Chocolate Shrimp (Neocaridina davidi var. chocolate) Care Guide
A rich dark brown Neocaridina color morph resembling the color of dark chocolate. A relatively uncommon variant that adds a warm, earthy tone to planted aquariums.
Compiled by Aquairi from published sources · Published · Updated
Overview
Neocaridina davidi var. chocolate is a species in the family Atyidae. A rich dark brown Neocaridina color morph resembling the color of dark chocolate. A relatively uncommon variant that adds a warm, earthy tone to planted aquariums. Easy to care for and breed like all Neocaridina varieties.
Taxonomy
- Family: Atyidae
- Genus: Neocaridina
- Scientific name: Neocaridina davidi var. chocolate
- Other names: Chocolate Neocaridina
- Origin: Asia, Taiwan
Habitat
A brown colour strain of Neocaridina davidi. Its wild ancestor lives in slow, plant-rich freshwater streams and ponds of East Asia and Taiwan, feeding by grazing biofilm, algae and detritus.
Tank requirements
- Minimum tank volume: 20 L
- Temperature: 18-28 °C
- pH: 6.5-8
- GH: 4-14 °dGH
- Water flow: low
- Adult size: 2-3 cm
- Lifespan: 1-2 years
- Difficulty: beginner
Diet
Classified as omnivore. Recommended feeding frequency: 1x daily. In captivity, offer a varied diet appropriate to the species — quality prepared foods supplemented with frozen or live items of suitable size.
Compatibility
- Temperament: peaceful
- Position in tank: bottom
- Compatible tank mates: Neon Tetra, Otocinclus, Ember Tetra, Nerite Snail
- Avoid with: Betta, Angelfish, Cichlids
Breeding
- Breeding strategy: egg-layer
- Breeding difficulty: beginner
Breeding Chocolate Shrimp
Overview
The Chocolate shrimp is a dark-brown selectively bred color morph of Neocaridina davidi. Like all Neocaridina, it breeds readily in freshwater and has no larval stage, so a sexed group in stable conditions reproduces without intervention.
Sexing
Females are larger, have wider tails for carrying eggs, and show richer, more opaque coloration; in more transparent shrimp the developing eggs may appear as a green or yellow saddle on the back. Males are smaller, slimmer, and less colorful. Aquarium Co-Op reports females reaching up to about 4 cm and males around 2.5-3 cm.
Breeding Conditions
- Temperature: about 22-24 °C is most comfortable for breeding
- pH: 6.5-8.5
- GH: at least 6 ° (around 110 ppm)
- KH: at least 2 ° (around 40 ppm)
- Breeding requires only a sexed pair, stable water parameters, and a food source
Eggs & Young
A berried female carries roughly 20-30 eggs affixed to her swimmerets (pleopods) and fans them to keep them oxygenated. Eggs hatch in about 2-3 weeks (gestation is roughly a month depending on temperature). Hatchlings are tiny copies of the adults, only about 1-2 mm long, with no free-swimming larval stage. Sexual maturity is reached at roughly two months of age.
Color Stability & Culling
Color morphs of Neocaridina davidi are produced by selective breeding. Without culling, populations tend to degrade in appearance over time, so paler individuals are removed to keep the chocolate-brown coloration consistent.