Blue dream shrimp, often called Blue Velvet Shrimp, Deep Blue Shrimp, or Sapphire shrimp is one of the most popular aquarium shrimp because of its hardiness and ease of care.
These creatures are highly adaptable to any freshwater aquarium and are easy to breed. If you are a beginner, this bright blue shrimp would be the perfect choice for your first shrimp in the aquarium.
What is blue dream shrimp
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Scientifically named Neocaridina Davidi ( formerly Neocaridina heteropoda), Blue dream shrimp is a color variant of Neocaridina Davidi.
The most frequently sold color variant is Red cherry shrimp. Belonging to the Atyidae family, these elegant shrimps are one of the easiest to keep in the aquarium hobby.
Neocaridina davidi is a captive-bred species from the wild type Sakura Red Cherry Shrimp. They are perfect for waste management and algae control of large aquariums.
How big do they get?
Blue dream shrimps grow to a maximum size of two inches. However, the average size is about 1 to 1.5 inches in length.
Is blue dream shrimp aggressive?
No. they are a non-aggressive shrimp species. They are small peaceful creatures that live in large groups and tend to stay hidden in the daytime.
Blue dream shrimp behavior
When it comes to the behavior of them, there is not much to talk about. These shrimps are pretty straightforward. They always spend their time scavenging food ignoring other creatures.
Blue dream shrimps always spend their time hiding somewhere (because they are shy) while eating leftover food and algae in your tank.
This is why they are considered as one of the best algae eaters. What they do all the time is eat and clean the tank.
Actually, searching for these critters is quite fun. You will often see them underneath a rock, on a plant, in the middle of the substrate, pretty much anywhere.
Although the shrimps are hiding, they stand out from anywhere because of their bright blue color.
These are peaceful shrimp species that don’t care about other creatures in the tank. This makes them the perfect addition for pretty much any tank (of course, if the fish are compatible with these innocent critters).
Like many other shrimp types, blue dream shrimps prefer to mind their own business and leave the other fish and invertebrates alone.
Lifespan
The average lifespan of a shrimp is around 1 to 2 years. However, this depends on the quality of care they receive in the aquarium.
Although these species are hardy species that can tolerate poor water conditions for some time, poor conditions may shorten their lifespan.
Blue dream shrimp care
Blue dream shrimps are pretty easy to care for. If you provide ideal water conditions with high-quality food, these shrimps will thrive and even multiply quickly.
An army of blue dream shrimps is actually beneficial for your aquarium because these are very efficient algae eaters.
Blue dream shrimp size
The average size of a shrimp is about 1 to 1.5 inches in length. However, these creatures can grow up to 2 inches maximum with optimum care conditions.
Blue dream shrimp tank size
The recommended tank size for blue dream shrimp is about 10 gallons. However, you can keep these small critters even in a 5-gallon tank with ideal water conditions.
If you happen to keep these shrimps in a small fish tank, be sure to change water frequently and install a good quality filtration in the tank.
How many blue dream shrimp can be kept together?
You can keep only one shrimp in a tank, and it will do fine without any tank mates. But, blue dream shrimps do best when kept as a group.
The number of shrimps you should put depends on the tank you have. As a rule of thumb, you can add five shrimps per 1 gallon if you have a tank dedicated only for shrimps.
Tank setup
Blue dream shrimps prefer heavily planted environments as wild shrimps habitats are densely planted.
So, it is better if you provide a planted aquarium for these creatures. Further, planted aquariums help you maintain excellent water quality.
Water
Unlike sensitive shrimp species like blue bolt shrimp, these shrimps are pretty adaptable to different water conditions.
So, it is not required to add only RO/DI water in the tank. With blue dream shrimp, you can add tap water.
But, you should dechlorinate the water and check for water parameters before adding any shrimp. For ideal water parameters, we will cover that in a moment.
Substrate
You can use any substrate of your choice with blue dream shrimps. They are flexible with any substrate type.
However, they prefer rocky bottoms more. So, if you prepare a shrimp-only tank, rocks can be the best substrate for your shrimp.
Otherwise, let the other tankmates choose the substrate type.
Lighting
They don’t have any fancy requirements for lights. They will do fine with bright lights as well as no lights at all.
So, it is up to you to decide the proper lighting conditions for your aquarium.
Note: If you keep any live plants, they might need lights to thrive.
Filtration
If you have enough plants in your aquarium, you may skip adding a filtration system if the shrimp population is low.
But, having a filter can ensure the best water conditions for the shrimps in your tank. Therefore, we recommend adding a filter to your aquarium.
You must be sure that the filtration intake isn’t powerful as the filters may suck these little creatures, causing death.
Plants and decorations
Blue dream shrimps love plants. Therefore, we recommend keeping a densely planted aquarium for these species.
Shrimps love to scavenge on biofilm and algae that grow on this vegetation. And also, they use these plants and any other decorations to hide.
It’s actually funny to see them hiding, as no matter how they hide, they are still visible because of their color.
A common plant that aquarists keep with shrimps is Java Moss, as this plant also helps these creatures when they are breeding.
Water quality condition
Blue dream shrimps are pretty hardy species that can survive on tap water. However, if you can use RO/DI water with remineralizes, it will help them a lot.
In quality water conditions, these species thrive and live longer.
The ideal water,
Water Temperature- 65°F and 85°F
pH- 6.2 to 8
Hardness- 0 and 8 KH
Blue dream shrimp male or female identification
Sexing blue dream shrimp is difficult until they mature. It takes around 75 to 90 days for the shrimps to mature.
Female blue dream shrimps have slightly larger tails and a saddle formation on the upper body, behind the head.
This is where the female shrimp store eggs before fertilization. The berried shrimp (the female who is ready to fertilize the eggs) will show more prominent saddle formation.
