Wide Gold Back Shrimp (Neocaridina davidi)

Choose the Wide Gold Back Shrimp for a bright, easy shrimp tank

The Wide Gold Back Shrimp is a yellow colour line of Neocaridina davidi, the dwarf freshwater shrimp the hobby calls the cherry shrimp. Its body is a warm golden yellow, and the colour deepens to a broad band of amber gold across the head shield and along the top of the back, the feature the “wide gold back” name refers to. The legs are clear with fine yellow banding, the tail fan is tipped with smoky blue-grey, and the eyes are a dark reddish brown. In a planted aquarium it reads as a small, glowing gold shrimp that stands out well against green moss and dark wood.

Under the colour it is the same hardy, adaptable species as every other cherry shrimp, and that matters for a buyer. The Wide Gold Back Shrimp accepts the medium-hard, near-neutral water that comes out of many UK taps, grazes biofilm and algae all day, and breeds without special effort once the tank is mature. It is one of the simplest ways to bring strong yellow colour to a nano tank or a quiet planted community.

Check the fit before you order

Browse every cherry shrimp colour we sell, our Neocaridina shrimp category or the wider freshwater shrimp range to plan a colony.

Know what one purchase supplies

One purchase quantity supplies one live Wide Gold Back Shrimp. There is a single “Standard” option because this line is not graded into sizes: shrimp are sent at the size available on the day, and sex is not selected. Our photographs show the colour line rather than the individual you will receive. The width of the gold band, the depth of the yellow and the amount of translucency differ from shrimp to shrimp, and young shrimp and males are usually paler than mature females.

Order for the colony you plan

• One shrimp: only to top up an existing group of the same line.
• Six shrimp: the smallest group we suggest. OATA asks for at least five and Practical Fishkeeping for at least six, because single shrimp and very small groups become stressed and shy.
• Six to twelve shrimp: the starting colony Neale Monks suggests in Practical Fishkeeping; buy adults and let the population grow until it levels off at what the tank can carry.

Read our live delivery and arrival information before ordering, and have the tank cycled and tested before the shrimp arrive. If shrimp will share the tank with fish, our stocking calculator helps you plan both together.

Understand the Wide Gold Back pattern and its names

Wild Neocaridina davidi looks nothing like this line. Wikipedia describes the wild shrimp of Taiwan, eastern China, the Korean Peninsula and Vietnam as greenish-brown to mottled brown. Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, black and the other colours in the hobby were fixed by breeders who kept the best-coloured shrimp generation after generation. The species has carried several scientific names, including Neocaridina heteropoda and Neocaridina denticulata sinensis, so older books and labels may use those.

Colour in these shrimp comes from pigment cells called chromatophores. Wikipedia explains that yellow comes from xanthophores and red from erythrophores, that the colour you see is a mix of the shell and the flesh beneath it, and that carotenoids in food are thought to supply the pigment. The Shrimp Farm’s yellow shrimp care sheet traces yellow lines to Taiwan and lists “yellow cherry” and “neon yellow” as other names for the yellow form. “Gold back” is a trade name, not a formal standard: sellers use it for yellow shrimp whose back carries a band of deeper gold, and “wide” marks lines where that band is broad. With no breeders’ standard behind it, expect some variation in how suppliers apply the name.

Tell the gold band from a breeding saddle

Mature female cherry shrimp show a “saddle” of developing eggs on the back. On a yellow shrimp the two are easy to confuse, so use this guide:

Plan a mature, planted shrimp tank

Sources differ on the smallest workable tank. OATA gives about 10 litres for a group of small shrimp, Practical Fishkeeping says tanks as small as 15 litres can work if well planted and filtered, and The Shrimp Farm sets 19 litres as the minimum for a colony. We recommend 20 litres or more. Neale Monks notes in Practical Fishkeeping that a 20-litre tank can hold about two dozen cherry shrimp with good filtration and water changes, and a larger volume gives a wider safety margin if the temperature or water quality slips.

