# What's so special about orange pumpkin shrimp?



## diwu13 (Sep 20, 2011)

They're one of the newer color morphs of neocaridina heteropoda so they are pretty expensive. Thus, the rush to get some, breed them, and then sell them.

Since they are neocaridina they aren't a PITA to breed either, so you'll quickly earn your profit back.


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## mallorieGgator (Jan 25, 2012)

I just think they look freakin' awesome!


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## gtu2004 (Feb 17, 2010)

they do look pretty awesome but that picture from the OP seems to be PS-ed a bit to enhance the coloration.


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## mallorieGgator (Jan 25, 2012)

ah bummer.


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## madness (Jul 31, 2011)

Not sure if they are be all/end all of shrimp or anything but they are a new and intensely colored neo so that is always something interesting and temporarily valuable.

No matter how much people try to emphasize the point sometimes it gets forgotten that neos really are SOOOO much easier to keep and breed than other types of shrimp.


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## speedie408 (Jan 15, 2009)

I wish I had a confirmed "Pumpkin" to photograph. 

All I can say is that my Sunkist Sakuras are very pretty! However, I can't confirm that they are the same shrimp.

Sunkist Sakura


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## DesmondTheMoonBear (Dec 19, 2011)

If anything I wonder why crystal white shrimp cost so much, I'd rather have some snowball shrimp. Course from my understanding you can get some interesting outcomes from breeding them. It's just that rarity factor I guess.


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## sublimescorpio (Nov 6, 2011)

..my pumpkins look like that with camera pictures some times, I can never get what they really look like in pictures..In person they are like orangey-yellow gems or gummy bears..gummy shrimps  imo..


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## madness (Jul 31, 2011)

DesmondTheMoonBear said:


> If anything I wonder why crystal white shrimp cost so much, I'd rather have some snowball shrimp. Course from my understanding you can get some interesting outcomes from breeding them. It's just that rarity factor I guess.


The rarity is the primary reason for the price on the Crystal White shrimp. Caridina cantonensis also breed less prolifically than neos like the snowball.


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## greenfish (Jul 7, 2004)

speedie408 said:


> I wish I had a confirmed "Pumpkin" to photograph.
> 
> All I can say is that my Sunkist Sakuras are very pretty! However, I can't confirm that they are the same shrimp.
> 
> Sunkist Sakura


Here are some unaltered pics of my Pumpkins. Unfortunately a point and shoot so still probably hard to compare to your pics Nick.


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## speedie408 (Jan 15, 2009)

Some of them look yellow more than anything... maybe it's the overexposure from the flash. They look nice tho, no doubt. Hope you make lots of babies with those bad boys Keith.


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## greenfish (Jul 7, 2004)

speedie408 said:


> Some of them look yellow more than anything... maybe it's the overexposure from the flash. They look nice tho, no doubt. Hope you make lots of babies with those bad boys Keith.


Thanks! Maybe I can sell them and buy a better camera!


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## madness (Jul 31, 2011)

speedie408 said:


> Some of them look yellow more than anything... maybe it's the overexposure from the flash. They look nice tho, no doubt. Hope you make lots of babies with those bad boys Keith.


My understanding is that there is still quite a bit of color variation in them from dark yellow to actual orange.

Not really a surprise since they are new and neocaridina heteropoda tend to have that color intensity variation in every population no matter how long it has been selectively bred (all of the strains of red cherry plus the yellows show it).


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## speedie408 (Jan 15, 2009)

madness said:


> My understanding is that there is still quite a bit of color variation in them from dark yellow to actual orange.
> 
> Not really a surprise since they are new and neocaridina heteropoda tend to have that color intensity variation in every population no matter how long it has been selectively bred (all of the strains of red cherry plus the yellows show it).


Makes sense.


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## eklikewhoa (Aug 29, 2006)

Despite the color variation and the attempt to compare them to the sunkist(which I'm new to as well) the pumpkin looks good!


