Red Cherry Shrimp, Neocardinia davidi – Breeding

Over the past few years, there has been a great deal of interest in keeping dwarf shrimp in the home, usually planted, aquarium. It is rewarding, fun, and beneficial for the planted tank. However, you will soon find yourself wanting to explore more exotic and common varieties. Red Cherry Shrimp (Neocardinia davidi) var. is one of the most common, inexpensive, and colorful for beginners. red.

Red Cherry Shrimp Characteristics

Red Cherry Shrimp can reach a length of 4 cm (1.6 inches). They prefer clean water with an PH of 6.5 to 8.0 and a temperature range of 14-30 degrees C (57-86). However, they are more comfortable at room temperatures of around 72 degrees. They are omnivores and typically live 1-2 years under ideal conditions. Be sure to keep all foods, supplements, or chemicals that have copper out of your shrimp tank.

Fortunately, Red Cherry shrimp adapt to a wide variety of conditions in the hobby aquarium. They can be kept in a desktop aquarium with as little as 2 gallons, but 8-12 gallons will allow for a more active colony, more breeding, and a livelier population. They love plants and hiding places, so it is important that you include frill plants to allow them to rest, groom, and feel secure. This is especially critical after molting, one of the most vulnerable times for the shrimp. They also love to eat the film of micro-organisms, algae, and plant leaves. This is why they spend hours grooming their favourites. Shrimp also love to groom and hide in mosses, whether in a clump or tied onto a rock or wood.

Red Cherry Shrimp Grades

There are various grades of Red Cherry Shrimp, from deep dark red to paler colors. The most vibrant and colorful females are sensitive to background and substrate colors. They will turn pale or transparent if they live in a tank that has a light substrate. They will take on a deeper, more intense color if they are kept in a tank with a darker substrate. The type of food, water pH, temperature, quality, and other factors affect the intensity of the color.

Excellent for Planted Tanks

Dwarf shrimp LOVE planted tanks. They love to hide, they love the plants that produce food, and they love water chemistry. It is important to determine what your goals are with Red Cherry Shrimp. Do you want to raise one colony of adult shrimps or increase the number? There are many nano fish that will coexist with adult shrimp, but will also eat newly hatched babies. Even smaller danios, rasbora or tetras might eat babies. It is important to have mosses, hiding places, or some cute bamboo shrimp hotels. Smaller snails are a good addition to the shrimp tank, nerites particularly, since they help clean detritus and won’t harm the shrimp. The best rule for fish is to keep only fish that get no larger than about 3/4 ” as adults (chili rasboras, etc.) Or none.

Red Cherry Shrimp are not aggressive and can be active at night and day. Often one can see them grazing on algae, on the hunt for detritus in the gravel, mating, and swimming from plant to plant during the day. The shrimp will periodically shed its exoskeleton and leave a husk around the plant. It is important not to remove this, because the shrimp will consume it and replenish needed minerals. Female Red Cherry Shrimp tend to hide in the dark when it is close to spawning time and, if startled, may abandon their eggs. The more hiding places and the safer the shrimp feels, the more likely they will lay a full clutch of eggs. The size and color of Red Cherry Shrimps can help you determine their gender. Males are usually smaller and more colorful. Females may have a yellowish saddle around their backs, which is actually eggs growing in the ovaries. It is almost impossible for Juvenile Red Cherry Shrimp to have sex with until they grow larger and are able to show color.

Red Cherry Shrimp Breeding

It is actually fairly simple to breed Red Cherry Shrimp in the home aquarium if one pays attention to three major steps: 1) Inducing breeding, 2) Ensuring health and comfort while carrying the eggs, and 3) Raising the young. Inducing breeding can be done by keeping the water conditions stable. Shrimp need a regular food source, with higher protein foods (Repashy, Shrimp Cuisine, Fish poo, etc.) fed regularly, but at a small amount. The shrimp takes about 3 to 5 months to start breeding. The female is most vulnerable to male advances after molting. The female then hides in the water and releases pheromones that attract males to her. Once bred, the female will carry the eggs underneath her, fanning and moving them around so they stay clean and oxygenated, for about 30 days. Baby shrimp are exact duplicates of the adults, but very tiny. It is important to make sure there are no predators in the tank because most will easily consume a newborn shrimp. Live moss and shrimp caves help the baby shrimp hide and find food, especially providing microfauna to help the babies grow.

Red Cherry Shrimps:

Easy to feed Red Cherry Shrimp. Like many omnivores, they love variety. They will eat most any aquarium food but love shrimp pellets, algae wafers, blanched vegetables (zucchini, carrots, etc. You can also try some of the more exotic food options. You can also use Zoo Med Plankton Banquettet blocks in your tank. This helps keep the shrimp active and supplies spirulina and other essential minerals, particularly calcium.

Catappa leaves and Cholla Wood can also be a great source of food, as bacteria break them the shrimp graze on the bacteria. Some shrimp enthusiasts report that adding a bit of natural bee pollen weekly improves breeding. Others love the Repashy Foods which is 45% protein and a great meal for shrimp, crab, crayfish, and snails. MODERATION is key to feeding shrimp. It is easy to put too much food into the tank, which can then become polluted quite easily. Remember, shrimp are tiny, and don’t need too much per day. Many shrimp keepers have found success by recommending that you only feed shrimp once a week or less. You should also try to eliminate any unfinished food within 2-3 hours depending on how many shrimp or snails you have and the conditions.

There are many types of dwarf shrimp. Not all can be placed in the same tank, though due to interbreeding. You can enjoy these lively little creatures while they hunt for food or tend to their plant garden if you simply follow a few easy steps.