Maturity matters more than size. Practical Fishkeeping warns that even a trace of ammonia is fatal to these shrimp and that new tanks lack the tiny organisms young shrimp feed on, a common reason breeding fails. Cycle the tank fully, let biofilm and soft algae establish, and only then add shrimp. Our guide to the aquarium nitrogen cycle explains what happens during those weeks.

Lay out the tank in zones

Practical Fishkeeping’s introduction to shrimp recommends sand for Neocaridina and warns against builders’ sand, which may contain limestone. A dark substrate and plenty of green plants make the gold of the Wide Gold Back Shrimp stand out far more than a pale floor does.

Match the water values and hold them steady

Cherry shrimp are adaptable, but published figures differ, so the table shows each source beside the planning value we suggest. OATA’s range for freshwater shrimp is 17–27°C, pH 6.5–8.0, 4–18 dGH and 3–15 dKH. Practical Fishkeeping’s introduction gives pH 6.5–8, 8–18 dGH, 5–15 dKH and 18–26°C for Neocaridina. Neale Monks gives 5–15 dGH, with middling values best for breeding, and The Shrimp Farm’s yellow shrimp sheet gives pH 6.2–8, GH 4–8, KH 3–15 and TDS 150–250. The sources disagree most on general hardness, so settle in the middle of the overlap and, above all, keep it steady.

Read the values side by side

Practical Fishkeeping notes that tap water low in nitrate and phosphate can be used for Neocaridina once it is dechlorinated. Hardness varies widely around the UK, so test yours and compare it with the targets using our water matcher. In very soft water, Practical Fishkeeping suggests a calcium supplement to support moulting. Never fill from the hot tap, which it links to copper poisoning. Our water chemistry guide explains GH, KH and pH testing step by step.

A heater is not essential in a warm room, but sudden temperature changes are one of the commonest killers of shrimp, and small tanks swing fastest. Neale Monks adds that unheated shrimp eat less in winter and stop breeding until spring, so a small heater keeps a colony growing all year.

Filter gently and change water little and often

Young shrimp hatch at about 1 mm and are easily drawn into a filter. Practical Fishkeeping prefers air-driven sponge filters, which also give shrimp a surface to graze, and suggests covering any power filter intake with fine foam or a stocking. OATA recommends testing weekly and changing 25% of the water at least once a week with conditioned water, rinsing filter media in removed tank water rather than under the tap so the beneficial bacteria survive.

Follow a weekly routine

1. Test ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, pH and temperature before you change any water.
2. Prepare the new water: dechlorinate it and bring it to the tank temperature.
3. Siphon gently over open areas, checking the bucket for shrimp and young.
4. Refill slowly so temperature and hardness do not jump.
5. Squeeze sponges in removed tank water only when the flow drops.
6. Note the readings, so you see a drift before it causes losses.

Feed small, measured meals

In a mature tank most of a cherry shrimp’s food is already there. Wikipedia describes the species as an omnivore of biofilm, algae and detritus that does not eat vascular plants, so stem plants and ferns are safe with it. Extra food tops this up. OATA suggests feeding two or three times a week and leaving food in for at least 30 minutes. The Shrimp Farm recommends a quality shrimp food as the staple, with algae tablets, frozen foods, blanched vegetables and sinking foods for variety, removing anything uneaten after a few hours. In a shrimp-only tank Practical Fishkeeping points out that you must target-feed, because there are no fish leftovers.

Build one measured shrimp meal

• Choose a fine sinking food: our Caridina nano sticks spread well among a small group, and green algae wafers give a plant-based meal.
• Feed one spot: drop the food on open sand so the whole group can find it and you can count them.
• Check after 30 minutes: most of the shrimp should be feeding.
• Lift out leftovers: remove anything still there after a few hours.
• Support moulting: Practical Fishkeeping suggests foods with seaweed or added calcium and iodine.

Because carotenoids in food are thought to supply pigment, a varied diet that includes algae and spirulina, such as our spirulina mini granules, helps keep the gold rich.

