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Red Cherry Shrimp

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Introduction Red Cherry Shrimp

The Red Cherry Shrimp or scientifically named Neocaridina Heteropoda var. Red is a variety of shrimp originating from Taiwan. They were bred over the years inside aquarium creating a variant of red to them, where in natural environments the Neocaridina heteropoda are typically brownish green or translucent. They are primarily prey and herbivores grazing off algae from surfaces.

  • English name: Red Cherry Shrimp
  • Scientific name:
  • Neocaridina heteropoda var. red
  • Origin: Taiwan
  • Size: 1/2 to 1 inch
  • Water temperature: 64 – 82F
  • Water Parameters: pH 6.5 – 8.0
  • Difficulty: very easy
  • Breeding Rate: very high
  • Behavior: non-aggressive

Food & Diet For Red Cherry Shrimp

ADA Aquarium Close Up Of RCS Eating Algae Wafers Red Cherry Shrimp

tons and tons of algae. Red Cherry’s are infamous for being the second hungriest shrimp in the aquarium world; Where Amano shrimp being the first. In an established aquarium, the Neocaridina Heteropoda doesn’t really need much additives to their feeding regiment seeing how they will typically graze everything under the sun except green dust algae and a few others.  Red Cherry Shrimp have also been known to eat their exoskeleton (molted shell), live worms, and dead fish/inverts.

Sexing

The Males and Females of Red Cherry Shrimp differ greatly with their color and size. The female cherry shrimp are larger and brighter in colors compared to the males. They have a saddle style to their back which is support for the developing of their eggs. Also a good indicator of a female is a thicker tail compared to males.

Red Cherry Shrimp Grading

There are several different types of grades for Red Cherry Shrimp. This occurs from selective breeding causing more distinct color in the offspring. check out more at what grade is my red cherry shrimp. Higher grades are more difficult to achieve and more sought after which makes them more valuable in the aquarium world.

Reproduction

Neocaridina Heteropoda Var. Red Or Red Cherry Shrimp Neo Dwarf Shrimp Reproduction Breeding Mating Red Cherry Shrimp

The breeding of Red Cherry Shrimp is probably one of the simplest types to start with. They only have a few requirements for breeding conditions and even those can be fudged a bit. An aquarium with a minimum of 10 gallons and more than a few cherry shrimp will get you started with breeding up a colony.

The female neocaridina heteropoda will start to develop eggs under her saddle. When the time comes to lay her eggs, she will release her pheromones notifying males for fertilization. Males will become very active with the scent of pheromones from the female cherry shrimp in the water to start the mating process. Once the mating of the Red Cherry Shrimp is over, the female will latch the eggs onto little fins under her tail to carry till they are hatched.

Female Neocaridina Heteropoda typically have 20-30 eggs from each reproduction session. These eggs can take roughly about 2-3 weeks to hatch and become shrimp fry, which they will likely hide into moss for their early stage of their life eating micro-organisms.

Predator vs Prey

Neocaridina Heteropoda Var. Red Or Red Cherry Shrimp Neo Dwarf Shrimp Tankmates Predators Vs Prey Red Cherry Shrimp

Red Cherry Shrimp are small enough to be anyone’s dinners except other herbivores. If the cherry shrimp is small enough to fit inside the fauna’s mouth, it’s considered food. Now there are some proven cases, even personally experience of mine; that life with fauna and shrimp can live together. Depending on the size of the aquarium, the fullness and aggression of the fauna – you are able to house the predators with the prey. Keep in mind, that shrimp activity will become the bare minimum with their survival instincts in check and also the likely-hood of offsprings maturing is very minimal.

If you are introducing your red cherry shrimp into a hostile environment, check out hiding spots in an aquarium for your shrimp.

Availability

Red Cherry Shrimps can be found in most large pet stores around the world. They typically sell for about $2/per but depending on their grade, this cost can rapidly increase. Also some miss identification can happen with ghost shrimp and neocaridina heteropodas. This being some low-grade males could possibly be as translucent as a ghost only showing small veins of red. You can also buy online from:

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