Blue velvet shrimps are one of the most beautiful additions to your water tank. They are appealing and eye-catching in multiple ways. All of them are low maintenance in care, and they breed quickly.
Contents
- 1 Blue Velvet Shrimp
- 1.1 Common names of blue velvet shrimps
- 1.2 Origin of blue velvet shrimps
- 1.3 Habitat
- 1.4 The appearance of blue velvet shrimps
- 1.5 Diet of Blue Velvet Shrimps
- 1.6 Tank requirements and size
- 1.7 Water Requirements
- 1.8 Breeding of blue velvet shrimps
- 1.9 Behavior with tank mates
- 1.10 Life span
- 1.11 Care of blue velvet shrimps
- 1.12 Do they die due to shock?
- 1.13 Do they need heat to survive?
- 1.14 Do they breed with other species?
- 1.15 Do blue velvet shrimp need oxygenation artificially?
- 1.16 Do they survive without the tank’s filter?
- 1.17 Cost
Blue Velvet Shrimp
These are radiant and fascinating shrimps and are extremely popular in the fish tank community. These are tropical shrimps with versatile features and attractive movements.
People tend to like them due to their fantastic features and multi-colors. They are pacific naturally and adjust inside the fish tank easily. Everyone wants them at their first glance at them, and they offer a soothing sensation to the eyes.
The addition of blue velvet shrimps in the tropical environment suddenly changes the habitat. It starts looking beautiful for the viewers, and everyone loves this sight. It is one of the best choices to add a valuable character to the fish tank. They are unique, versatile, and significant in various purposes.
In the community trade, they are one of the best shrimps to keep them. The low maintenance and care allow them to live for a period. Blue velvet shrimps give a sense of relaxation to their owners.
They glow the whole aquarium when they swim inside it with their radiant blue colors. It is one of the most suitable tiny creatures for freshwater tanks.
They are survivors, and the pacific temperament makes them compatible. The shrimps live happily with the low parameters but never compromise on water’s quality.
Profile of blue velvet shrimps
| Scientific name | Neocaridinadavidi |
| The common name | blue velvet shrimp |
| Compatibility | Compatible for casual aquariums and tropical aquariums |
| Level of maintenance | Easy |
| Tank size for shrimps | 5-9 gallons of water |
| Diet omnivores | Eat vegetables and meat |
| Breeding process | Selective inbreeding mechanism, faster growth |
| Behavior | Tolerant and pacific |
| Temper in the tank | Calm and peaceful |
| Size | approximately 1-2 inches |
| Biotope | Amazonian |
| Safety towards plants | Yes |
| Predator | No |
| Life span | Approximately two years |
Common names of blue velvet shrimps
The scientific name of the blue velvet shrimp is Neocaridina, and it has multiple casual titles. They are well known as blue dwarf shrimps and velvety shrimps.
All of the common names show the bright and appealing color and body of the shrimps. They belong to the family of Atyidae and comprise many colors like green, blue, orange, violet, and brown.
Origin of blue velvet shrimps
The origin of blue velvet shrimps is Taiwan, and they are wild in their causalities. One of the most excellent shrimps to keep in the aquaria.
The classification base on the colors that make them significant. They are present all over the world and especially in the hearts of their owners. They have over 300 diverse species.
Habitat
They are freshwater shrimps, and they can live in all types of aquariums. The only condition is a good quality of water meeting all the essential parameters. They also like to live in freshwater lakes, rivers, and other swamps.
The surrounding helps them in the feeding process amazingly. They are tropical shrimps, and that’s why they are so much in demand. The blue velvet shrimps are compatible with the community tanks and other tanks with plants.
They remain safe and alive for an extended time with all the essential parameters of water. The survival span increases with better pH conditions and less dissolving solids. These are tiny, so they get the impact of almost everything.
The appearance of blue velvet shrimps
Blue velvet shrimps are a shade of any blue; the color varies from species to species. They are eye captivating due to their radiant texture all over their body.
Few shrimps have a tint of green to brown color on their bodies. The shrimp’s color gets intense due to bold substrate and an adequate diet.
They have to pop eyes that are yellow that spark in the dark. It is one of the unique features which make the whole aquarium bright.
Their body is in the form of cuts and waves. The scales appear dark to light blue, and few have a tint of green in the center.
