Caridina

Black Snowfall

A black Caridina dusted with fine white spray spots, finer than a Snowflake’s and closer to spray than to snow. Bred and graded in our Sunshine breeding room.

Sold as unsexed juveniles, 0.6 to 1.2 cm.

On this page
Choose grade

1. Choose your grade

A grade describes looks. Every grade is just as healthy.

The lightest spray in the batch, at the lowest price.

  • SprayLighter and more scattered, with visible gaps.
  • ColourThe black base is set, and the tone on the white is still to come.
  • Shell and legsThe pattern carries on less consistently onto the legs.

A clear step up in spray from Entry.

  • SprayDenser and more even across the body.
  • ColourA solid black base, and the white may start to take a subtle green or blue tone.
  • Shell and legsThe pattern reaches the legs more often than Entry.

Strong contrast and a balanced pattern.

  • SprayDense and balanced.
  • ColourA deep black base with strong contrast.
  • Shell and legsClearer coverage across body and legs.

The best few in each batch.

  • SprayThe most even and concentrated.
  • ColourThe deepest black, with the subtle green or blue on the white most likely to show.
  • Shell and legsThe strongest coverage, showing the line most fully.

A grade describes looks, genetics, lineage and rarity. Every grade is just as hardy, and they all come from the same stock.

Compare the grading traits

2. Choose how many

EntryPre-order

$40.00 AUD per shrimp

Shrimp total$40.00

1 shrimp · Entry grade

You get a clip of your shrimp before dispatch day.

ShipsMon or Tue ArrivesBy express post Covered96 h in transit

Dispatched on Mondays and Tuesdays.

$25 express, free over $250 Delivery details

We only ship live animals toACTNSWQLDSAVIC

We can't ship live animals toWANTTAS

Message us for further enquiries

A line worth getting to know

About the line & photographs

Black Snowfall is a distinct line that carries tiger genetics. A Snowflake has heavy, snow-like spots across its belly. A Snowfall has a finer scatter of small “spray spots” over a dark body. The deep base gives the white pattern its contrast, and with age the spotting gains sharpness and tone. About the photo. The pictured shrimp shows the grade target. We ship unsexed juveniles, so the spotting and shell...

Photographs show reference adults. As the supplied juveniles mature, shell density, head coverage and colour keep developing with each moult.

Explore colour, lineage & development

The details, when you need them

Appearance & grading

What this line looks like, how it develops, and how the grades differ.

Colour, lineage & development

Black Snowfall Shrimp (Caridina) | Entry, Mid, High & Collector

A dark Caridina shrimp dusted with fine white spray spots, smaller and finer than a Snowflake’s and closer to spray than to snow.

The black base gives the pattern strong contrast. The white spotting sharpens with maturity and may take on a subtle green or blue tone as the shell thickens. Tiger genetics also show on the legs, where the black-and-white patterning can become more defined over time.

Four grades: Entry, Mid, High and Collector, selected by the density, evenness, colour and overall expression of the pattern at shipping size.

Caridina need soft, slightly acidic water and a mature, stable aquarium.

Black Snowfall is a distinct line that carries tiger genetics. A Snowflake has heavy, snow-like spots across its belly. A Snowfall has a finer scatter of small “spray spots” over a dark body. The deep base gives the white pattern its contrast, and with age the spotting gains sharpness and tone.

About the photo. The pictured shrimp shows the grade target. We ship unsexed juveniles, so the spotting and shell coverage may continue to sharpen with each moult. Adults are available on request.

Three things develop as they grow:

  • Spray spots: Fine white scatter that sharpens into distinct small spots with maturity.
  • White tone: The dark base stays strong. The white may take on a subtle green or blue tone as the shell thickens.
  • Spider legs: Black-and-white patterning carried onto the legs. Solidity follows shell thickness and can be less consistent on Entry.

We grade by what the shrimp shows at shipping size: the density and evenness of the spray, the strength of the base colour, shell coverage and overall pattern clarity.

Entry: Lighter, more scattered spray with visible gaps.

Mid: Denser and more even spray across the body.

High: Deep base colour with strong contrast, dense balanced spray and clearer coverage across the body and legs.

Collector: Animals selected for the deepest base colour, the most even and concentrated spray, stronger shell coverage and the clearest overall expression of the line.

We grade by eye at shipping size. Shrimp may arrive pale after transport and colour back up once settled.

The photo shows a high-grade or best-looking adult from the batch. We ship unsexed juveniles, 0.6 to 1.2 cm, too young to tell male from female. For detailed water parameters, tank setup guides and our 100% Live Arrival Guarantee, see our FAQ.

How the 4 grades compare
EntryMidHighCollector
Price$40.00 each$80.00 each$150.00 each$280.00 each
StockPre-orderPre-orderPre-orderPre-order
At a glanceThe lightest spray in the batch, at the lowest price.A clear step up in spray from Entry.Strong contrast and a balanced pattern.The best few in each batch.
SprayLighter and more scattered, with visible gaps.Denser and more even across the body.Dense and balanced.The most even and concentrated.
ColourThe black base is set, and the tone on the white is still to come.A solid black base, and the white may start to take a subtle green or blue tone.A deep black base with strong contrast.The deepest black, with the subtle green or blue on the white most likely to show.
Shell and legsThe pattern carries on less consistently onto the legs.The pattern reaches the legs more often than Entry.Clearer coverage across body and legs.The strongest coverage, showing the line most fully.

