First off, a huge thank you to everyone who’s emailed me since launching this new blog yesterday! Your enthusiasm—and your curious questions—have truly made my day. So many of you have asked, “What exactly are neocaridina shrimp?” Well, let me introduce you to these colorful little characters swimming circles in my world. They are a pint-size parade of color swishing through my aquarium like confetti on parade day. These little crustaceans come in an artist’s palette of hues: firetruck red, tangerine orange, lemon yellow, electric blue, ghostly white and all colors in between. When they gather, it’s like watching a living bag of jellybeans with antennas. Neocaridina shrimp are the janitors of the aquatic world, forever on the move, darting and skittering across the gravel in search of their next meal. Their taste in cuisine? Let’s call it “opportunistically adventurous.” These scavengers gobble up algae with the enthusiasm of kids at an all-you-can-eat candy buffet, but don’t let their cuteness fool you—they’ll munch on anything, including their own kin if the opportunity arises. It’s a shrimp-eat-shrimp world in there. Their favorite hangouts are soft patches of aquatic moss and nooks of Indian Almond leaves, where they can snack, molt, and gossip about the otocinclus that hides near the sponge filter. I like to spoil these tiny tank-dweller occasionally with bloodworms and brine shrimp—a five-star treat that may or may not cause a ruckus inside the glass feeding bowl. Right now, I have a sky-blue mama shrimp sporting a a clutch of eggs like a pocketful of inky-dinky yellow marbles. Soon, the tank will be sprinkled with baby shrimp, each one no bigger than a comma. So, if you’re searching for a bit of quirkiness and a splash of color in your home, neocaridina shrimp are the aquatic equivalent of confetti—cheerful, surprising, and always ready to clean up after the party. Blessings and have a wonderful day...LM