They are with smoother bodies and thin tails. The legs are in pair, and they are mostly three in number. They have a structure like human hands that helps in capturing the food.
The abdomens are thicker than the whole body, the antennas on the head keep on moving all the time. The full-body contains the same color from head to tail. Few of them have dots on full or half of their body.
Size
In their full growing form, they are approximately one to two inches long. The female shrimps are larger than the male ones. The genetics of the breed affect the size of the animal. The care and its quality also provide excellent growth of size.
Always buy them from authentic places so that they remain in accurate size and condition all the time.
Diet of Blue Velvet Shrimps
They are scavengers and depend on any food item. They need a tiny amount of feed at once, and you can feed them twice or thrice a day.
These shrimps like to eat algae and other micro-organisms. They move across the plants of the aquarium and try to find out the food. These shrimps like to eat cucumber.
It never eats the fresh and healthy plants of the fish tank. Blue velvet shrimps work as a cleaner of old and dead plants. Always add a minute quantity of leaves in their feed; it makes the food fascinating for them. A blue and tiny thing likes to eat all types of fish flakes and their leftover food.
The diversity of diet provides them with complete and balanced meals. They like to eat versatile food and are not choosy.
Food items they like to eat
- Vegetables
- Leaves
- Meat
- Fish flakes
- Leftover food
Feeding mechanism
Few people prefer to give two to three meals to these tiny things inside the tank. The proper diet conditions keep them healthy, and they perform their activities in excellent ways. Cut or grind the feed items into small pieces berceuse of the shrimps’ size.
They do not like to eat large chunks of feed. They are non-selective, but as a shrimp keeper, and always add diversity to the menu. Add flakes of fish food with some meat and grind them together.
Feed them manually or use a thread mechanism. You can also put the serving at the bottom of the fish tank in an enclosed bag.
Tank requirements and size
They do not require a large aquarium for their survival. These shrimps live in small to medium aquaria for multiple periods. A four to ten-gallon tank is ideal for them, but you need to keep all the water parameters excellent.
Cycle the water of the tank before adding these sensitive creatures in them. They do not tolerate the excessive levels of nitrogen and ammonia in the fish tank.
Filter: all the filters for blue velvet shrimps must contain marine land qualities. The filters must comprise sponging quality; they are excellent for the life of tiny things.
Pump: the pump should be an air pump to keep the fish tank oxygenated all the time. Use tetra whisper pumps for these shrimps.
Type of substrate: Always use inert substrate for the aquariums while keeping them. Sand is not an excellent substrate for all of these.
They keep on eating all day and night. It increases their poop quantity, and you can see it visible in the water. The poop starts floating inside the water, and it makes the water cloudy.
The form of gravel is excellent for their survival. Shrimps enjoy the tank’s gravel more than the sand at the tank’s bottom.
Decoration: decorate the tank with fresh green plants, and you can also add coconuts and other woods.
| Number of shrimps | Size of tank |
| 3-5 shrimps | 5-gallon tank |
| 5-10 shrimps | 10 gallon |
| More than 10 shrimps | 10-15 gallon tank |
Water Requirements
| Water requirements | Range |
| Ph. | 6-7 approximately |
| Carbonates and bicarbonates | 1-10 |
| Ammonia level | Nil |
| Nitrate level | Nil |
| The temperature of water | 25-28 degree centigrade |
| Total dissolving solids | 125-200 |
Breeding of blue velvet shrimps
The breeding process is fantastic and quick in the aquariums. In the presence of standard conditions, they breed excessively and multiply in their numbers. The supply of enough food and balanced water parameter make the multiple faster.
The female shrimps carry twenty to thirty eggs under their tails. It is a unique egg carrying mechanism that makes them versatile.
The small fins provide constant air to the eggs and keep them oxygenated. The newborn is the exact shape of their adults, but the size is small.
They are mature enough to feed them by themselves. The baby shrimps take the time of seventy to seventy-four days approximately and become full adults. They start the breeding cycle after their complete growth.
| Growth cycle | Features |
| The shape of the baby | same as an adult |
| Number of eggs | approximately 20-30 |
| Full growth | 74-75 days |
Behavior with tank mates
The fish like to eat shrimps in the wild areas. All type of animals lives together in freshwaters all over the world. In the absence of food, the fish attack the tiny and engulf them and shrimps can jump out of the tank to protect them.
