Bloody Mary

R84.95

The Bloody Mary shrimp (Neocaridina davidi) is a highly sought-after, beginner-friendly freshwater dwarf shrimp prized for its intensely deep, ruby-red coloration. Unlike standard Red Cherry shrimp whose color sits on the shell, Bloody Mary shrimp have been selectively bred so that the pigment is located within their internal tissue, giving them a rich, uniform, and almost translucent glowing wine-red appearance.

62 in stock

Brand: Saturn Shrimp

The Bloody Mary shrimp (Neocaridina davidi) is a highly sought-after, beginner-friendly freshwater dwarf shrimp. It is prized for its intensely deep, ruby-red coloration. Unlike standard Red Cherry shrimp whose color sits on the shell, Bloody Mary shrimp have been selectively bred so that the pigment is located within their internal tissue. As a result, they have a rich, uniform, and almost translucent glowing wine-red appearance.

Water Parameters & Care:

Water Temperature: 18°C – 26°C (Optimal)
pH Level: 7.0 – 7.8 (Can adapt to lower pH)
General Hardness (GH): 4 – 10 dGH
Carbonate Hardness (KH): 1 – 8 dKH
TDS (Total Dissolved Solids): 150 – 300 ppm
Tank Size: Minimum 19 litres, but 38 litres is highly recommended for stable water chemistry.
Substrate: Inert substrates (like plain aquarium gravel or sand) work perfectly. Avoid active buffering substrates that lower the pH.
Copper Warning: Like all invertebrates, they are highly sensitive to copper. Never use copper-based medications in their tank.

Diet & Feeding:

Natural Food: They heavily rely on live plants, mosses, driftwood, and botanical leaves (like Indian Almond leaves) which harbor biofilm.
Supplemental Food: Feed high-quality pellets like Shrimp King Range or HWA.
Minerals: Supplementing with mineral powders or blocks supports successful molting and prevents shell failure.

Breeding & Tank Mates:

Breeding Care: The female will carry a clutch of eggs under her tail for about 30 days before they hatch into fully formed, miniature versions of the adults. Use a sponge filter or intake protector to ensure baby shrimp do not get sucked into the intake.
True Breeding & Culling: While they breed true to color, some offspring may lack intense color or display patchy, reddish hues. Serious hobbyists separate (“cull”) these lower-grade individuals to preserve the bright orange rili line.
Ideal Tank Mates: Peaceful invertebrates like snails or other non-interbreeding shrimp (like Caridina varieties) are 100% safe. If keeping them with nano fish (like Microrasboras, Neon Tetras, or Corydoras), ensure there is plenty of dense vegetation for shrimplets to hide from hungry mouths. Avoid large, predatory fish.

What water should we use?

You can use de-chlorinated tap water for neocaridina shrimp. Most areas have very good tap water quality. We suggest using Seachem Prime as a de-chlorinator.
Other water alternatives are borehole water or reverse osmosis water.
If you choose to use reverse osmosis water an addition of shrimp minerals, GH/KH+, is required to create the best environment for the shrimp.

What should be included in a shrimp tank:

A sponge filter/a filter where the intake cannot suck up shrimplets.
Gravel/aqua soil.
Driftwood/Cholla wood/lotus pods – These items all grow biofilm for the shrimp to eat and they release tannins which are beneficial to shrimp health.
Moss/plants
Botanicals – leaves, cones, cinnamon are the most popular. There are many more and prove to be essentials in shrimp tanks for the anti-fungal and anti-bacterial properties

Tank maintenance:

Shrimp tanks require weekly/bi-weekly water changes of 10 – 15%.
The water must be prepared before being added back to the aquarium. Many shrimp keepers prepare water 24 hours in advance.
We believe that a shrimp tank does not need to be gravel vacuumed.
Check filter to make sure flow is optimal and when cleaning filters ALWAYS clean the filter media in the water you remove from the tank.

Neocaridina water parameters:

Ph: 6 – 8
Temperature: 18 – 26°C
GH: 4 – 8
KH: 4 – 10
TDS: 150 – 250 (only relevant when using reverse osmosis water and shrimp minerals)

What are our parameters for Neocaridina shrimp?

Ph: 6,5 – 7,5
Temperature: 18 – 22°C
GH: 6 – 8
KH: 6
TDS: We use tap water for our Neocaridina

Acclimation of your shrimp:

We use the rule of three (3)

One part is their water that we send them in and 2 parts is your tank water.

Drip Acclimation Tools:

Small tupperware bowl or something similar
Plastic cup or aquarium airline hose
Scissors
Shrimp or fish net
Airline tubing

Removing Shrimp from the Bag:

If you received your shrimp in a breather bag you’ll want to place the bag directly inside the tupperware. Make sure to not pour the shrimp out because they may get stuck inside the bag.

With your scissors, cut the side of the bag, starting from the top. This will let the water pour out the bag and the bag will remain inside the bowl with the shrimp.
Carefully remove the shrimp that remained behind in the bag. You can also dip the bag in the water to achieve this.
Your shrimp should now be inside the tupperware.

Using airline tubing to acclimate:

Allow water to drip into the tupperware with shrimp at 2 – 3 drops per second. Apply the rule of 3 here, One part existing water from shrimp bag and 2 parts your existing tank water. Dripping should take 1 hour to complete. We believe that dripping shrimp for hours on end creates more stress and can harm your newly purchased critters.
Once the water in the tupperware is mainly tank water you can safely introduce your shrimp to your tank.
We have had a 100% success rate with the above method.

We ship directly to your door via The Courier Guy*
Livestock will only be shipped Monday – Wednesday.
- All livestock are shipped overnight
We cover DOA (Death on Arrival) for all livestock with an appropriate reason and evidence
- For more information, please contact us at sales@saturnshrimp.co.za for more information.
The Courier Guy have been instructed to not to leave any parcels at your gate or in front of your house, if they do, please report this immediately.
Courier costs are approximate until finalized with the courier.