Red rili shrimp
Neocaridina davidi
beginner careOverview
Red rili shrimp are a striking colour form of Neocaridina davidi — the same hardy species as the cherry shrimp — bred for a bold pattern: solid red head and tail split by a clear, translucent midsection. That makes them just as beginner-friendly as cherries: cheap, tough, colourful and useful cleanup crew. A colony in a planted nano is one of the easiest, most rewarding invertebrate setups in the hobby.
Tank & water
A 19 litre (5 gallon) nano is plenty to start a colony, and they’ll happily fill a larger tank. As hardy Neocaridina, what they want most is stability:
- Stable, cycled, neutral water — cycle fully first; they tolerate typical harder tap water (pH around 6.5–7.5) as long as it’s steady.
- No copper — copper in some fish medications and fertilisers is lethal to shrimp. Check labels.
- A gentle or sponge filter — so shrimplets aren’t sucked in.
- Plants and cover — moss and easy plants give grazing surfaces and hiding spots for babies.
Feeding
Red rili shrimp are omnivores that graze biofilm and algae, so an established planted tank feeds them much of the time. Supplement a couple of times a week with a quality shrimp food, blanched vegetables or a biofilm booster — only a little, as excess food fouls the water. A varied, light diet keeps their red colour strong and the colony breeding.
Tankmates & breeding
Red rili shrimp are entirely peaceful but small, so most fish will eat shrimplets and some adults. For maximum breeding, keep them in a species-only tank or with very small, non-predatory fish. In stable conditions a colony breeds continuously — females carry eggs under the tail until the shrimplets hatch fully formed. One caution: they interbreed freely with cherry shrimp and other Neocaridina and the offspring lose the rili pattern, so keep the colour form pure by not mixing. See the best shrimp tank and best substrate for shrimp to set them up well.
Red rili shrimp — frequently asked questions
Are red rili shrimp easy to keep?
Yes — the red rili is a colour form of the hardy Neocaridina davidi, the same species as cherry shrimp. It tolerates a wide range of stable, neutral water, breeds readily, and grazes algae and leftovers. A cycled tank, steady parameters and no copper are all it really asks for.
What is a red rili shrimp?
It's a selectively bred Neocaridina with a distinctive pattern: solid red on the head and tail with a clear or translucent band across the middle. Care is identical to a cherry shrimp — only the look differs. The clearer the break, the more prized the shrimp.
Will red rili shrimp breed with cherry shrimp?
Yes — they're the same species (Neocaridina davidi), so they interbreed freely, and the offspring tend to revert toward plain red or wild colouring, losing the rili pattern. To keep the rili look pure, house them only with the same colour form.
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