It is not a good idea to keep the fish with these shrimps in a small tank. The blue velvet shrimp is such a peaceful animal that sometimes the owner feels that it’s not alive.
They put their selves on the substrate and enjoy their span of life. The mixing of blue velvet shrimps with multiple colors results in various species with diverse colors. It is not a good idea in case you are breeding them for sale.
Best tank mates
- Snails of Japanese origin
- Trumpet
- Mystery
- Wizard and Assassin snails
Life span
One of the unique features of their lifespan is that they depend on their sizes. The females are larger than the male shrimp. They live longer than the male creatures because of this unique quality.
The average life span of a blue velvet shrimp is 1.5-2 years. They usually die after this duration with or without the disease. They are short-living species, and you should take advantage soon. The span of life remains the same in all types of aquariums.
The planted aquariums increase the quality of life, but they do not help them in living. Excellent water conditions and proper diets increase the years for blue velvet shrimps. There is no documented evidence for this phenomenon.
Care of blue velvet shrimps
These are easy to handle, and the care involves small techniques. They do not adjust the inappropriate water conditions and then jump out of the tank.
Always keep the waters calm and excellent for them. They tolerate a range of temperatures. They die due to excessive heat or cold. Always keep the limits inside the aquaria and keep them alive, although these shrimps can regenerate limbs.
Also, they are non-selective in terms of food, and it makes maintenance easy. They survive in all types of freshwaters, but filtrations make the environment comfortable for them.
Always maintain the quality of food, or it affects the digesting capacity of the shrimps. Cheap food deteriorates the internal system of the shrimp, and they die. They like to eat algae, but an excess of the material leads to problems. Also, maintain hygienic conditions of water and meal supply.
They are animals of freshwaters worldwide; they like to live with trees and plants. The environment of planted aquarium changes their behavior positively. They sense the feeling of protection inside the water tank. The swimming capacity increases in them gradually.
Blue velvet shrimps are pacifying pets, and they live happily. They are not attackers of other mates in the tank, and all the shrimps create a fantastic view by moving around in the water.
The radiant blue color attracts the attention of views towards them. They are fast in their movements, and within a second, they can go to the top of the tank and then come back. They like to play around the plants and gaze for food in them.
These shrimps enjoy more time in the bottom of the tank, but it also keeps the tank oxygenated with swimming. They like to dance and attract the fish, and it makes them rare. Shrimps do not behave oddly in new tanks until the tank conditions are excellent.
Do they die due to shock?
Few people supply feed to the shrimps in the form of bag food, and they drop it from the top of the tank.
It is a sudden situation for the shrimps, and most of them cannot handle the circumstances due to their tiny size. Sudden shock in the blue velvet shrimps leads to death. Also, few of them do not die immediately, but they stay in a state of shock.
The final stage is the death of the shrimp, and there is no cure for this. You have to be cautious about this procedure and always put the bag slowly.
Do they need heat to survive?
They are survivors of a wide range of temperatures, and a heater is not an excellent choice for the aquariums.
They can survive at room temperatures, and sometimes when the temperature fluctuates very often, and then adds a heating device.
Do they breed with other species?
They are selective in their breeding, but they choose the same color shrimps. They do not like to crossbreed inside the fish tank. All of them live together, but they do not cross the specific level.
Do blue velvet shrimp need oxygenation artificially?
All blue velvet shrimps require oxygen levels for their survival in freshwater, and they create their aura by swimming all over the aquarium.
An artificial air stone is a good option in some cases, and sponge filters suck the maximum oxygen from the surface and bottom of the fish tank.
It does not increase the span of shrimp’s life, but it enhances the quality of life.
Do they survive without the tank’s filter?
They do not survive without a filter of biological nature. A shrimp requires a filter and maximum air supply. They feel suffocation in the absence of air, and it is a deadly condition.
The presence of plants generates maximum oxygen levels, and they support the filter equally. The moderation keeps the tiny creature alive with better environmental conditions.
Cost
They are cost-effective but are expensive than other shrimps. The appearance of color makes them unique from other shrimps. There is no specific rate of them; it varies according to the community. The fish stores sell them in terms of shrimp varieties and areas of belonging.
The egg carrying capacity increases their rate three times than the normal. The cost range from $5 to $40, and it varies with fish stores and species. They like to live in groups so you should buy them at least in a group of five to ten. It is a good investment, and it enhances the beauty of the fish tank.
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