Orange Sunkist

The Orange Sunkist shrimp, also known as Orange Sakura, is a highly bred form of the Orange Fire shrimp. It belongs to the species Neocaridina davidi, which originally comes from Asia and occurs in Taiwan, China and Korea. The pigmentation of the grade “Sakura” is significantly more intense and opaque than that of the Orange Fire. The young shrimp from the Orange Sunkist also develop a beautiful orange color very early on. Some individuals also have a light dorsal line.

Care in the aquarium

The Orange Sunkist shrimp is a robust and undemanding species that can be kept in an aquarium of 10 liters or more. It prefers clean and well-filtered water. Due to its ability to adapt to a wide range of water parameters, it is ideal for keeping in soft to hard tap water as well as in remineralized osmosis water. What is particularly important is that the temperature of the water does not exceed 26°C for long periods of time, even in summer. In order for this sociable dwarf shrimp to feel safe, it should be kept in a group of at least 10 animals and in a well-planted aquarium. The plants, but also roots, stone structures or shrimp tubes offer it protection and places of retreat. The nature of the substrate is of secondary importance for the shrimp, but on a dark substrate it shows a much more intense color. The Orange Sunkist can be socialized well with snails, but also with peaceful, small fish.

Feeding

As a classic leftover recycler, the Orange Sunkist shrimp feeds on biofilm and algae growth as well as detritus (dead plant material, carrion, leftover food). In the aquarium it can be fed with special types of shrimp food, leaves, algae powder and occasionally frozen food. Feed containing astaxanthin, but also nettle leaves, additionally support the color of the Orange Sunkist. Ideally, there are always brown autumn leaves in the aquarium, which represent ideal permanent food for the animals.

Sexual characteristics and breeding

Sex determination is usually not possible in young animals, but only in sexually mature animals. Juveniles and males have a narrower underside of the abdomen, while sexually mature females have a wider underside that covers the swimming legs like a “skirt”. This widening of the abdomen serves to protect the eggs, which the female carries and cares between her swimming legs until they hatch. As with most dwarf shrimp, female Orange Sunkist adults are slightly larger than males and are usually more opaque in color. All Neocaridina shrimp reproduce in fresh water and breeding in the aquarium is usually easy. After being berried for around 3 to 4 weeks, the female releases around 20-30 fully developed, transparent shrimplets, which initially feed on microorganisms present in the aquarium and can be fed with dust food.