Looking for a shrimp that's as easy to keep as the humble red cherry but as stunningly colored as more expensive and difficult species? Look no further! Carbon rili shrimp are a selectively bred Neocaridina davidi variety with amazing coloration. Their body contains both colored and (almost) translucent patches, which makes them a real eyecatcher. Even beginners can keep them and they don't need a special or complicated aquarium setup.

Keep reading for everything you need to know about carbon rili shrimp and keeping carbon rilis in your own aquarium!

Scientific nameNeocaridina davidi var. "Carbon Rili"
Common namesCarbon rili shrimp, rili shrimp, black rili shrimp
Difficulty levelEasy
OriginTaiwan
Carbon rili shrimp (Neocaridina davidi var. "Carbon Rili")

Setting up a carbon rili shrimp aquarium

Requirements

Like their cherry shrimp cousins, carbon rili shrimp aren't demanding at all. All you need for a thriving colony is a cycled aquarium of at least 5 gallons. You can use a sponge filter or gentle hang on back/internal filter to cycle the tank and keep the water clean. A heater isn't necessary as long as the ambient temperature is stable.

Be sure to provide plenty of hiding places to help your carbon rili shrimp feel safe, especially if you're keeping them in an aquarium with fish or other invertebrates. Shrimp are prey animals that are vulnerable during molting time and like to be able to retreat to a safe, calm place. Any hides you can offer will be appreciated. Live plants, leaf litter, shrimp tubes, anything works!

Water quality

Although carbon rili shrimp are less particular about water quality than some other popular dwarf shrimp, they still need clean water. As discussed earlier the tank should always be fully cycled before any shrimp are introduced. You can test whether the aquarium is cycled using a liquid test kit. Ammonia and nitrite should always be zero, as they are extremely poisonous to all aquatic creatures including shrimp. Nitrate can be a little higher but should still be kept as low as possible.

Maintenance-wise, keep an eye on the water values using your test kit and do regular (weekly) water changes to keep nitrates under control. When testing your water values, don't forget to have a look at the thermometer as well! Fluctuating, very high or very low temperatures can be problematic.

pH: 6.2-8.0

Temperature: 65-85 °F

GH: 4-8

KH: 3-15

Total Dissolved Solids: 150-200

Carbon rili shrimp (Neocaridina davidi var. "Carbon Rili")

Tankmates

Although dedicated shrimp breeders usually prefer to keep their shrimp (including carbon rilis) in single-species setups, there are some options when it comes to tankmates. Almost all fish, even the smallest, will eat shrimp babies if they get the chance. Because carbon rili shrimp are such quick breeders, though, the occasional casualty might not be a huge issue. Still, it's probably a good idea to avoid all but the most peaceful fish.

If you don't want to keep your carbon rilis with fish, peaceful invertebrates are also a good option. Dwarf crayfish, snails and other shrimp species like the popular Caridina cf. cantonensis or even something a little more 'exotic' like bamboo shrimp should work well.

Carbon rili shrimp diet

Like most shrimp, carbon rilis aren't picky eaters at all. They are naturally omnivores that feed on biofilm, algae, detritus and practically anything else they can find. In the aquarium, you can feed a high-quality shrimp food as a staple and add variety with all sorts of additional foods. Fresh blanched veggies, leaf litter, frozen foods, algae pellets and other homemade or store-bought fish and shrimp foods: they love to eat it all.

As always, be sure to remove any uneaten foods after a few hours. Rotting leftovers can quickly foul the aquarium, which can become dangerous to your shrimp.

Carbon rili shrimp (Neocaridina davidi var. "Carbon Rili")

Breeding carbon rili shrimp

As with all Neocaridina davidi varieties, breeding carbon rili shrimp is a breeze. You don't have to do anything but keep the water quality high and the shrimp well-fed and happy. You can tell the females apart from the males by their larger size, brighter colors and the yellow-green eggs they almost constantly carry either in their 'saddle' (behind the head) or swimmerets (back legs).

Once the eggs have been transferred from the saddle to the swimmerets, the female carries them for around 30 days. You'll know they're almost ready to hatch when you start seeing little eyes inside of the eggs! Tiny shrimp babies will soon emerge. They don't need any special care and usually stay in hiding, feeding on biofilm, until they're large enough to venture out into the open.

If you're breeding carbon rili shrimp to sell or just want to keep the color quality high, be sure to remove any young shrimp that don't have the desired pattern or color. You can sell these at a discount or just move them to a separate tank.

Buying carbon rili shrimp

Despite their interesting appearance and easy care, carbon rili shrimp aren't very common in the aquarium hobby yet. Their cousins, red rili shrimp, may be found at some aquarium stores, but carbons are a little harder to come by. The same goes for other more recent varieties like the orange rili shrimp and blue rili shrimp.

Luckily, there are plenty of hobbyists out there who might be able to sell you a few shrimp, and you can also easily order them online. The Shrimp Farm sells carbon rili shrimp here and ships them to you with live arrival guarantee!

the shrimp farm