Skittles Shrimp Colonies Results: What Happens When You Mix Neocaridina Colours?

My Accompanying Article For This Video - https://glassboxdiaries.com/skittles-... 👍 Recommended Aquarium Accessories - https://glassboxdiaries.com/aquarium-... 💡 Best Affordable Lighting Units For Low-Tech Planted Tanks - https://glassboxdiaries.com/best-aqua... 🌿 Find The Perfect Plants For Your Planted Aquarium - https://glassboxdiaries.com/lowtechpl... 📱 Socials - https://glassboxdiaries.com/socials Skittles Shrimp Colonies: What Happens When You Mix Neocaridina Colours? In today’s video, I share the results of my Skittles Neocaridina shrimp experiment after running it for around nine months, along with insights from a second, less controlled mixed colony that’s been going for nearly two years. With shrimp keeping becoming more popular, mixed “Skittles” colonies are something more hobbyists are trying, so I wanted to break down what actually happens over time. A Skittles colony is simply a mix of different colour varieties of Neocaridina shrimp kept together in the same tank. The idea is to create a vibrant mix of colours, similar to Skittles sweets. While this looks great at the start, things don’t stay that way forever. From my experience, colour reversion is very real. Over time, mixed colonies tend to lose those bright, selectively bred colours and shift toward more natural wild-type tones. In my controlled setup, which started with equal numbers of red, blue, yellow, and orange shrimp, the colony quickly began breeding. But after multiple generations, the results became much less balanced. Around nine months in, the tank is now dominated by reds, muted yellows, and wild-type shrimp. Blue and orange still appear, but they’re extremely rare. This suggests that some colours may be more dominant genetically, while others are more recessive or require specific pairings to show up. One important thing to understand is that while you lose colour consistency in a Skittles colony, you may gain stronger, more resilient shrimp. Many colour strains are heavily inbred, so mixing them can improve genetic diversity and overall hardiness. To compare, I also show my single-line shrimp tanks, including cherry, yellow, and Bloody Mary colonies. These have been running for around two years or more, and they’ve remained very consistent in colour with little to no reversion. If your goal is to maintain a specific colour, sticking to one line is clearly the better option. I also touch on my accidental Skittles colony in a larger tank, which started as orange shrimp but gradually became a mix. Interestingly, this colony has stayed mostly red over time, likely because red shrimp made up a large portion of the original group. It’s also produced some unique variations like green shrimp, showing how unpredictable mixed genetics can be. Overall, this experiment shows that while Skittles colonies can be fun and visually interesting, they won’t stay bright and balanced long-term. If you’re setting one up, it’s important to know what to expect so you’re not disappointed down the line. Thanks for watching, and good luck with your shrimp tanks! #aquarium #fishtank #shrimpkeeping #shrimptank #cherryshrimp #neocaridina TIMESTAMPS 00:00 - Intro 00:27 - What Is A Skittles Shrimp Colony 01:08 - Color Reversion 02:00 - Skittles Neocaridina Test 05:04 - Single Line Tanks 06:55 - Older Skittles Tank