Acclimatise new shrimp slowly

Shrimp react badly to sudden changes in temperature and water chemistry. OATA’s floating-bag method sets the minimum: switch off the tank light, float the sealed bag for 10 minutes, then add small amounts of tank water over at least 30 minutes before releasing the shrimp with as little bag water as possible. Practical Fishkeeping prefers a drip: tip the shrimp and their water into a clean container and run tank water in through airline at about one to two drops a second for around an hour, until the volume has tripled or quadrupled.

1. Dim the room and switch off the tank light.
2. Float the sealed bag for 10 minutes to match the temperature.
3. Move the shrimp and their water into a clean container and start the drip.
4. Net the shrimp gently into the tank once the volume has tripled.
5. Pour the container water away down a household drain, never into the tank.

Use a first-week checklist

Watch moulting and act on warning signs

Shrimp grow by moulting, and OATA notes that finding a shed skin that looks like a dead shrimp is normal. Practical Fishkeeping gives a simple test: a dead shrimp is never transparent, and a moult is never coloured. Failed moults can follow water of the wrong hardness or too little calcium. Its list of causes of unexplained deaths also includes copper, high carbon dioxide or low oxygen, a small ammonia spike after the filter is cleaned, harassment by fish, and simple old age.

Pair each observation with an action

Lifespans are short. Practical Fishkeeping says cherry shrimp rarely live beyond 12–18 months, so an adult you buy may already be part-way through its life; Wikipedia gives one to two years and OATA a couple of years in a well-matured tank.

Breed Wide Gold Back Shrimp and keep the line

Cherry shrimp breed readily in a mature, stable tank, and no special steps are needed. Females release pheromones after moulting, the males search actively, and the fertilised eggs are carried under the female’s tail among her swimming legs. Wikipedia gives 20–30 eggs a batch hatching in two to three weeks; Practical Fishkeeping says three weeks to a month and The Shrimp Farm about 30 days. The young hatch as tiny copies of the adults, about 1 mm long with no larval stage, and graze biofilm straight away.

Sources also differ on how fast young shrimp mature: Wikipedia gives about two months, The Shrimp Farm two to two and a half months in good conditions, and Practical Fishkeeping’s introduction around six months. Either way, a group of six can become a busy colony within a season.

Keep the gold back in the line

• One colour per tank: all Neocaridina davidi colours are one species and interbreed; Practical Fishkeeping notes that mixed young drift back towards the wild brown within a few generations.
• Select the best: off-coloured young appear even within one line. Move the palest or narrowest-banded shrimp to another tank and breed from those with the broadest, richest gold.
• Give young cover: moss and fine plants let young shrimp survive, especially where fish share the tank.
• Feed the babies: a mature tank supplies biofilm, and Practical Fishkeeping suggests finely powdered spirulina as a first food.

Choose tank mates that cannot eat shrimp

OATA’s rule is simple: do not keep shrimp with fish that can fit them in their mouth or with predatory species. Practical Fishkeeping rates otocinclus as shrimp-safe even with newborns and lists smaller Corydoras and small plecs as usually safe. Dwarf gouramis, small tetras and rasboras, cherry barbs and kuhli loaches may work, but only in densely planted tanks with plenty of hiding places, and young shrimp will still be eaten. Snails and other dwarf shrimp make the best company. Neale Monks notes that Neocaridina and Caridina shrimp should not hybridise, so an Amano shrimp can share the tank without affecting the line.

Screen every companion

Our tank mates checker tests a combination before you buy. Good clean-up companions include the Golden Otocinclus, the Batik Nerite Snail, the burrowing Malaysian Trumpet Snail and the larger Amano Shrimp.

Compare related yellow cherry shrimp

If you would rather have an even yellow without the gold band, compare the classic Yellow Cherry Shrimp, the bright Yellow Neon Shrimp and the solid, opaque Yellow Fire Shrimp. For a patterned yellow, the Yellow Rili Shrimp has clear sections between yellow patches. All are the same species, so choose one line per tank. Our cherry shrimp care guide and cherry shrimp buying guide cover the whole group.

