Neocaridina heteropoda turning black?

[vampie]

Poor photography warning.

About a year or so ago, I got a few shrimp later identified as wild-type Neocaridina heteropoda (Cherry Shrimp, basically). This is what they looked like:

They've been breeding ever since and now I've got myself a colony, and that's what they've always basically looked like. But recently, a few shrimp ended up looking like this:

I've heard they can express different colors at times, I've seen them occasionally show a hint of blue, green or yellow, but nowhere as intense as this. I've also been looking at them for about a week, and they haven't changed from this coloration. What do you think is going on? Could it be a color mutation?

 

[fishycat]

Wow, sweet black shrimp! I'd totally separate them to see if they breed true - or start a breeding program for black cherries.

LFS here only have the wild-type like yours, but they're a mix of colors from blue to pink to brown... but never black.

 

[Haydn24]

definitely separate them.. there would be a large market for them. try breed them true and let us know

Posted on mobile.aquariacentral.com

 

[Chrisinator]

They might end up being Black Babaultis. I have some bluesh ones but not as awesome as that black one

 

[carpenter547]

ok you get them to breed true black i will buy them even with out my wifes permission i don't care how much trouble i would get in them puppies is mine even if she shakes eunich jar and makes me sing soprano.

btw here is a list detailing some of the cardia and neo cardia shrimps and thier color forms including glass sand and macro shrimps.

http://www.petshrimp.com/ lotsa good info on there.

 

[tolawdjk]

I gotta say the same. If those breed black, you might have a gold mine on there. The names are endless...black cherries, licorice, sable shrimp.

I've got one female RCS right now that likes to hang out on the suction cup holding the sponge filter. She's about three shades darker than any of the other known females in the tank and the only one not berried. I'm eager to see if I can get some stock from her.

 

[vampie]

They might end up being Black Babaultis. I have some bluesh ones but not as awesome as that black one

I've definitely wondered about what species it truly is, especially when I first got them, but seemingly everyone assured me it was heteropoda, including others who got them from the same source. Still keeping an open mind about them though.

Anyways, after what seemed like an hour (putting shrimp in a planted tank, good idea vampie!), I managed to catch the pictured shrimp and it's being held in a makeshift tank right now. The others weren't as intense and were already preggars.. not sure what I'm going to do with them yet. The stress of catching and moving the shrimp seem to have allow the color to fade a little.. I assumed I'd see more brown (the black is essentially a really, really dark brown), but turns out it's also blue. These pictures do not show it well, but you may be able to see some of it.

 

[carpenter547]

dont forget black liqour ash shrimp

ninja shrimp is taken though

midnight shrimp
antialbino shrimp
a few i can't mention
onyx shrimp
and those are only the start LOL

 

[jetajockey]

black beauty

 

[vampie]

I officially have no idea what's going on anymore. It's now sort of a steely blue. And during all this, the back stripe has been the same light brown. It's really something to see, though again, bad photos. And yeah, no idea what's going on anymore.