This aquarium shrimp is one of the most beautiful species of shrimp in the hobby. Its pure white coloration, including the eggs, are what really set this species apart from the rest. The Snowball Shrimp was named after the color of its eggs, which look like snowballs. They are also known as algae eaters like the rest of Neocaridina family.

Background
The Snowball Shrimp is directly related to the Blue Pearl Shrimp. Both were selectively bred by Ulf Gottschalk in Germany and derived from the Neocaridina cf. zhangjiajiensis wild-type to achieve their respective coloration. The wild-type of this species was slowly bred to achieve all all white offspring, which eventually became known as the Snowball Shrimp.

Water Parameters
The aquarium shrimp can be housed in many different water parameters, pH range from 6.0 to 8.0, soft and hard water, temperatures from 72°F to 84°F and in many different soils like ADA Aquasoil and normal gravel. Too low of a temperature is not recommended as breeding will slow. Clean water is of course very important. If the water is not clean then this species will not flourish.

Breeding
This pet shrimp is extremely prolific, meaning that they breed readily and virtually around the clock. A healthy colony will quickly multiply and females will be constantly pregnant. It is typically 30-45 days from pregnancy to hatching. The best way to tell if a female is close to hatching her eggs is by the appearance of a set of eyes inside each egg. This is easy to spot and will let you know that hatching is literally days away. Another way to tell is by the emergence of a new saddle when the female still has eggs. The emergence of the saddle is the indication that the female is prepared to have a new set of eggs and that the current eggs are close to hatching.

Remember that all color morphs (selectively bred colorful shrimp) are bred to produce only their respective color. Having them cross-breed with the same genus of another species defeats the purpose of even keeping a selectively bred species.

Feeding
Feeding the Snowball Shrimp is also easy as they accept virtually any kind of shrimp/fish food. They eat anything from blanched spinach, zucchini, algae wafers, shrimp pellets, fish flakes, bloodworms, and more. Feeding is best done once a day. Only feed an amount of food that the pet shrimp can finish within 2-3 hours maximum. It is not good to feed in excess and have food sitting for too long. Overfeeding is a known cause of death and can also cause water quality issues. Remember that shrimp are scavengers in the wild. They will eat whatever they find and are not used to a constant food source. Not feeding for one or two days is fine and will not harm this species at all.

Sexing
Sexing the Snowball Shrimp is very easy. Females are easy to identify as they are larger than the males, have a saddle, and also have a curved underbelly. The male is smaller, has very little white coloration and the "under belly" is a straight line with no curved shape.

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