Never release shrimp, plants or tank water

Wikipedia records cherry shrimp established in thermally polluted waterways in Japan, the United States, Poland and Germany. OATA states that releasing aquarium animals or plants into the wild is illegal and usually fatal for the animals, and that survivors can harm native wildlife. Pass unwanted shrimp to another keeper or a shop, and dispose of old substrate, plants and water through household waste or the drain, never into ponds, streams or gardens.

Answer Wide Gold Back Shrimp buying questions

What is a Wide Gold Back Shrimp?

A yellow colour line of Neocaridina davidi, the cherry shrimp, with a broad band of deeper amber gold across the head shield and along the back. “Gold back” is a trade name rather than a formal breeding standard, so the width and depth of the band vary from shrimp to shrimp.

How many shrimp does one purchase supply?

One live shrimp of the Standard option, sex not selected. Order at least six to start a group: OATA recommends at least five shrimp and Practical Fishkeeping at least six, because single shrimp and small groups become stressed and shy.

Is the Wide Gold Back Shrimp suitable for a beginner?

Yes. It is as hardy as any cherry shrimp, takes dechlorinated tap water of medium hardness and breeds without special effort. It does need a fully cycled, mature tank, no copper and no fish large enough to eat it.

What water does it need?

Aim for 21–26°C, pH 6.5–8.0, KH 3–15, zero ammonia and nitrite, and steady, mid-range general hardness. Sources differ on GH, from 4–8 to 8–18, so keeping your readings stable matters more than chasing an exact figure.

Is the gold band the same as a breeding saddle?

No. The gold band is part of the shrimp’s colouring and runs along the back in both sexes. A saddle is a green or yellow patch of developing eggs at shoulder height in mature females, and it disappears once the eggs move under the tail.

Can I keep it with other cherry shrimp colours?

Only if you accept mixed young. Every Neocaridina davidi colour is the same species, and Practical Fishkeeping notes that crossed colonies give off-coloured young that drift back towards the wild brown within a few generations.

What should I feed it?

A mature tank supplies biofilm and algae. Add a small portion of shrimp food two or three times a week, as OATA suggests, leave it at least 30 minutes, and lift out anything still uneaten after a few hours.

How quickly will it breed?

In a mature, stable tank, readily. Females carry 20–30 eggs, which hatch after two weeks to a month depending on the source and the temperature, and the young emerge as fully formed shrimp about 1 mm long.

Which fish are safe with it?

Otocinclus are the safest; Practical Fishkeeping rates them shrimp-safe even with newborns. Small Corydoras and small plecs are usually fine. Small tetras and rasboras only work in densely planted tanks, and young shrimp will be eaten.

Consult the care references

• OATA: How to look after freshwater shrimp and snails — UK trade body care sheet: water values, tank and group size, feeding, acclimatisation, maintenance, copper, health signs and release.
• Practical Fishkeeping: Frequently asked questions on Neocaridina shrimps — temperatures for life and breeding, tank and group size, tank mates, filter intakes and causes of unexplained deaths.
• Practical Fishkeeping: An introduction to shrimp — Neocaridina water values, interbreeding of colour forms, substrate, filtration, drip acclimatisation, moulting and breeding.
• Practical Fishkeeping: Will my shrimp hybridise? (Neale Monks) — Neocaridina and Caridina do not hybridise; hardness for breeding, stocking a 20-litre tank and winter breeding.
• Wikipedia: Neocaridina davidi — names and synonyms, native range, size, lifespan, diet, how colour is produced, sexing, breeding figures and wild populations.
• The Shrimp Farm: Yellow shrimp care sheet — yellow Neocaridina names, Taiwan origin, water values, diet, breeding and differences between the sexes.
• The Shrimp Farm: Red cherry shrimp care — water values, minimum tank, filtration, adult size, lifespan, moulting rate and tank mates for red Neocaridina.
• Tropical Fish Co cherry shrimp care guide and delivery terms — our own set-up and live arrival guidance.