The fully grown male shrimp is smaller and thinner than the fully-grown female shrimp.
Identify pregnant blue dream shrimp and their pregnancy stages
Pregnant shrimps are called “berried” shrimp. The abdomen of the berried shrimp is larger than other shrimp.
And also, the saddle formation of the berried shrimp is more prominent. When the female shrimp is buried, it immediately spawns with the male and fertilizes the eggs.
Once the eggs are fertilized, the female carries these eggs in a bag-like part called a “clutch.” Inside the clutch, the eggs incubate, and then fully grown shrimplets come out of this clutch.
The incubation period can be around 25 to 35 days depending on the temperature.
Blue dream shrimp breeding
Breeding blue dream shrimp is extremely easy. All you have to do is add a mated pair to an established fish tank without any other creatures and abide by the recommended water parameters. There is no need to adjust any water parameter to induce spawning.
After that, you just have to sit back and watch them do the miracle. The pair will spawn and fertilize the eggs.
And then, the female will carry the eggs in her “clutch.” You will easily find the pregnant shrimp as her abdomen gets bigger day by day.
The female shrimp will carry the eggs for about 25 to 35 days, depending on the water temperature. Then, she will release 20 to 50 fully grown shrimplets into the water.
These shrimplets can feed themselves, but the tank needs to have enough biofilm as they can only scavenge on biofilm in the first days.
How many babies do blue dream shrimp have?
Blue dream shrimps can produce 20 to 50 shrimplets per hatching. If the female is larger than usual, she can carry even more.
Blue dream shrimp fry care
Blue dream shrimp fry are fully grown at the time of hatching. They are like miniature versions of adult blue dream shrimps and also can feed themselves.
However, as they are too small, they can only feed on biofilm until they become juveniles. It takes around 60 days for the shrimplets to become juveniles.
So, you need to be sure that your aquarium has enough biofilm for the shrimplets to feed on until they can scavenge on other food.
If your aquarium is densely planted and is established, then there is not much you have to do for the shrimplets to thrive.
Special tips
Never use any medication, food product, or fertilizers that contain copper of any form. Copper is highly toxic to blue dream shrimps and can kill the shrimp even in small concentrations.
How to feed blue dream shrimp?
Blue dream shrimps need a very small amount of food. Overfeeding is a common cause of death for these species.
So, feed only once per day and do not feed them more than they can eat in two hours. You can feed your shrimp with fish flakes, pellets, blanched vegetables like carrots, spinach, zucchini, and algae wafers.
If your aquarium is densely planted, your shrimp may not need any extra food at all.
What fish can live with blue dream shrimp?
As blue dream shrimp is a peaceful species, any peaceful fish, shrimp, or snail that is similar or small-sized can live with these shrimps.
Some compatible tank mates for blue dream shrimp are,
- Other dwarf shrimp
- Small, peaceful fish
- Hillstream Loaches
- Otocinclus
- Ram Cichlids
- Small tetras
- Asian Stone Catfish
- Bushynose Plecos
- Corydoras Catfish
- Danios
- Guppies
- Filter Shrimp
- Vampire Shrimp
- Singapore Flower Shrimp
- All types of snails
You should not keep any large omnivore or carnivore fish or invertebrates with blue dream shrimps as they may prey on the shrimps.
And also, avoid adding any aggressive species with the shrimps to prevent unwanted stress.
Related questions
Will Blue Dream shrimp breed with cherry shrimp?
Yes. Both blue dream shrimp and cherry shrimp are the same species.
Therefore, they can breed together. However, the offspring may result in the wild Sakura red cherry shrimp color. If you want to experiment with various colors, try breeding blue dream shrimp with a bloody mary. This combination may result in red and blue colors.
How do you take Care of Blue Dream shrimp?
Taking Care of blue dream shrimp is extremely easy.
You just have to provide optimum water conditions in your aquarium, and they will thrive with minimum feedings. If your aquarium has lots of plants, you don’t have to feed them at all.
Are blue shrimp rare?
No. Blue dream shrimp are not a rare species.
They are a common color variation of Neocaridina Davidi that is available to buy in the aquarium trade. Blue dream shrimp is a captive-bred species. So, you will not find these shrimps anywhere in the wild.
Are caridina shrimp Blue Dream?
No. Blue dream shrimp is a Neocaridina shrimp species.
Caridina and Neocaridina are different types. So, caridina shrimp is not a blue dream.
However, there is a blue color variation of caridina shrimp, which is called blue bolt shrimp. Blue bolt shrimp is a fragile shrimp species that is difficult to care for.
One look Care guide
| Scientific name | Neocaridina Davidi |
| Common name | Blue dream shrimp, Blue Velvet Shrimp, Deep Blue Shrimp and Sapphire shrimp |
| Care level | Easy |
| Native to | Captive-Bred |
| Type | Shrimp |
| Color | Blue |
| Tank size | 5-gallon minimum, 10 gallon optimum |
| Prefered temperature | 65°F and 85°F |
| Other water parameters (ammonia ,ect) | pH- 6.2 to 8Hardness- 0 and 8 KHAmmonia (mg L-1) <0.1Nitrite (mg L_1) <0.1 |
| Prefered salinity | No salinity, Blue bolt shrimp is a freshwater specie |
| Size of the Blue dream shrimp | 2 inches maximum, 1-1.5 inches average |
| Life Span | 1 to 2 years |
| Temperament | Peaceful |
| Recommended tank mates | any peaceful fish, shrimp, or snail that is similar or small sized |
| Prefered food | Biofilmfish pelletsflakesblanched vegetables like carrots, spinach, zucchinialgae wafers |
| Feeding frequency | Once per day, No need for feeding if the aquarium is densely planted |
| Breeding | Very easy (a high order shrimp) |
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