Neocaridina vs Caridina: Which Shrimp Should I Start With?

Choosing your first shrimp can feel a bit overwhelming. So many names, colours, and water numbers – and everyone online seems very sure about their favourite.

This guide keeps it simple:

• What Neocaridina are like.

• What Caridina are like.

• Which one fits better as a first shrimp project.

You don’t need to know everything before you start. You just need a direction that fits your water, budget, and patience.

---

Short Answer

If you’re a beginner, especially using tap water in Indonesia/Malaysia:

• Start with Neocaridina if:

  • You want colourful shrimp that are more forgiving.

  • You plan to use conditioned tap water.

  • You’re okay with “learn as you go” as long as you keep things stable.

• Consider Caridina later if:

  • You’re ready to plan your water more carefully (RO + minerals).

  • You enjoy tweaking details and going slower.

  • You’re comfortable spending a bit more on setup and shrimp.

Both are beautiful. The main difference is:
Neocaridina give you more room for mistakes. Caridina give you more room for obsession.

---

Meet Neocaridina: The “Learn and Enjoy” Shrimp

Neocaridina are often sold as:

• Cherry shrimp (red)

• Yellow shrimp

• Blue dream, blue velvet

• Orange, rili patterns, and many more

They are popular for a reason:

Why beginners like Neocaridina

• More forgiving of tap water
  In many parts of Indonesia/Malaysia, tap water is:

  • Neutral to slightly alkaline pH.

  • Medium hardness (not extremely soft).

  This often suits Neocaridina with just dechlorinator and basic care.
  (Still: always test your own water and match your shrimp to that.)

• Wide choice of colours
  You can build a colourful colony in a small tank and watch them graze all day.

• Breed easily when happy
  In a stable tank with enough food and hiding spots, Neocaridina often breed steadily.

Neocaridina water parameters (approximate)

These are comfortable ranges, not rigid rules:

• pH: ~6.5–7.8

• GH (general hardness): medium

• KH (carbonate hardness): low–medium

• TDS: often moderate, depending on your tap water and how much you add

If you’re not sure what GH, KH, and TDS mean, you can read GH, KH, and TDS – the three water numbers that matter.

For tips on avoiding sudden KH swings, see keeping your KH steady in a shrimp tank.

The key message:
They don’t need perfect numbers. They need numbers that don’t jump around.

---

Meet Caridina: The “Careful Project” Shrimp

Caridina shrimp include many of the more “fancy” types:

• Crystal red / crystal black shrimp

• Taiwan bee shrimp (pandas, king kongs, etc.)

• Some types of tiger shrimp (with stripes)

They can be incredibly beautiful, but they ask for more control.

Why many keep Caridina as a later project

• Sensitive to water changes
  Most Caridina prefer:

  • Slightly acidic water.

  • Low KH.

  • Carefully controlled GH.

  Because of this, many keepers use RO (reverse osmosis) water + shrimp mineral salts instead of straight tap water.

• Depend on substrate choice
  Caridina are often kept on active soil that helps keep pH lower and more stable.
  This means more planning before setup:

  • Which soil?

  • How long to let it cycle?

  • How to remineralise water for water changes?

• Usually more expensive
  Special patterns and high-grade shrimp can cost more, and losing them due to a mistake can hurt both the heart and the wallet.

Caridina water parameters (approximate)

These are general “soft water Caridina” guidelines (exact range depends on type):

• pH: ~5.5–6.8

• GH: usually lower than Neocaridina

• KH: often close to 0

• TDS: controlled through remineralisation

Again, you can link out for readers who want the nerdy side:

• [link internally to article about active soil for Caridina]

• [link internally to RO vs tap water for shrimp]

Main idea: Caridina need you to decide the water, not just accept the tap as it is.

---

Stability vs Perfection

It’s easy to get lost in numbers and charts. But for both shrimp types:

• Ammonia and nitrite should always be 0.

• Nitrate should be kept low to moderate with water changes and plants.

• Temperature should stay stable (big swings are stressful).

• Water changes should be small and regular, not huge and random.

Shrimp do not read parameter charts.
They “read”:

• How fast the water changes.

• How much biofilm and hiding space they have.

• Whether they get shocked every time you do maintenance.

If you’d like a simple way to record your readings and water changes, you can use the AquaLog Water Tracker & Calculator.

“Don’t chase perfect numbers every day. Aim for a calm, stable tank and slow changes.”

