Cherry Shrimp

English name: Red Cherry Shrimp

Scientific name: Neocaridina heteropoda var. red

Origin: Taiwan

Size male/female: 0.8 inch / 1 in Water temperature: 64 - 82 F

Water Parameters: pH 6.5 - 8.0

Breeding Rate: very high

Behaviour: non-agressive

Difficulty: very easy








Red cherry shrimp and other Neocaridinas species of freshwater shrimp are easy to care for in the home freshwater aquarium and breed well. They will adapt to a wide range of water conditions, and will thrive in the same conditions as many common aquarium fish. 

The shrimp spends a great deal of its time sitting on aquatic plants, when available, and hiding in them for protection, especially after molting. They also eat the film of algae and microorganisms that forms on plant leaves without harming the leaves in the process. Java moss and Java fern are both excellent plants for the shrimp tank, as they thrive in the same conditions as the cherry shrimp and provide both the physical benefits of the plants to the shrimp and provide a human viewer with a pleasing visual contrast with the red bodies of the shrimp.

Red cherry shrimp respond to the color of their background and substrate. If they are kept in a tank with light-colored substrate, they will become paler, or even transparent. On a darker substrate, they take on their full red coloration. Color intensity also depends on the types of food available (live foods and those high in protein and fats are more beneficial than flake foods), water pH, and temperature.
Behavior

The red cherry shrimp is a non-aggressive shrimp. They are active throughout the day, and can be seen grazing on algae, aquarium decor or the sides of the tank, hunting detritus among the gravel, and sometimes even mating. Periodically a shrimp will shed its exoskeleton, leaving an empty white ghost of itself caught in the plants or drifting around the tank. This should be left in the tank, as the shrimp will eat it to recover the valuable minerals it contains.

Female pregnant cherry shrimps tend to hide in the dark. If they feel endangered by predators, they will abandon their eggs. They need an environment with wood or plants such as Java moss in which to hide themselves and their babies. When they are carrying the eggs under their bodies, they can be witnessed circulating water over the eggs with their pleopods (swimming legs) to ensure good health.

Diet -

Red cherry shrimp are primarily algae eaters. They will eat any food intended for aquarium use, but some will prefer compressed algae discs (algae wafers). Blanched (boiled until soft) vegetables such as zucchini, baby carrots, peas and spinach can be used as a supplemental food, but should be fed sparingly. Uneaten vegetables can very quickly decompose and create water quality problems. If feeding commercial fish/shrimp food ensure that there is no copper added although most breeders believe this is only pure/elemental copper as this is dangerous for shrimp. Many breeders think copper sulfates, found in most fish food, are okay in low amounts. Copper sulfates found in snail killer are in high amounts and will kill shrimp.

Sexing -

The male is smaller and less colorful than the female. The male's tail, not being needed to carry eggs, is thinner. The female is larger and displays a much darker and more extensive red color, and often has a "saddle" marking of developing eggs.

Breeding -

Breeding red cherry shrimp is as easy as putting an adult male and female together in an aquarium. You can observe the eggs developing in the female's ovaries as a green or yellow triangular "saddle" marking on her back. When she is ready to lay the eggs, which occurs after moulting, she releases pheromones into the water to signal her availability to males. The male shrimp in the tank will often become agitated, swimming very actively about as they search for the source of the pheromones. After a brief mating process, the female lays her eggs and affixes them to her swimmerettes.

They have 20–30 eggs, which take 2–3 weeks to hatch. The eggs are green or yellow, depending on the colour of the saddle. They turn darker and darker until the young shrimp hatch after about three weeks. As the eggs near the end stages of growth, tiny dark eye spots of the developing shrimplets within can be observed. When the young hatch, they are tiny copies of the adults. They have no planktonic larval stage. They spend their first few days of life hiding among plants, where they are almost invisible, nibbling on the biofilm on the plants. They then emerge and graze on algae on tank surfaces and ornaments.

Tank mates -

In their natural environment, cherry shrimp are primarily prey animals. When kept in an aquarium, they are easily targeted by fish as potential food. Even fish too small to eat them may harass them and stress them to death, sometimes biting off limbs. For best results, breeding should take place in isolation. Small, non-aggressive fish such as the harlequin rasbora, neon tetra, cardinal tetra, dwarf corydoras, otocinclus catfish, dwarf gouramis, and some species of killifish can be kept with adult cherry shrimp. However baby shrimp are likely to be eaten by any fish other than the otocinclus and some other herbivorous fish. Most cichlids, including angel fish, will harass and readily eat adults as well. With enough cover and hiding places (live plants such as Java moss work well), one can have a colony of cherry shrimp survive in a tank with larger fish preying on them.

Availability -

The cherry shrimp has become widely available in North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia. These shrimp can be purchased from online fish stores, at aquarium stores, and from private breeders -- especially through local aquarium societies. There are also many similar Neocaridina species of different color and markings that require the same conditions, these include fire reds, snowballs, blue pearls, rili shrimp, yellow shrimp, and wild types. Breeding different variations is advised against as most young from such pairings revert to wild coloration.