Everyone’s crazy about blue shrimps, and this includes blue dream shrimp, one of the newest additions available for aquarium hobbyists!
There is something truly special about shrimp. These tiny critters add a unique factor to every aquarium! However, due to their small size, it can be a challenge to notice tiny differences between numerous morphs that exist nowadays. One of those popular morphs is – you’ve guessed it! – blue dream shrimp.
What makes this dwarf shrimp species different from the others? Are they challenging to care for? I’ll give you all the answers you need if this is your first time finding out about this gorgeous little animal!
Let’s get started.
History and Taxonomy
Blue dream shrimp is a morph of neocaridina davidi shrimp. Just like all neocaridina, it is a dwarf freshwater shrimp species.
It is unclear when and where blue dream shrimp was first bred. Some breeders even consider blue dream shrimp to be the same as the blue velvet shrimp! Others argue that there are many differences between the two.
Other names for this shrimp include blue fantasy shrimp or fantasy blue velvet.
Blue Dream Shrimp Size and Appearance
If you’re familiar with the appearance of blue velvet shrimp, you’ll see why some people think these two shrimps look the same.
Blue dream shrimp looks like the highest grade blue velvet shrimp you can find!
They come in a deep blue color and any markings or spots are considered faults. This differentiates them from many other blue shrimps that can usually come in various shades and patterns.
Also, they shouldn’t be transparent, but rather as opaque as possible.
As for their size, they are pretty standard size for most dwarf shrimp species. This means that males can reach the size of 1.25 inches, while females grow up to 1.5 inches in size. However, most will grow to be around an inch long.
Blue Dream Shrimp Care
If you’ve ever owned any neocaridina shrimp morph, such as blue jelly shrimp or blue pearl shrimp, you won’t have any issues caring for these small shrimp as they require the same type of care.
These are hardy shrimp that aren’t overly sensitive to poor conditions. Still, if you want your shrimp to thrive, you need to provide them with an environment that resembles their natural habitat as closely as possible.
Below are several tips on how you can achieve just that!
Feeding
Blue dream shrimp are omnivores, or rather, scavengers. Their diet consists of algae and biofilm, so they will thrive in a community tank with lots of natural plants! Don’t worry – they won’t eat live, healthy plants. They’ll only munch on rotten plant leaves while using plants for grazing and hiding.
Shrimp, together with other waste eating fish, are considered great tank cleaners. They’ll eat fish waste and debris that falls to the bottom of the tank, making your gravel a bit cleaner. If you hate cleaning the fish tank gravel, owning a blue dream shrimp colony might help you a bit.
Still, there’s one warning I have to give you: Never overfeed your shrimp! More shrimp die from overfeeding than from starvation.
While shrimp in general don’t have an issue with becoming overweight, too many food leftovers can ruin the water quality, causing many illnesses.
As such, you should only give them an amount of food they can eat in about an hour or two. If there are any food leftovers, take them out.
Also, if you have a community tank, you don’t have to feed your shrimp every day as they’ll eat fish waste and debris in the meantime. Instead, give them some shrimp pellets every two to three days. This will be more than enough for them to thrive.
Tank Size and Equipment
Blue dream shrimp are ideal beginner shrimp not just for their easy care but also as they can be kept in fairly small tanks.
Still, I would suggest you keep your shrimp colony in a 10-gallon tank. This will give them enough space to roam and hide.
Not just that, but if their living conditions are right, they can reproduce rather quickly. While a 5-gallon tank is enough for a small to medium shrimp colony, by giving them more space you won’t have to move their offspring once the colony multiplies.
As for decorations, blue dream shrimp love to hide! Give them plenty of live plants, houses, woods, plastic pipes and other hiding spots. This will give them a sense of security. Not to mention how much fun they’ll have in a nicely decorated aquarium!
Of course, you need to have a filter (a sponge filter is the best as it cannot hurt the tiny shrimp). This will help keep the water oxygenated.
When it comes to substrate, blue dream shrimp can adapt to most types of bottom coverings. However, they’ll thrive on gravel as this is a great substrate for collecting fish waste. Just don’t use large rocks, as these might hurt dwarf shrimp.
Water Parameters
Blue dream shrimp are tropical shrimp, so they prefer a bit warmer water, but not as warm as some other neocaridina. A temperature range of 65 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit is ideal, although they can survive in water that is a bit warmer or colder.
They require neutral acidity levels, and they can survive when the pH is between 6.5 and 8.0. Still, you should attempt to have your pH as close to 7.2 as possible.
These are freshwater shrimp that don’t require brackish water during any life stage. As such, don’t use aquarium salt or its homemade variants.
To keep things short, these are all water parameters you need to know about:
| Water Temperature: | 65 – 75°F |
| Water pH: | 6.5 – 8.0 |
| Total Dissolved Salts: | 200 – 250 |
| Water Hardness: | 7 – 10 |
| Carbonate Hardness: | 3 – 5 |
Compatible Tank Mates
These are shy yet friendly shrimp that can live in a community tank. In fact, they’ll love company of other peaceful fish and critters, such as:
- Small, herbivore fish, such as neon tetras and guppies.
- Other peaceful dwarf shrimp species, for example amano shrimp or whisker shrimp.
- Herbivore snail species.
Don’t keep blue dream shrimp with larger fish, as they might be mistaken for food. They are pretty much defenseless against other animals.
Also, while they can live peacefully with other neocaridina shrimp, this can lead to them breeding together. In theory, there’s nothing wrong with this. However, such breeding can result in unattractive morphs, so your colony can lose its beauty in just a few generations.
Breeding
Most neocaridina shrimp species and morphs are easy to breed, and blue dream shrimp is no different. If you leave them alone in proper conditions, they’ll reproduce on their own in no time!
A female neocaridina carries eggs under her abdomen, hatching a bunch of larvae into the aquarium. To ensure your shrimp babies survive in large numbers, you might want to consider a 40-gallon breeder tank when you notice the mother is about to give birth.
Over time, you might notice your shrimp colony becoming darker. This is likely because blue dream shrimp is a morph of the wild schoko species that is fairly dark in color, so the natural genetics are coming through.
To avoid this, simply add a few fresh blue dream shrimp to your colony every few years.
Final Words
Blue dream shrimp is a gorgeous addition to not just novice tank owners, but also to more experienced ones who’d like to add a bit of color to their existing tank.
They are straightforward to care for and don’t require any special care that you wouldn’t give to most other freshwater shrimp. If you have any experience in keeping shrimp, you’ll find that these beauties require no effort whatsoever!
As for whether they are a whole different species or just a high-grade blue velvet shrimp, I personally don’t think that matters. They are gorgeous shrimps either way, and they’ll truly make all tanks stand out.
I hope this guide gives you a push forward you’ve needed for venturing into keeping these gorgeous little shrimp.
Hi fellow aquarists, I’m Ava and I’ve been an enthusiastic aquarium hobbyist for over four years now.
I’ve been amazed by these beautiful creatures since I was a kid and I’m thrilled to be sharing everything I’ve learned over the years with anyone who’s as passionate about the topic as I am.