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## diwu13 (Sep 20, 2011)

What's interesting is that putting pumpkins and yellows together and getting them to breed doesn't result in the wild color like RCS x yellows do. Seems the orange coloration is stemmed from the yellow. The babies look yellow-orange (or orange-yellow?).


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## mordalphus (Jun 23, 2010)

I just had one release a bunch of babies into the tank, they're pretty orange at a week old


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## azjenny (Dec 2, 2011)

They're super duper cute. I will try to get some more pics in the morning. Having trouble with my camera.


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## jasonpatterson (Apr 15, 2011)

hedge_fund said:


> I see everyone trying to get their hands on these.....prices are sometimes on par with CRS. What gives? They're just cherries that are orange.


I prefer the appearance of these to CRS greatly. It's just my opinion, but there ya go. These also breed easily and accept a wide range of conditions. This hobby is also incredibly susceptible to fads. Anything new, particularly a strong color that isn't well represented, will be popular for a time.

So the way I see it, they're pretty, a relatively unusual color, hardy, and they breed easily.


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## moonwasaloon (May 24, 2011)

Give it time! With more and more people buying them/breeding them. The price will come down, because they are so easy to breed compared to CRS.


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## johnny313 (Apr 15, 2011)

here is my crappy pic. seems they breed pretty quickly


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## hedge_fund (Jan 1, 2006)

So where can I get some high quality Orange Pumpkins or Yellows? I'm talking about some SSS grades.... :hihi:

thanks


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## diwu13 (Sep 20, 2011)

You don't grade neos like that. You're looking for "painted fire" grade which is the highest grade of neocaridina. Johnny has some nice oranges! As you can see in the picture


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## fresh.salty (Jul 2, 2010)

If the orange had come out first the red would be more popular at least for a while.
Still waiting for the illusive truly blue shrimp that you don't have to turn your head just right to see and the truly blue rose that's not really a violet shade. lol


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## GeToChKn (Apr 15, 2011)

fresh.salty said:


> If the orange had come out first the red would be more popular at least for a while.
> Still waiting for the illusive truly blue shrimp that you don't have to turn your head just right to see and the truly blue rose that's not really a violet shade. lol


Aura Blues seems to have that. Nice bright blue color, but are cardina and not neo's.


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## fresh.salty (Jul 2, 2010)

That does look somewhat blue. But I'd like to see an opaque blue and not the translucent type. I know, I'm picky and there's no way I would pay $25.00 for that shrimp.


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## DesmondTheMoonBear (Dec 19, 2011)

fresh.salty said:


> That does look somewhat blue. But I'd like to see an opaque blue and not the translucent type. I know, I'm picky and there's no way I would pay $25.00 for that shrimp.


Royal blue tiger shrimp? Those things are BLUE. Expensive, but the price will go down...eventually.


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## jasonpatterson (Apr 15, 2011)

hedge_fund said:


> So where can I get some high quality Orange Pumpkins or Yellows? I'm talking about some SSS grades.... :hihi:
> 
> thanks


Msjinkzd is selling some very yellow yellow shrimp as well.


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## madness (Jul 31, 2011)

hedge_fund said:


> So where can I get some high quality Orange Pumpkins or Yellows? I'm talking about some SSS grades.... :hihi:
> 
> thanks


They aren't graded that way.

Msjinkzd has some that were sold to her as Fire Yellow which is a nice strain of yellow shrimp that is popular in Germany. I think that GreenFish was offering some as well though I don't know if they are the exact same strain or not and I don't know if he is still offering any.

The neocaridina heteropoda var. orange (pumpkin neos) that are mostly being discussed and pictured in this thread have been available through Mordalphus and Nikki for a while now. Johnny and people like Zid Zulander have some available as hobbyists who are having luck breeding them but I think that both of them got them from the shrimp sales that Mordalphus and Nikki had last year so the source would be the same.

As far as the orange Sunkist Sakura goes the only one who has brought them in so far that I know of is Speedie and he didn't get the right mix of males and females to turn around and sell them openly so I think they ended up with hobbyists local to him who hopefully will have them breeding soon and be able to spread them a bit more widely.


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