviewed study by Klotz and colleagues in Aquatic Invasions found Neocaridina davidi established in a thermally polluted stream system in western Germany and suggested it may tolerate much colder conditions. Our cherry shrimp care guide and cherry shrimp buying guide cover colony management, and the freshwater shrimp category lists every species we keep.

Answer Orange Fire Shrimp buying questions

Is an Orange Fire Shrimp the same as an Orange Sakura?

Both are orange colour lines of Neocaridina davidi. In breeder grading, "Fire" describes a more solid, opaque colour than "Sakura", but sellers use the words loosely. They interbreed freely.

How many Orange Fire Shrimp should I start with?

Six or more. OATA asks for at least five shrimp and Practical Fishkeeping suggests six, because small groups become shy. A group that size almost always contains both sexes.

Why are some of my shrimp paler orange?

Males are smaller and less colourful than females, and colour also drops with stress, a light substrate or a new move. Settled females usually show the strongest orange.

Can I keep them with red cherry shrimp?

Only if you accept mixed young. Every cherry shrimp colour is the same species, and crossed colonies drift back towards brown within a few generations.

Do they need a heater?

In a warm room, often not. They tolerate about 18–28°C, but Practical Fishkeeping says they live longest and breed best at 21–26°C, so a small heater helps in a cool room.

Is my tap water suitable?

Usually, once dechlorinated, if it is medium-hard. Very soft water may need a calcium supplement for moulting. Never use hot tap water, which Practical Fishkeeping links to copper poisoning.

How fast will they breed?

In a mature tank, quickly. Females carry 20–30 eggs for about three weeks to a month, and Practical Fishkeeping notes shrimp can breed monthly in good conditions.

Which fish can live with them?

Otocinclus are the safest. Small Corydoras and small plecs may be safe, and some keepers succeed with kuhli loaches and small tetras in dense planting, but young shrimp will be eaten.

Consult the care references

• OATA: How to look after freshwater shrimp and snails — group guidance water values, tank size, feeding, acclimatisation and health signs.
• Practical Fishkeeping: Frequently asked questions on Neocaridina shrimps — best breeding temperature, tank and group size, filters, tank mates and causes of death.
• Practical Fishkeeping: An introduction to shrimp — Neocaridina water values, colour forms, crossbreeding, substrate and feeding.
• Practical Fishkeeping: Will my shrimp hybridise? — hardness for breeding, stocking and Neocaridina x Caridina.
• Wikipedia: Neocaridina davidi — names, wild colour, size, diet, sexing, breeding and lifespan.
• The Shrimp Farm: Grading red cherry shrimp — what Sakura, Fire and Painted grades describe.
• The Shrimp Farm: Orange Sakura shrimp care sheet — orange trade names, Taiwan origin and water values.
• Klotz, W., Miesen, F. W., Hüllen, S. & Herder, F. (2013). Aquatic Invasions 8: 333–339 — cherry shrimp established in a warmed German stream system.