For many years a true breeding blue shrimp was a mythical creature in the dwarf shrimp aquarium hobby. There were shrimp sold as "Blue Shrimp" that where nothing more than the wild form of Neocaridina heteropoda (a natural brown shrimp). Then there where the "Blue Shrimp (Neocaridina sp.)" that were imported from South East Asia that were a striking blue color, but when bred in captivity the offspring would revert to a wild type brown coloration. Well, as the saying goes, times, they are a changing.
As the freshwater dwarf shrimp hobby has continued to grow many breeders in Germany have place a fair amount of effort into selective breeding and the results have been striking. Two true breeding forms of blue shrimp have been developed in Germany and are finding their way into the American dwarf shrimp hobby.
The Blue Tiger Shrimp (Caridina sp. "tiger") is the newest species of blue shrimp to the hobby, and also one of the more expensive shrimp. It is a selectively bred form of the much more common Tiger Shrimp. The Blue Tiger Shrimp is found in many shades of blue, ranging in color from a light sky blue to a deep, dark blue. These shrimp can cost upwards of $25.00 a shrimp and more.
Before the Blue Tiger Shrimp hit the American markets there was the Blue Pearl Shrimp. The Blue Pearl Shrimp (Neocaridina cf. zhangjiajiensis) is a selectively bred form of the Neocaridina cf. zhangjiajiensis, the same shrimp that the White Pearl Shrimp is selectively bred from. The Blue Pearl Shrimp is relatively easy to care for and has virtually the same care requirements as the common Cherry Shrimp.
With the rapid growth of the dwarf shrimp hobby around the world it is not a surprise that true breeding blue shrimp have been developed using selective breeding techniques. Many shrimp exporters and importers are still selling "Blue Shrimp" that do not breed true, and as of the time of this article being written, the Blue Pearl Shrimp and the Blue Tiger Shrimp are the only two confirmed true breeding blue shrimp.
Author: Daniel H.
