Breeding Snowball Shrimp (Neocaridina davidi)
Breeding the translucent-white Snowball morph of Neocaridina davidi, named for its opaque white eggs: sexing, conditioning, colony setup, berried females and rearing of tiny shrimplets.
Overview
The Snowball is a translucent-white line of Neocaridina davidi, selectively bred in Germany and named for the distinctive opaque white eggs the females carry. It shares the genus's direct development: there is no larval stage, and berried females release fully formed shrimplets. It is one of the easier morphs to breed, and a stable colony will reproduce continuously.
Sexing
Females are larger and noticeably whiter than males, with a fuller, rounder abdomen. The white morph makes the developing clutch easy to read: instead of a coloured saddle the female shows a cluster of opaque white eggs under the tail. Males remain smaller, slimmer and more translucent.
Conditioning
Keep mixed sexes in a matured tank and feed varied rations of biofilm, algae, blanched vegetables and occasional protein, in moderation. Aquarium Co-Op notes mating typically follows a female's molt, so consistent feeding and steady water chemistry are the main triggers.
Breeding Setup
- Minimum tank volume: 20 L for a colony
- Temperature: 20-26 C (68-79 F)
- pH: 7.0-8.0; GH 6-14 dGH; KH 3-10 dKH
- Sponge filter to protect shrimplets
- Moss and plant cover for newly molted shrimp
- A darker background makes the white body stand out
Spawning & Berried Females
The female holds 20-30 white eggs beneath her abdomen and fans them with her pleopods to keep them oxygenated. According to Wikipedia the eggs hatch in about 2-3 weeks. Avoid large water changes or temperature swings while she is berried, as stress can cause her to drop the clutch.
Shrimplet Care
Hatchlings are miniature copies of the adults and feed on biofilm and detritus immediately. They depend on dense moss and the absence of predatory fish. A mature, biofilm-rich tank supplies their first food without supplemental feeding.
Common Challenges
Keep copper-based medications out of the tank. The white colour is a selected trait, so crossing Snowballs with other Neocaridina colour morphs pushes offspring back toward wild brown over a few generations; isolate the line and cull off-type shrimp to maintain it. Neocaridina davidi and Caridina cantonensis belong to different genera and will not interbreed.