# Blue velvet to red cherry



## Guibang (Nov 11, 2019)

Hi everyone,

My tank initially had 5 blue velvets (3 males, 2 females). My tank being heavily planted and not a shrimp only tank (I have 8 celestial pearl danio) I am only starting to see my first babies (still small but they are starting to have a decent size). 

This Week-end I had the surprise to spot a red cherry baby! Does this mean the blue velvet variation is obtained after the red cherry one? 

I only have one tank and I don't plan on Killing the poor shrimp… What do you think will happen to my stock with this new color being introduced?...

Thanks for your help!


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## Blue Ridge (Jan 31, 2020)

Blue velvet shrimp breed the least true of any Neocaridina color I've kept. You simply have to cull or your population is not going to stay blue. Culling doesn't have to mean killing the shrimp though. I have several tanks just for culls. In some there are fish so I don't see new generations, but in others they are the only fauna and will make more culls. Sometimes these are more interesting than the ideal color. Other times they tend to revert to gray/clear, so I've began culling my culls so to speak! 
These all came from blue velvets (note the parent shrimp in the first photo):








"bad" culls








"good" culls:









Of course, what constitutes a "good" or "bad" cull is completely subjective and up to yourself to determine. But I endeavor to remove any baby that isn't blue by around the 1/4" size, so that they don't pass on their genetics to the better colored shrimp. If you don't have spare tanks set up (I highly suggest you do if breeding anything) you can always gift them to other hobbyists or your local fish store if there are still any of those left in your area.


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## Michael (Jul 20, 2010)

I have no experience with the blue velvet variety, but other color varieties of _Neocaridina_ will definitely "revert to wild type" if you don't do constant selection. Since all my shrimp are in tanks with fish and I make no effort to select or cull them, they all long ago drfited back the clear/brownish wild coloration.

They are drab, but prolific and hardy little devils.


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## Guibang (Nov 11, 2019)

Thank you for your replies.

I didn't know any neocaridina type shrimp would go back to their natural look. I've acquired a second tank and am planning to use it for shrimps with a wrong color. I'm awaiting the delivery of all the new plants I ordered. It's going to be a walstad bowl. I'll update you on the El Natural forum


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## TAB (Feb 7, 2009)

I actually like the wild type. The clearish bodies i think make them look morr alien. I had about 300 cherrys i let revert( ok i was too lazy to kull) not surr how many generations it took, but it was about 2 years. I started off with 12.( that i got off a member here) at one point i had about 700 in a 45 hex. I took half to the local fish store.


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