Breeding Chocolate Shrimp (Neocaridina davidi)
Breeding the solid brown Chocolate morph of Neocaridina davidi, a hardy and prolific line: sexing, conditioning, colony setup, berried females and rearing of free-living shrimplets.
Overview
The Chocolate is a solid dark-brown line of Neocaridina davidi ranging from milk-chocolate to nearly black. It is hardy and prolific, develops directly with no larval stage, and is among the simplest morphs to breed. Because its colour sits close to the wild brown form, holding a deep, even chocolate tone is the chief selective task.
Sexing
Females are larger, deeper-bodied and darker than males, with a broader tail; a maturing female shows the pale ovary saddle behind the head. Males are smaller and lighter. As with the black line, the dark body can mask the saddle, so judge by body depth and tail width.
Conditioning
Run a mixed-sex colony in a mature tank and feed a varied, moderate diet of biofilm, algae, blanched vegetables and occasional protein. Females mate right after molting, so stable parameters and steady feeding drive reproduction; this morph tolerates a slightly wider range than most.
Breeding Setup
- Minimum tank volume: 20 L for a colony
- Temperature: 20-28 C (68-82 F)
- pH: 6.5-8.0; GH 6-14 dGH; KH 2-8 dKH
- Sponge filter to protect shrimplets
- Moss and plant cover for molting shrimp
- A light substrate can dilute the brown; dark is better
Spawning & Berried Females
The berried female holds 20-30 eggs under her abdomen and fans them with her pleopods. Per Wikipedia the clutch hatches in about 2-3 weeks. Stable water and low disturbance during incubation prevent dropped clutches.
Shrimplet Care
Shrimplets are miniature adults that graze biofilm and detritus immediately and need cover and a predator-free tank. Because the colour is close to wild brown, select for the darkest, most even individuals to deepen the line over generations.
Common Challenges
Avoid copper-based medications. The Chocolate line drifts toward the wild brown form if not selected for depth, and crossing with other Neocaridina colour morphs likewise produces muddy brown offspring within a few generations. Neocaridina davidi does not interbreed with the separate genus Caridina cantonensis.