Calico Sunkist Neocaridina Shrimp (Neocaridina davidi) carries the vivid, saturated orange of the Sunkist line — named for its resemblance to the citrus brand's warm orange, distinct from the cooler or redder tones of Cherry or Fire Red Neocaridina — broken up by irregular white patterning that gives every shrimp a unique, multi-toned pattern. The "calico" descriptor refers to this irregular, multi-toned patterning, borrowed from the same term used in calico cats and calico platies. No two Calico Sunkist shrimp look exactly alike.
All Neocaridina davidi color varieties are color-selected lines of a single species native to Taiwan. The wild form is a drab olive-brown, barely resembling its descendants. Decades of selective breeding by dedicated hobbyists and commercial breeders isolated and intensified natural color and pigment mutations across hundreds of generations to produce today's extraordinary palette.
A note on mixing colors: Neocaridina color varieties will interbreed freely. Subsequent generations of crosses revert toward the ancestral wild-type — a muddy brown-olive. Keep each color variety in its own aquarium to maintain color quality.
| Calico Sunkist Neocaridina Shrimp | |
|---|---|
| Difficulty | Beginner — Easy |
| Temperament | Peaceful — safe with small non-predatory fish |
| Adult Size | 1.0–1.5 inches (2.5–4 cm) — females larger |
| Group Size | 10 minimum — colonies of 20–30+ thrive and breed readily |
| Ideal Temperature | 70–78°F (21–26°C) |
| Ideal pH | 7.0–7.5 |
| Ideal GH | 8–12 dGH |
| Ideal KH | 2–6 dKH |
| Ideal TDS | 150–250 |
| Staple Food | GlasGarten Shrimp Dinner 2; GlasGarten Bacter AE |
| Treat / Supplement | GlasGarten Shrimp Snacks; GlasGarten Shrimp Lollies 4 in 1; GlasGarten Mineral Junkie Bites; GlasGarten Mineral Food; GlasGarten Shrimp Baby Food (for juveniles) |
| Origin | Taiwan (captive-bred color selection of Neocaridina davidi) |
| Notes |
Copper: Fatal — never use copper medications in shrimp tanks Color Mixing: Do not mix Neocaridina color varieties — offspring revert to wild-type brown Pattern: Each individual is unique — irregular orange and white calico pattern Molting: Do not remove molted shells — shrimp consume them for minerals Breeding: Berried females carry eggs 3–4 weeks; shrimplets need Bacter AE and Baby Food |
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