Sunkist Shrimp are the standard expression of the Sunkist orange Neocaridina line -- a vivid, warm, clearly orange body colour that is the most saturated and most immediately readable orange in the standard Neocaridina lineup. The Sunkist name reflects the warm, citrus-toned orange of the colour: neither pale like Cantaloupe, nor as deeply selected for opacity as the SSS Sunkist grade, but vivid enough to read clearly from across the tank on dark substrate and warm enough that the orange character is immediate and unambiguous. Standard Sunkist is the entry point to the Sunkist line -- the colour from which the SSS grade is developed through successive generations of opacity selection. Hardy, beginner friendly, breeds freely in freshwater. Do not house with other Neocaridina colour variants to prevent colour reversion across generations.
6.8-7.8pH
6-14GH
2-8KH
65-78FTemperature
What to Expect
Colour and Behaviour
Vivid warm orange -- the most immediately readable orange in the Neocaridina catalog -- the Sunkist orange is warm, clearly orange, and vivid enough to read with impact from across the tank on dark substrate. The colour sits in the bright, warm centre of the orange spectrum -- more saturated than Cantaloupe, more clearly orange than Blood Orange, and the same base colour as SSS Sunkist before the full-opacity selection that defines the top grade. On dark substrate the vivid warm orange produces one of the highest-contrast, most immediately visible colour presentations of any Neocaridina morph.
Foundation of the Sunkist grading line -- colour improves with selective breeding -- standard Sunkist carries some translucency and individual variation in coverage compared to SSS Sunkist, reflecting its position as the standard rather than the maximum grade. The colony improves progressively with each generation of selective breeding toward greater opacity and more even coverage -- moving toward SSS-grade quality over multiple breeding cycles when the most opaque, most fully orange individuals are selected as breeders.
Dark substrate maximises orange colour impact -- the vivid warm orange reads with maximum contrast and vividness against dark substrate. On pale substrate the orange-on-light-background contrast is substantially lower and the saturation of the colour appears reduced.
Hardy and beginner friendly -- standard grade, same care as all Neocaridina -- Sunkist carry the same broad parameter tolerance and robust constitution as all Neocaridina. Fully appropriate for beginner keepers and for experienced keepers building a warm-toned display colony.
How to Set It Up
Getting Started
1Dark substrate and stable parameters before introduction -- black aquasoil or dark sand, pH 7.0-7.4, GH 6-8, KH 3-5, temperature 72-75F. Run for at least one week and confirm stability with daily testing.
2Drip acclimate over 45-60 minutes -- float bag for 15 minutes, then drip at one drop per second for 45-60 minutes before release.
3Dense moss and established biofilm surfaces before shrimp arrive -- Java Moss, Christmas Moss, or Flame Moss provides biofilm foraging and shrimplet shelter from the first breeding cycle.
4Feed varied diet and remove uneaten portions within two hours -- comprehensive sinking food every one to two days. Consistent appetite across the colony is a reliable health indicator.
Bonus TipSunkist shrimp in a tank with a Scarlet Temple background -- the warm vivid orange of the shrimp against the cool magenta-red of the Alternanthera reineckii -- creates a warm-warm colour pairing where the orange and the magenta-red are close enough in temperature to read as related but different enough in hue to produce clear colour contrast. The Sunkist orange reads as warmer and more clearly orange against the cooler magenta-red backdrop; the Scarlet Temple reads as more richly coloured against the warm orange colony. The combination is more nuanced and more compositionally interesting than the more conventional warm-cool pairings available in the catalog.
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Browse more Neocaridina shrimpPair Sunkist with Blue Dream, Blue Diamond, or Green Jade for a vivid complementary display. Browse our Neocaridina Shrimp collection.
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