Orange Pumpkin Shrimp Care Guide - Setup, Feeding & Breeding

Orange Pumpkin Shrimp are a bright orange selectively bred form of the adaptable freshwater shrimp Neocaridina davidi. Their colour can range from translucent amber to a rich pumpkin orange, with the strongest specimens showing dense, opaque coverage across the body and tail fan.

These small crustaceans spend much of their time grazing over surfaces, picking at algae, biofilm and tiny particles with their delicate limbs. They are peaceful and generally active during daylight, although individual shrimp may become more cautious when housed with larger or boisterous fish.

In natural habitats, Neocaridina davidi live among aquatic plants, leaf litter, stones and submerged wood in shallow freshwater environments. Their walking legs and specialised mouthparts allow them to investigate almost every surface for edible material.

Orange Pumpkin Shrimp are popular because they combine vivid colour, interesting behaviour and straightforward captive breeding. Their appearance may gradually vary within a colony, and offspring can display differences in intensity, pattern and transparency as selective lines develop.

Orange Pumpkin Shrimp are a selectively bred colour form of Neocaridina davidi, a species native to freshwater streams, ponds and slow-moving waterways in Taiwan and parts of mainland China in East Asia. The orange colour is an aquarium-bred trait rather than a distinct wild species.

A colony can be housed in an aquarium of at least 20 litres, with a footprint around 30 by 25 cm or larger; a longer aquarium is preferable as the colony grows. Use a mature, stable freshwater setup with gentle filtration, ideally protected by a sponge pre-filter, and provide mosses, fine-leaved plants, driftwood, rocks and other surfaces for grazing and shelter. Inert sand or fine gravel is suitable, and a secure lid helps prevent escapes.

Females reach up to around 3 cm (1.2 in), while males are usually smaller at approximately 2–2.5 cm (0.8–1 in).

Orange Pumpkin Shrimp graze naturally on biofilm, soft algae and microorganisms growing on aquarium surfaces. Supplement this grazing with a quality shrimp pellet or wafer, blanched vegetables such as courgette or spinach, and occasional foods containing protein. Feed small portions and remove uneaten food promptly to protect water quality.

Orange Pumpkin Shrimp are best kept with peaceful, small tankmates such as ember tetras, celestial pearl danios, small rasboras, otocinclus, pygmy corydoras and other gentle freshwater invertebrates. Adult shrimp are usually ignored by these companions, though newly hatched shrimplets may still be eaten. Avoid large fish, aggressive species, fin-nippers, crayfish and predatory loaches, which can hunt or harass them.

Orange Pumpkin Shrimp breed readily in established freshwater aquariums when kept in a healthy mixed-sex group. Females carry clusters of eggs beneath the abdomen, where they are fertilised and aerated until they hatch after roughly three to four weeks. The young emerge as fully formed miniature shrimp and need no brackish or marine stage. Dense moss, fine-leaved plants and sponge filtration provide valuable cover for the juveniles, while peaceful tankmates improve survival rates.

Females are larger and more robust, with a broader, rounded abdomen adapted for carrying eggs. Males are smaller and slimmer, often with less intense colouration; mature females may also show a pale saddle behind the head when developing eggs.