Looking to add a pop of color to your fish tank without having to dive deep into complicated shrimp care? The orange sakura shrimp might be a good choice. This Neocaridina variety is easy to keep and its bright orange color makes it a real eyecatcher!

Keep reading for everything you need to know about orange sakura shrimp and keeping them in your home aquarium.

Scientific nameNeocaridina davidi var. "Orange", formerly Neocaridina heteropoda var. "Orange"
Common namesrOrange sakura shrimp, pumpkin shrimp, orange sunkist shrimp
Difficulty levelEasy
OriginTaiwan
How to care for the orange Sakura shrimp in your aquarium #pets #aquariums

Setting up an orange sakura shrimp aquarium

Requirements

Neocaridina shrimp like the orange sakura don't have many requirements when it comes to their tank. This makes them a great choice for beginners just getting into shrimp keeping, or anyone looking to set up a simple aquarium. A 5-gallon aquarium should be enough for a sizeable colony.

Add plenty of decoration in the form of plants, shrimp flats and anything else that provides some cover. Leaf litter like Indian almond leaves or alder cones are also a good addition. They help imitate the natural habitat, offer extra hiding places, and release tannins and humins which are beneficial to the health of your shrimp.

If your tank is shrimp-only and heavily planted, you might not even need a filter for your orange sakura shrimp. If this isn't the case, or you don't feel experienced enough to experiment with this yet, be sure to add at least some filtration. A small air-powered sponge filter should be enough to establish a stable cycle without sucking up and possibly damaging baby shrimp.

Tip: Did you know that the orange sakura isn't the only orange shrimp? Check out our full list of orange aquarium shrimp for more!

Orange Sakura shrimp | Neocaridina davidi var. "Orange" care & info

Water quality

Orange sakura shrimp aren't too fussy about water quality. Make sure the aquarium is always cycled and free of any ammonia and nitrites. Keep the nitrates low by doing weekly water changes and perform regular tests with a liquid test kit to ensure the water values are where they're supposed to be.

A very important factor in keeping any dwarf shrimp species is stability: sudden fluctuations can be fatal, so always be careful. Match new water to the old when doing water changes, both in water values and temperature. If the room your aquarium is in is prone to temperature fluctuations be sure to use a heater to keep things stable.

pH: 6.2-7.8

Temperature: 65-85 °F

GH: 4-8

KH: 3-15

Total Dissolved Solids: 150-250

Tankmates

Because these shrimp are relatively sturdy and breed quickly, there is some room for tankmates. Small peaceful and herbivorous fish should work well: think pygmy Corydoras, small tetras, kuhli loaches and anything else that isn't able to fit an adult shrimp into its mouth.

Do keep in mind that almost all fish species will eat shrimp fry. If you want to keep things 100% shrimp friendly go for an invert-only or even shrimp-only setup. Thai micro crabs are a fun non-shrimp option that won't hurt even the smallest tankmate. Avoid larger fish like cichlids and goldfish.

Orange sakura Neocaridina

Orange sakura shrimp diet

Orange sakura shrimp are omnivorous shrimp that naturally feed on the biofilm that forms on underwater surfaces (as well as anything else they can find). In the aquarium there is usually not enough biofilm and algae available to sustain a colony, which means it's up to you to supplement their diet.

You can feed your orange sakuras every day or so. Try using a high-quality shrimp food as a staple and be sure to add plenty of variety. These shrimp will truly eat almost anything, from frozen foods to blanched veggies.

Breeding orange sakura shrimp

Orange sakura shrimp are prolific breeders. As long as their requirements are met they usually produce fry constantly, females continually carrying small yellow-green eggs that hatch after 30 days. In fact, they breed so quickly you might find yourself with an "overrun" tank rather quickly! This is not much of a problem as their bioload is very low, but you can still consider selling or giving away some shrimp if things become a bit too crowded.

The fry don't go through a larval stage but hatch as tiny copies of the adults, which means they don't need any special care and should be able to find food on their own.

Buying orange sakura shrimp

Unfortunately, orange sakuras aren't as popular in the hobby as their red cherry shrimp cousins yet. This means you might have a little trouble finding them in your local aquarium store and if you do stumble upon a seller, color quality might be low.

Luckily the Internet contains plenty of sellers, both hobbyist and professional. The Shrimp Farm is one of them: you can order your orange sakura shrimp here and have them shipped to your doorstep with live arrival guarantee.

the shrimp farm