Red Rili

The Red Rili shrimp is a cultivated form of Neocaridina davidi, which originally comes from Asia and is found in Taiwan, China and Korea. The Rili variant was created through years of selection from the Red Sakura shrimp and is characterized by the fact that the head and tail areas are colored red, while the transparent basic color is visible in the middle part of the body. The Rili pattern is passed on to the offspring in a pure genetic form as long as it is not mixed with other Neocaridina breeding forms. The breeding goals for the Red Rili are to achieve the most opaque red color possible and a clear separation of the red and transparent areas. The females are particularly intensely colored. Some individuals also have light dorsal lines.

Care in the aquarium

The Red Rili 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 Red Rili can be socialized well with snails, but also with peaceful, small fish.

Feeding

As a classic leftover recycler, the Red Rili 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 red color of the Red Rili. 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. Beforehand, the eggs are also clearly visible as a bright egg spot on the female’s neck. As with most dwarf shrimp, female Red Rili 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.