Grading blue dream shrimp (Neocaridina davidi var. "Blue Dream")
Of all the color varieties of Neocaridina davidi out there, blue is probably the most confusing to beginning shrimp keepers. There is a bunch of different blue varieties available, some with multiple common names (blue dream, blue fairy, blue jelly, blue rili, blue velvet... ahhh!). On top of that, you'll find that each exists in various hues and levels of color coverage, which affects the shrimp's desirability and the price it can fetch.
Is your head spinning yet? We're here to help. This article discusses the various grades of blue dream shrimp (Neocaridina davidi var. "Blue Dream"), which should hopefully help you identify your shrimp as a blue dream and determine where it falls on the scale.
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Grading blue dream shrimp (Neocaridina davidi var. “Blue Dream”)
Like with all Neocaridina davidi varieties, including the immensely popular red cherry, aquarists created the blue dream shrimp through selective breeding of a brownish wild type shrimp. The resulting blue specimens are not created equal: they can vary from a deep, dark and opaque blue color to light and splotchy, as well as everything in between.
Shrimp with entirely opaque coloration are more difficult to produce than ones with translucent patches. This is because the process involves continuous selective breeding and removal of all but the best colored shrimp. Why would a breeder do this? Well, it's simply a matter of preference.
The shrimp hobby as a whole views more opaque, evenly and deeply colored shrimp as more visually pleasing, and therefore, as more desirable. In short, we consider them to be a higher grade/higher quality. Because these shrimp are harder to come by than their less nicely colored counterparts, they fetch a higher price.
So, how do you know where your blue dream shrimp falls on this scale? The chart below can help you figure out the grade of an individual shrimp or your colony as a whole.
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How to determine grade
- There are no clear definitions. First off, the most important thing to keep in mind is that there is no real clear agreement on blue dream shrimp grading yet. We've attempted to put together a system based on community feedback, but individual preferences vary. We're not attempting to impose a standard here, just trying to clear things up a little!
- Opaqueness & even coloration determine grade. A top grade blue dream shrimp should be a deep and even blue all over. Even the tips of its legs can't show any translucent patches. Black head coloration is generally considered less desirable than an even blue color with no hints of black.
- Rusty trait. Some blue dream shrimp can look like they've "rusted" on top. This trait can occur in all grades and most shrimp keepers agree it doesn't affect grading.
- Hues can vary. Some blue dream shrimp show hints of purple, others are nearly black. Yet others feature a much lighter color. Hue does not impact grade and a purplish shrimp can be top grade just like a blueberry colored one.
- Female vs. male shrimp. In Neocaridina shrimp, gender can really affect a shrimp's grade. Males are generally smaller and lower in grade, which splotchier color. Only in the highest grades are the males generally relatively equal to the females in color.
- Personal preference matters. If you're looking to breed blue dream shrimp to sell, you'll often want to aim to produce specimens that fall into the higher grades. After all, they are considered better quality and fetch a higher price. Are they technically better, though? They're not. "Low grade" shrimp are just as healthy, or even healthier (due to lower levels of inbreeding) than high grade ones. In the end, the most important factor is what you think looks best!

Buying blue dream shrimp
Blue dream shrimp are a relatively popular Neocaridina davidi variety. Although not all aquarium stores will carry them, some will, or they might be able to order a few for you. An easier way to obtain your starter colony is to buy online. The Shrimp Farm sells high-quality, homebred blue dream shrimp and ships them right to your doorstep with live arrival guarantee. You can get your colony here!
Quiz answer: This is a medium grade blue dream shrimp. Note the striped and not fully opaque legs!
Does temperature affect coloration?
Is it possible to continuously have mixed hues? Like some blurple, a few dark blue, some light sky blue. When they breed will they eventually all be the same if I don't introduce anyone new, or will they continue to be varied?
Explain the rusty effect. How can you tell in the photo whether it's a black head spot or a rusty effect? I thought it was medium grade at best. How do you make it happen deliberately? Is it a genetic thing, or food and enrichment based or? Are there degrees of rustiness, like how you might just have a small patch or it might cover their entire backs and a bit on the sides?
Are there different terms for general hues? There doesn't seem to be. Like pastel ones might be “sky pink/blue/etc”, darker ones might be called “midnight red/blue/whatever”, almost translucent pale ones might be called “spirit so and so”?
Thanks so much, this has been a great source of information!
First off, for rili shrimp, it's still desirable for them to be opaque in the colored spots. It's just that folks like the effect of a mixture of colored and opaque, which looking at rili shrimp is pretty easy to understand. I think they look really (rili?) cool. My favorites are our "Little Red Riding Hood" red rilis!
Secondly, yes, temperature can affect coloration, but probably not permanently. Higher temperatures boost a shrimp's metabolic rate (see this study for example), which we can probably assume also boosts pigment production. Temperatures that are too high or too low can cause stress, which in turn makes colors appear more faded.
You will more than likely always have mixed hues, yes. Shrimp genetics are funky, so they never all look the same. If you let them breed freely without culling (not necessarily killing, but just moving to a cull tank is fine) shrimp that don't have good coloration, the grade of your colony may eventually drop. You can see some fun mutations popping up over time.
For the rusty effect, it really is quite reddish, not black. Yes, it's a genetic thing, and if you don't like it you can probably breed it out of your colony by continuously removing shrimp that exhibit the trait. We've seen it range from a small spot behind the head to the entire front of the body and even the tail. You can most likely breed the rustiest shrimp together to produce super rusty ones, though you'd probably get a lot of culls. As for degrees of rustiness, the only one I saw named is the "Spider-Man shrimp", but as I mention below, anyone can slap whatever name on new colors. Interestingly, the rusty trait is also seen in orange-eye blue tiger shrimp, by the way.
In terms of names, common names for shrimp species and especially colors are not standardized. It gets pretty confusing actually, as anyone can slap whatever name they like on their lines! Not to mention that breeders independently reached a deep blue coloration in Neocaridina shrimp multiple times, leading to reaaally similar looking lines but with different origins. Have a look at our post on blue shrimp and compare blue dream vs. blue diamond or blue velvet vs. blue jelly! They're almost identical, but as charts like this one reveal, they were achieved in different ways (WT is wild type, or the starting point).
Hope that answers your questions. Feel free to reply back, we love chatting about shrimp :)