Colored eye shrimps are truly fascinating, bringing a new layer of excitement to the shrimp keeping world. Their unusual eye colorations add striking visual appeal and make them stand out from standard varieties. Within the hobby, enthusiasts can find several types of colored eye shrimps, each with its own unique charm. Some of the most notable include:
- Silver Eye
- Hollow Eye
- Golden Eye
- Orange Eye
- Red Eye
The Origins: Orange Eye Blue Tiger (OEBT)
The story of colored eye shrimps began with the Orange Eye Blue Tiger (OEBT), originally found in the mountains of China. When first introduced to the hobby, these shrimps had only a faint blue hue across their bodies and weren’t widely popular in Asia. However, breeders in Europe took an interest and worked selectively to enhance their coloration. Over time, this careful effort gave rise to the vivid, deep blue base that defines the OEBT we recognize today.
Silver Eyes vs. Orange Eyes
In the early days, OEBTs appeared with two different eye colors: silver and orange. The silver-eyed variety received little attention, while the orange-eyed type quickly captured the interest of breeders and hobbyists alike. As a result, most breeding efforts focused on refining the orange-eyed lineage, which became the foundation of the OEBT’s lasting popularity.
Selective Breeding and Color Challenges
The case of the OEBT demonstrated that selective breeding of eye coloration is indeed possible—a principle seen in both Caridina and Neocaridina species. However, colored eye shrimps often experience a loss of certain pigmentation:
- In Caridina, the white masking tends to fade.
- In Neocaridina, the base body color often becomes less intense.
This trade-off was observed early on by Japanese hobbyists, who noticed that colored-eye Caridina with strong white masking were especially striking.
The “White Mask Shrimp” in Taiwan
In Taiwan, colored-eye shrimps with white masking were given the name 卡白虾 (White Mask Shrimp). Breeders worked to refine these lines so they resembled classic types such as the Black King Kong or Wine Red shrimp but with golden eyes. While beautiful, the difficulty of stabilizing this strain limited its global popularity, and over time, the hype surrounding them diminished.
A New Wave: Neocaridina with Colored Eyes
More recently, breeders have turned their attention to Neocaridina shrimps, experimenting with eye color modification. Successes have been seen, but much like in Caridina, these shrimps often show paler coloration, giving them a translucent or “jelly-like” appearance.
For example, in the Golden Eye Golden Back, the once solid white masking has become thinner and more diffuse, appearing as dust-like speckles rather than bold patches. While this softer look may not appeal to everyone, it offers a distinctive aesthetic for those who enjoy variety in their tanks.
In summary, colored eye Neocaridina are pretty amazing, if you like to join in the journey of refining these shrimps, head on down to store to find out more. I look forward to discuss with you about these beautiful shrimps.