A grade describes looks, genetics, lineage and rarity. Every grade is just as hardy, and they all come from the same stock. We grade by eye at shipping size, and shrimp rarely change grade as they grow.

See our grading standard, or compare the grades of other lines

Water & care

The water they need, how to settle them in, and the first few days.

Water, care & arrival acclimation
pH
5.5–6.5
GH
4–6 dGH
TDS
100–150 ppm
KH
0–1 dKH
Temperature
20–24 °C

Buffered (RO water).

Drip-acclimate slowly, adding tank water a little at a time. Float the sealed bag for 10 to 15 minutes so the temperature matches, then drip tank water over an hour or two. Care & acclimation guide

Photograph and video any affected animals promptly and contact us within 8 hours of delivery. Arrival cover does not extend to deaths after acclimation begins.

First days & common questions
Before you buy 8 quick answers
What actually turns up in the bag?

Unsexed juveniles, 0.6 to 1.2 cm, about the size of a grain of rice and too young to tell male from female. Shipping at this size gives the best survival and the easiest adaptation to your water, and you always end up with both sexes. Adults are available on request at roughly twice the juvenile price.

Will they look like the photo?

Not on day one. The photo shows a high-grade or best-looking adult from the batch. The shrimp you receive is young and still filling in. The colour packs in with each moult, the white thickens, and on the patterned lines the tone the white takes on (blue, green, orange or pink) arrives with maturity. The body's base colour, red or black, never changes. Every shrimp is an individual, so no two carry exactly the same pattern.

What does the grade mean?

The grade describes appearance and says nothing about health. An Entry shrimp is as healthy as a Collector one and comes from the same parents. It shows less of the pattern and has more flaws in it. What we grade on differs by line, and the Grading panel above spells it out for this one. We grade by eye at shipping size, and shrimp rarely move a grade as they grow. If you know the hobby's letters, Entry is roughly S, Mid SS, High SSS.

Can I keep them in my water?

If your tank matches the water card above, yes. Caridina want soft, slightly acidic water, which in practice means purified (RO) water with a shrimp mineral added back, over an active buffering soil that holds the pH down, in a tank that has been running a while. A near-zero KH is normal for this water. They are a step up from a first shrimp and very stable once the tank is right.

Full care & acclimation guide
They arrived pale and barely moving. Is that normal?

Yes. Every shrimp arrives pale from the trip and colours back up within hours to a few days. Float the bag, then drip your tank water into it slowly over an hour or two before releasing them, so the water changes gradually. If any animal is dead on arrival, photograph it in the unopened bag and contact us within 8 hours of delivery. The Live Arrival Guarantee covers it.

Live arrival guarantee and DOA policy
How do they travel?

Express post only, bagged with oxygen and insulated, dispatched on Mondays and Tuesdays so no animal sits in a depot over a weekend. We deliver to your door, a PO box or a parcel locker; collect it the day it arrives. Parcels left by safe-drop are not covered. We cannot send live animals to Western Australia, the Northern Territory or Tasmania.

Shipping policy
How many should I start with?

Ten is the sensible minimum for a colony that breeds. With unsexed juveniles it all but guarantees both sexes, and a group settles faster than a pair. Our volume prices are built around that. Mixing colours of the same genus in one tank looks fine, but they will interbreed and the offspring drift back toward wild colouring. Keep one colour per tank if you want to keep the line.

What do I do in the first 24 hours?

Lights off, bag closed. Float the sealed bag in the tank for 10 to 15 minutes so the temperature matches. Darkness lowers stress.

Drip, don’t pour. Drip tank water into the bag slowly. A sudden change in TDS, GH or pH is the number-one cause of losses in the first week.

Something wrong? Photograph and video the unopened bag and email us within 8 hours. The Live Arrival Guarantee covers a replacement or a refund of the livestock value.

Full care & acclimation guide

Delivery & ordering

Where we send, how it travels, arrival cover and pre-orders.

Delivery, restrictions & live-arrival cover

$25.00 Express delivery. Free delivery on orders $250.00+ (excludes soil, stone and wood).

We deliver to your door, a PO box or a parcel locker. Collect it the day it arrives, because any claim needs to reach us within 8 hours of the delivery scan. Parcels left by safe-drop are not covered.

Packed insulated, with a heat or cold pack when the weather needs it. We dispatch on Mondays and Tuesdays. Express delivery usually takes 1 to 3 business days, though Australia Post does not guarantee it. Dry goods ordered with livestock travel in the same box, for the one Express post price.

If any animals arrive dead, send your order number, clear photos and a short video within 8 hours of the delivery scan, ideally of the sealed bag. You choose a refund, free replacements with your next order, or store credit.

  • Under 96 hours (4 days) in transit: full cover
  • More than 96 hours: outside the guarantee, but contact us and we will work something out

Full DOA & missing items policy

Pre-order costs, timing & cancellation

A pre-order is a one-off purchase, not a subscription. You can pay a deposit or pay in full. If you pay a deposit, we email you before charging the balance to the same card ahead of your shipping date.

Tell us when your tank is ready (reply to your order email or email support@shrimpzone.com.au) and we dispatch on the next Monday. The weather has to be safe to travel, and we tell you if it delays it.

Cancel any time before dispatch for a full refund of your deposit. To cancel, email support@shrimpzone.com.au with your order number.

Full policies: Shipping Arrival & missing items Refunds

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