Yellow Goldenback Shrimp
Common Name: Yellow Goldenback Shrimp, Golden Shrimp, Yellow Shrimp
Check out our blog on how to care for these awesome critters!
Neocaridina Davidi
Care: Easy
Temperature Range: 65 – 84 F
pH: 7.0 – 8.0
TDS: 200-300 ppm
GH: 4-8 dGH
KH: 3-15 dKH
Life Span: 1.5 -2.5 years
Size: 0.75 - 1.25”
Diet: Omnivore
Habitat: Freshwater, Fully Aquatic
Breeding: Easy
Gestation Period: 30 Days
Our Water Parameters:
Temperature Range: 65 – 80 F
pH: 7.2-7.6
TDS: 250-300
GH: 8
KH: 8
Size: .75 - 1.0"
Tank Raised
*To increase survival rates, please allow us 2-3 business days to prepare your shrimp shipment.
*Some shrimp will be shipped from our Northern California facility.
As the name implies, this is a yellow shrimp with a golden line down its back. There are different grades and variations of them but the Goldenback is considered the higher grade. The 24K variety is usually the highest grade than the Goldenback and can be characterized by the bright yellow racing stripe going down the Shrimp's Back.
These shrimp are very active as they scavenge the tank, cleaning up waste. They love to feed off of naturally occurring biofilm and algae, especially in a planted tank. For this reason, they can be quite low maintenance; in fact, they can even help keep your tank clean! They can withstand a pretty wide range of water parameters, and are not an aggressive species. This combined with their versatility makes them a good option as tank companions. Yellow Shrimp breed easily, making them a good choice for beginners to freshwater shrimp hobby.
This shrimp is a product of the selective breeding of the Red Cherry Shrimp for different colorations. Dark colored Red Cherry Shrimp were selected to breed Chocolate Shrimp, which were in turn selected for yellow coloration. These shrimp are consistently yellow with varying levels of translucency. Sexing these shrimp can be somewhat difficult until the shrimp begin to mature. Females have slightly larger tails and display a “saddle” formation on the upper body, behind the head, where eggs are stored before fertilization. When female shrimp are “berried”, or have eggs ready for fertilization, the saddle shape will appear more prominent. Once the shrimp are fully-grown the males will be smaller than the females.
These Neocaridina are tolerant to a fairly wide range of water parameters, making them excellent for pairing with other species. As long as the shrimp are acclimated properly to your chosen parameters and are not subjected to extreme changes in temperature or acidity, they are adaptable. They will tolerate soft or hard water. The ideal water parameters are 70°-85° F with 7 to 7.5 pH. However, as mentioned, you may keep them outside of these parameters as long as the shrimp are protected from extreme or frequent fluctuations.
We do have a guide on the different substrates that can help achieve parameters. Take a look here!
Best Substrate for Shrimp
If you're starting to notice your shrimp not doing so well, we recommend you look into our blog!
Shrimp will accept a wide variety of foods, and in planted tanks may be able to survive off of scavenged biofilm and algae. If there are too many shrimp in your tank for the available algae and biofilm, or not enough plants to produce it, you can supplement their diet with algae tablets, blanched vegetables, or any other shrimp food. However, it is very important not to overfeed your shrimp, as this can be harmful to their health and even result in death. Increased waste from overfeeding your shrimp can impact your nitrogen cycle and increase tank maintenance, as well as harm your tank’s inhabitants. Feeding shrimp once per day is usually enough, especially if biofilm and algae are available. If shrimp are not responding to food, or leave food uneaten for more than a day, remove the food and decrease feeding. Especially in mature planted tanks, your shrimp may not need supplemental feeding very often.
Yellow Shrimp are eager breeders given comfortable water parameters and a sufficient food source. Once the shrimp reach maturity, and if there are males and females present, they should breed naturally and frequently. It is recommended to purchase 8-10 shrimp to ensure that there are enough male-female pairs for successful breeding. When female shrimp have eggs available for fertilization, they will molt and release pheromones that the male shrimp respond to with frenzy. Once the shrimp breed, the eggs will gestate for about 2 weeks. The shrimp fry will feed from the same food sources as their parents, and will molt frequently during their early life stages. Leave molted shells in the tank, as the shrimp fry will consume them for extra minerals like calcium that will help their growth. Keep in mind that if you are keeping shrimp with other species of fish, or possibly aggressive shrimp species, this may affect reproduction. If the shrimp feel threatened or don’t have places in your tank to hide they may not breed.
More information on breeding shrimp can be found in our blog!
Yellow Shrimp are a great addition to any shrimp hobbyist’s aquarium, whether it is long established or just beginning. These shrimp are easy to care for and make a great match with many other species of fish and shrimp. If you want to enjoy a beautiful shrimp that will proliferate readily and help with your tank maintenance, the Yellow Shrimp is a great choice.