---

Temperament and Behaviour

Most dwarf shrimp, both Neocaridina and Caridina, behave similarly:

• Peaceful grazers
  They wander over plants, wood, rock, and glass all day, picking at biofilm in aquariums – that thin layer of life on every surface and bits of food.

• Shy when stressed
  Sudden movement, strong lighting, or aggressive tank mates can make them hide more.

• More active in groups
  A small colony (10–20+ shrimp) often feels safer than just a couple. They are social in a quiet way.

The difference is mainly in how easy it is to get to this “calm, grazing” stage.

• With Neocaridina, you can often reach it using tap water and patience.

• With Caridina, you often need an extra layer of planning first.

---

Breeding: Filling the Tank Slowly

Neocaridina breeding

• When comfortable, Neocaridina can breed steadily.

• A berried female (carrying eggs) is a common sight in a healthy tank.

• Babies can often grow up in the same water as the adults with no special treatment, as long as:

• There is enough biofilm and algae for them to graze on

• There are no strong predators.

• You avoid big parameter swings.

If you want to boost this natural food before adding a lot of shrimp, you can accelerate biofilm production for shrimp tanks.

Over time, in stable conditions, many keepers see the tank “fill up” with shrimp of different sizes.

Caridina breeding

• Caridina can also breed very well, but:

  • They are often less forgiving of small mistakes.

  • Some lines are more fragile due to selective breeding.

• Eggs and babies may be more sensitive to:

  • Temperature spikes.

  • Rapid TDS or pH changes.

  • Very dirty or very “new” tanks with unstable parameters.

This doesn’t mean you must be perfect. It means:

“Give yourself time to practice with easy-mode shrimp first, if you can.”

---

Colour Mixing and Line Purity

This is a small but important note:

• Neocaridina of different colours
  If you mix different Neocaridina colours (for example red + yellow + blue), over time:

  • They interbreed.

  • The colours can become more wild or brownish.

  • Your original strong colour lines may fade.

  This is not “wrong” if you just want a natural look. It just surprises people who expect pure red forever.

• Caridina patterns
  Many Caridina patterns are also line-bred, and some keepers are very careful about which shrimp they mix to keep patterns consistent.

You can simply explain and let the reader choose:

• If you love one strong colour, stick to one Neocaridina line in that tank.

• If you like surprises, mixing colours is an option, but expect “nature” to blend them.

---

Cost, Equipment, and Planning

Starting with Neocaridina

Roughly, a beginner Neocaridina project might look like:

• Small tank (e.g. 20–40L).

• Sponge filter or gentle HOB filter.

• Inert or simple planted-tank substrate.

• Plants, moss, some wood and stones.

• Conditioned tap water.

• Basic test kit to monitor ammonia, nitrite, nitrate.

• A small starter group of shrimp.

If you want to see how a full setup comes together, here’s my natural shrimp tank – Neocaridina (how I set mine up).

Starting with Caridina

A Caridina project often includes:

• Similar tank size (20–40L or more).

• Sponge or gentle filter.

• Active soil substrate.

• RO water + shrimp mineral salts.

• More precise control of remineralisation and water changes.

• Careful choice of tank mates (often shrimp-only).

This doesn’t have to be scary; it just adds more steps.

---

So… Which Shrimp Should You Start With?

A few simple questions can help readers decide:

1. What water will you use?

   • “Only tap water, with conditioner”
     → Neocaridina are usually the safer starting point.

   • “I already use / plan to use RO water and minerals”
     → You can choose either, but Caridina will demand more precision.

2. How much “fine-tuning” do you enjoy?

   • “I want something low-stress, to learn slowly.”
     → Neocaridina.

   • “I like numbers and don’t mind extra steps each water change.”
     → Caridina may be fun for you later.

3. How do you feel about risk and cost?

   • “I’d be really sad losing expensive shrimp while still a beginner.”
     → Start with Neocaridina, build confidence, then expand.

   • “I’m okay investing time and money into a more delicate project.”
     → Consider a carefully planned Caridina tank.

---

Gentle Closing Thought

You don’t have to choose the “perfect” shrimp from the start.

You can:

• Begin with Neocaridina in a simple, stable tank.

• Learn how your tap water behaves.

• Get used to testing, topping up, and watching your shrimp’s behaviour.

• Then, when you feel ready, set up a second tank for Caridina with more specific water.

Both paths are valid. The slow path is often kinder to both you and the shrimp.

If you enjoy softer, tea-coloured water and leaf litter, you might also like creating a balanced aquarium with humic substances.