How to Keep Snowball Shrimp at Home

Snowball shrimp are the frosted-glass member of the easy Neocaridina family - a translucent white line named for the females' bright white eggs, which really do look like tiny snowballs clustered under the tail. They keep and breed exactly like cherry shrimp: hardy, self-sustaining in a mature planted tank, and a lovely pale contrast against green moss and dark substrate.

Why raise Snowball shrimp

They deliver cherry-shrimp ease with a distinctive frosted look and those charming white egg clusters.

• Beginner-easy and self-breeding, like all Neocaridina.
• The white eggs are a genuine talking point - unusual and pretty against a planted tank.
• They sell and trade well as a change from the ubiquitous red.

The tank and setup

• Mature planted tank with moss and biofilm.
• Sponge filter to protect the young.
• Established biology - weeks-old cycled tank only.

Water and stability

The universal shrimp rules: copper is lethal, cycle first, and prize stability over exact numbers. Snowballs handle a broad hardness and temperature range; gentle, matched water changes keep them steady.

Feeding and daily care

A mature tank does most of the feeding; supplement lightly a few times a week and remove leftovers. Overfeeding is the main killer.

Breeding and raising the young

Effortless: stable tank, light feeding, and berried females carrying their signature white eggs appear within weeks, hatching into miniature adults. Keep them away from other Neocaridina lines to preserve the clean translucent white, and cull any that show off-colour.

Common mistakes

• Mixing Neocaridina lines and muddying the colour.
• Overfeeding.
• Immature tank.
• Copper exposure.

Is Snowball shrimp right for you

A great, slightly-different first breeding shrimp - all the ease of cherries with a frosted look and novelty eggs. Ideal for beginners who want something a touch unusual.