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Blue Rili shrimp combine the Blue Velvet/Blue Dream color genetics with the rili broken-pattern trait - blue head and tail with transparent mid-body. Created through deliberate hybridization of Blue Velvet and Red Rili lines. Striking against light substrate; less visible against dark substrate where the transparent mid-body blends in.
Native range: Captive-bred selective line. Aquarium specimens enter the trade primarily through captive-bred sources - selective breeding programs in Taiwan, Germany, the United States, and Indonesia produce the color-line specimens you find at LFS and online vendors. Wild-caught stock of any shrimp species is increasingly rare and often less hardy than captive-bred lines.
Tank size: 5 gallons is the practical minimum. Shrimp bioload is low - colonies of 50+ adults thrive in 10-gallon tanks with adequate biofilm and filtration. Water parameters: pH 6.5-8.0, temperature 65-78°F, hardness 6-15 dGH. Filtration should be sponge-filter or matten-filter based to prevent shrimp and shrimplets from being sucked into intakes. Avoid HOB filters with strong suction unless modified with sponge pre-filters.
Substrate: depends on species. Neocaridina tolerate any inert substrate (gravel, sand, or planted aquarium soil). Caridina (CRS, Taiwan Bee) require active substrate (ADA Amazonia, Fluval Stratum) that buffers pH down to 5.5-6.8 and maintains soft water. Sulawesi shrimp require buffered alkaline substrate or crushed coral additives.
Plants: Java moss, Christmas moss, Subwassertang, and other fine-leaved species are essential - they provide grazing surface area for biofilm (the primary shrimp food) and cover for shrimplets. Heavy planting dramatically improves colony health and breeding rates.
Blue Rili Shrimps eat biofilm continuously and supplement with periodic protein/algae feedings. Primary diet: Biofilm, algae, veggies, pellets. Feed sparingly - shrimp can survive on biofilm alone in mature tanks for weeks. Over-feeding is the primary cause of water quality problems in shrimp tanks. Best feeding practice: small amount once every 2-3 days, removed within 2-4 hours if uneaten.
Supplemental foods worth rotating: Indian almond leaf (for tannins + grazing surface), mulberry leaf, blanched spinach/zucchini/cucumber (small pieces, removed after 24 hours), snowflake food, mineral stones (Montmorillonite clay), and species-specific commercial foods like Bacter AE, Shrimp Cuisine, or Borneo Wild biofilm enhancers.
Safe: Other Neocaridina (separate), otocinclus, small peaceful fish.
Avoid: Predatory fish, copper meds, other Neocaridina davidi colors.
Adult shrimp can defend against most very small fish, but shrimplets (newly-hatched, sub-3mm) are essentially defenseless and will be eaten by anything fish-shaped. Species-only tanks produce the most prolific colonies; community tanks with fish work but reduce shrimplet survival rate significantly.
Prolific. Pattern + color inheritance complex - expect 30-40% to show full Blue Rili pattern. Breeding triggers across most shrimp species: stable parameters, biofilm-rich environment, varied diet, moderate temperatures (slightly warmer than maintenance temperature often triggers breeding cycles). Female shrimp signal readiness by carrying eggs under the tail (called "berried" - eggs visible as a clutch of small spheres). Male shrimp pursue females immediately after molting.
Compound trait inheritance (color + pattern); offspring drift toward solid blue or solid transparent; culling demands.
Blue Velvet is solid blue throughout the body. Blue Rili has blue at head and tail only with transparent mid-body (the rili pattern).
No - same care as other Neocaridina. The "hard" part is maintaining the color + pattern across generations.
Yes - same species. Offspring will be mixed colors with rili pattern.
US specialty shrimp breeders and importers. Less common than Red Rili. Expect $10-18 each.
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