Obsidian Black OE Starter Colony
💎 Signature Line
💧 Tap Water Compatible
🟢 Beginner Friendly
🇮🇪 Home-bred in Cork, Ireland
Obsidian Black Orange Eyes (*Neocaridina davidi*) is one of our dedicated selective breeding projects, developed to create an exceptionally dark black shrimp without sacrificing the hardiness that makes Neocaridina so enjoyable to keep.
🖤 Unlike many black shrimp that can display brown or chocolate undertones, this line has been selectively bred for deep, dense pigmentation and excellent colour consistency.
🦐 Why start with 15 shrimp?
Our 15-count Breeder Colony is ideal for hobbyists who want to establish a thriving population from day one.
Starting with a larger group encourages natural behaviour, increases the chance of obtaining a balanced sex ratio and often leads to earlier breeding activity.
🏡 For many aquariums, 15 shrimp represent the ideal balance between affordability and long-term colony success.
🦐 Why start with 25 shrimp?
If your goal is to build a long-term, self-sustaining colony, this is our recommended starting point.
A larger population establishes itself faster, displays more natural behaviour and often enters stable breeding cycles sooner than smaller groups.
🧬 The increased numbers also provide a stronger foundation for maintaining colour consistency over future generations.
🌱 The 25-pack is particularly well suited for larger aquascapes and hobbyists who want to create a showcase colony from the very beginning.
📖 Curious about the genetics, origins and breeding behind this line? Explore the More Information section below.
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More Information
🖤 OBSIDIAN BLACK ORANGE EYES – MORE INFORMATION PAGE
🧬 The Story Behind Obsidian Black Orange Eyes
A closer look at the history, genetics and husbandry behind one of our signature black breeding projects.
🌏 The Evolutionary Roots of Neocaridina
Neocaridina davidi originates from freshwater streams, ponds and slow-moving rivers throughout East Asia.
Over thousands of years, these shrimp adapted to moderately hard, mineral-rich waters and developed remarkable resilience to environmental fluctuations.
💡 This natural adaptability is one of the reasons Neocaridina thrive so well in established tap water aquariums.
🖤 What Makes Obsidian Different?
Obsidian Black Orange Eyes is not simply a standard black shrimp.
This line was developed through selective breeding with the goal of producing an exceptionally dark phenotype while eliminating unwanted brown and chocolate undertones.
The objective was to create a shrimp that resembles polished volcanic obsidian: deep black at first glance, yet surprisingly complex under closer inspection.
✨ The Hidden Iridescence
Although these shrimp appear pitch black under normal room lighting, stronger aquarium lighting often reveals subtle metallic undertones.
Depending on the individual, hints of blue, emerald and dark sapphire iridescence may become visible.
This effect gives the shrimp a living gemstone appearance that constantly changes depending on viewing angle and lighting intensity.
🟠 The Orange Eye Trait
Orange eyes are an uncommon recessive mutation that creates a beautiful contrast against the dark body colour.
The bright eyes serve as a striking focal point and have become highly sought after among selective breeders.
Maintaining both deep black pigmentation and strong orange eye expression requires ongoing selective breeding.
🧪 Our Breeding Philosophy
At Just Keep Shrimping, we selectively breed for four priorities:
✅ Deep black pigmentation
✅ Strong orange eye expression
✅ Robust health
✅ Long-term genetic stability
We prioritise healthy, sustainable lines over extreme appearance.
Any individuals that lose colour intensity, develop unwanted brown tones or show weaker expression are removed from the breeding programme.
🏡 Aquarium Recommendations
Obsidian Black Orange Eyes thrive in:
🌱 Mature planted aquariums
🪨 Dark substrates
💧 Stable tap water parameters
🦠 Established biological filtration
💡 Dark substrates help maximise colour expression and make the orange eyes truly stand out.
📊 Quick Summary
🧬 Scientific name: Neocaridina davidi
💧 Water type: Tap water compatible
🌡️ Difficulty: Easy to Intermediate
🇮🇪 Bred by: Just Keep Shrimping, Cork, Ireland
💎 Classification: Signature Line