Neocaridina Shrimp

Neocaridina shrimp are the entry point to the hobby for good reason: they're colourful, they breed readily, and they tolerate a wider range of conditions than their Caridina cousins. But "tolerant" doesn't mean "indifferent". The single biggest cause of Neocaridina deaths is failed moults, and failed moults are almost always a water chemistry problem. Without enough calcium and magnesium, the new exoskeleton doesn't harden before the old one splits. The result is the white ring of death: a pale band around the body where the shell has cracked, and the shrimp can't escape it.

Getting the GH right (6–10 °dH, with 8 °dH as a sensible target) solves most of this. KH matters too, not for the shrimp directly, but because it keeps the pH stable between water changes. Shrimp don't tolerate sudden pH swings well, and low KH makes swings likely.

The mistake most new shrimp keepers make is using tap water without checking what's in it. Tap water hardness varies wildly by region and season. A blend of bottled waters gives you the same mineral profile every time, which is exactly what these shrimp need: not perfection, but consistency.