Blue Pearls

[PadreJP]

Hi all,

About two weeks ago I finally got my Blue Pearl shrimp (Neocaridina zhangjiajiensis var. blue) from a breeder I know out in Arizona. I received about a dozen, or maybe 15, most of them juveniles. They're quick little buggers so it's hard to get a good picture, but I finally snapped a few of one of my favorites--it has a lot more red than most of them.

Assuming they start reproducing well, I'm actually considering isolating some of the ones with more red in them and selectively breeding to try to bring that out more. A blue & red shrimp would be a really neat addition to the hobby if I could pull it off, and I have enough contacts among the better shrimp breeders in the country (who in turn maintain contacts with the top breeders over in Germany et al.) that it could quickly be distributed worldwide.

Anyway, one thing at a time... Here's the pic, I hope you enjoy. (Sorry for the slight yellowish coloration, but the tank has some relatively new driftwood in it so I'm still getting some residual leaching of the tannins.)

[krisw]

Nice picture! Those look like really cool shrimp! So, as they get old, will the translucent color turn a little bit blue, or is this largely how they'll appear?

[jcali10]

Nice pic, can't wait to see them grown up.

[PadreJP]

Nice picture! Those look like really cool shrimp! So, as they get old, will the translucent color turn a little bit blue, or is this largely how they'll appear?

Not exactly sure, Kris. In general the Blue Pearls I have seen from others are much more on the lighter "ice" blue side than anything else. I've seen pics of ones that are a little "blue-er" than mine, but even the darkest of the BP's I've seen are not nearly as blue as the darker Blue Tigers (for example).

That being said, among all the BP owners I've spoken with, I have never met a single one who has systematically tried to breed them to enhance the colors. Obviously I'm not saying no one has tried, just saying I have never met/spoken to anyone who has tried. I'm not exactly sure why that is--perhaps because most of the folks I know who have BP's also have a dozen or more other species, so I guess selective breeding BP's isn't high on their priority list.

P.S. -- The bluest BP's I've seen pics of are from the guy I bought mine from; Bill from Arizona Inverts. You can see pics of some of his BP's on his website here.

P.P.S. -- For anyone interested in dwarf shrimp, I highly recommend that website (Arizona Inverts), both for the information pages on the various species as well as the forums, which are the primary dwarf shrimp forums that I interact with on a regular basis. Good folks, lots of experience, but also lots of fun.

[krisw]

Eitherway, they're nice looking shrimp. The pictures on Arizona's site make these shrimp look like neon blue signs! Very nice.

Definitely keep us informed about how they do for you.

[rich_one]

and thanks for pointing me to that site, Padre... very cool place. I look forward to the friuts of your efforts. I admit I am intrigued by the blue pearls... but I would love for someone to get that ice blue just a tad more prounounced... cannot wait to get back into the dwarf shrimp...

[magsdez]

Very cool pic. Lovely shrimp.