Red Cherry Shrimp Breeding

[fishlover11]

I have been changing my mind a lot on what I want to get for my empty 5 gallon tank (its going to be freshwater) and I've decided to do an all species tank for rcs so it will be a shrimp sanctuary. I want to know if this set up is ok and I also have a few questions. I also would like toeed the shrimp and sell them for profit so I can make room for more shrimp.

Questions- How many Cherry shrimp should I start out with (I was thinking ten)?
When the shrimp lay eggs will other shrimp eat eggs/baby shrimp?
What is the maximum number of shrimp that can fit in a 5 gallon?
What should the water parameters/temperature be?
Any other links/websites and articles on rcs and brreding them woue helpful.

Setup- Como Aquarium Artificial Duckweed Floating Plastic Green White Plant, Tetra 19117 Water Wonders Fresh Water Plant Cabomba, 9-Inch, Petco Frosted Black Aquarium Gravel, 5 lbs., Marina 6-Inch Blue Fine Nylon Net with 12-Inch Handle, Tetra 3-3/8-Ounce AquaSafe Water Conditioner with BioExtract, API Freshwater Master Test Kit, Floating Glass Aquarium Thermometer with Suction Cup, Shrimp Wafers, Hydor MINI HEATER Aquarium Heater 15W for Tanks 5-10 gal, Elite Single Sponge Filter

sorry that its kinda long

 

[librarygirl]

I'm not an expert on shrimp by any means; I have some blue velvets in my community tank though and they breed regularly so I'll try to answer the basic questions until more shrimp "experts" come along. My replies below in blue.....

I have been changing my mind a lot on what I want to get for my empty 5 gallon tank (its going to be freshwater) and I've decided to do an all species tank for rcs so it will be a shrimp sanctuary. I want to know if this set up is ok and I also have a few questions. I also would like toeed the shrimp and sell them for profit so I can make room for more shrimp.

Questions- How many Cherry shrimp should I start out with (I was thinking ten)? I'd say 5-10 is a good number to get a mix of males and females.
When the shrimp lay eggs will other shrimp eat eggs/baby shrimp? No.
What is the maximum number of shrimp that can fit in a 5 gallon? Not sure. You'll probably have more than you know what to do with in a few months though lol
What should the water parameters/temperature be? The tank should be cycled, free of ammonia, etc. If you have some filter media from an established tank I'd wrap it around the sponge filter. I believe they can live in a wide range of temps; 65-80 F should be good; I'd aim for the middle, maybe mid 70's.
Any other links/websites and articles on rcs and brreding them woue helpful.

Breeding Red Cherry Shrimp
http://www.planetinverts.com/Invert Tank Setup.html
So you want to raise shrimp? .:. An editorial for the new hobbyist based on first hand experience
Feeding Red Cherry Shrimp | The Shrimp Farm

I'd highly suggest live plants. Shrimp often graze on biofilm and other things growing in the aquarium and live plants are a good source.

Setup- Como Aquarium Artificial Duckweed Floating Plastic Green White Plant, Tetra 19117 Water Wonders Fresh Water Plant Cabomba, 9-Inch, Petco Frosted Black Aquarium Gravel, 5 lbs., Marina 6-Inch Blue Fine Nylon Net with 12-Inch Handle, Tetra 3-3/8-Ounce AquaSafe Water Conditioner with BioExtract, API Freshwater Master Test Kit, Floating Glass Aquarium Thermometer with Suction Cup, Shrimp Wafers, Hydor MINI HEATER Aquarium Heater 15W for Tanks 5-10 gal, Elite Single Sponge Filter

sorry that its kinda long

 

[Samzter]

Here's a little something I wrote: BREEDING RED CHERRY SHRIMP

Size: 3-4 cm
Colony: 10-20

A 2-20 gallon aquarium will make a great breeding tank. Ideally to get the best results place them in a species tank with no other type of fish or shrimp.
Use a bubbler filter so the shrimp lets don't get sucked up.
keep temperature at 75F-80F or 24-27C.
Feed the shrimp flake food, sinking pellets, or blanched squash or zucchini. Shrimp eat anything a fish would. You do not even need small pieces of food as they will rip off a piece of flake and feed it to themselves. Some shrimp do not like algae tablets, some do. (Foods with copper compounds are not ok for RCS.)

If there is still food in the tank when you feed them, skip that feeding and check again later.
Feed very small amounts once per day, especially if you just start with 10 shrimp. A flake the size of your pinky fingernail should last 10 RCS about 2, perhaps 3 days.
To blanch zucchini, put one slice in a microwave safe bowl. Cover with about an inch or so or 3cm of water. Cook on high for 1 minute. Let cool for 20 minutes, then drop into tank. If the zucchini floats, weight it down with a zip tie, a piece of plastic, or a marble, but not metal.

Feed the shrimp flake food, sinking pellets, or blanched squash or zucchini. Shrimp eat anything a fish would. You do not even need small pieces of food as they will rip off a piece of flake and feed it to themselves. Some shrimp do not like algae tablets, some do. (Foods with copper compounds are not ok for RCS.)
If water temperature is warm enough and there is enough food, they will simply breed. Female shrimp should get greenish or yellowish eggs under their tail within 30 days of you receiving them, if they don't already have eggs

 

[bud29]

Here's a little something I wrote: BREEDING RED CHERRY SHRIMP

Size: 3-4 cm
Colony: 10-20

A 2-20 gallon aquarium will make a great breeding tank. Ideally to get the best results place them in a species tank with no other type of fish or shrimp.
Use a bubbler filter so the shrimp lets don't get sucked up.
keep temperature at 75F-80F or 24-27C.
Feed the shrimp flake food, sinking pellets, or blanched squash or zucchini. Shrimp eat anything a fish would. You do not even need small pieces of food as they will rip off a piece of flake and feed it to themselves. Some shrimp do not like algae tablets, some do. (Foods with copper compounds are not ok for RCS.)

If there is still food in the tank when you feed them, skip that feeding and check again later.
Feed very small amounts once per day, especially if you just start with 10 shrimp. A flake the size of your pinky fingernail should last 10 RCS about 2, perhaps 3 days.
To blanch zucchini, put one slice in a microwave safe bowl. Cover with about an inch or so or 3cm of water. Cook on high for 1 minute. Let cool for 20 minutes, then drop into tank. If the zucchini floats, weight it down with a zip tie, a piece of plastic, or a marble, but not metal.

Feed the shrimp flake food, sinking pellets, or blanched squash or zucchini. Shrimp eat anything a fish would. You do not even need small pieces of food as they will rip off a piece of flake and feed it to themselves. Some shrimp do not like algae tablets, some do. (Foods with copper compounds are not ok for RCS.)
If water temperature is warm enough and there is enough food, they will simply breed. Female shrimp should get greenish or yellowish eggs under their tail within 30 days of you receiving them, if they don't already have eggs

A few things I want to point out:

-Too much protein can be bad for shrimp, generally you want to feed them algae pellets or veggie sticks which are not as high in protein. Fish flakes and such are of course high-protein foods, so feeding them this every feeding would not be a good idea.

-I have not known any shrimp that turns down an algae pellet.

-You do not want to feed them every day, that would be overload. They are in fact scavengers, they can find microscopic food particles in the substrate that can satisfy them for the days you do not feed. Feed once every 3-4 days.

-Only feed as much as they will consume in the course of a few hours!!!!! Leaving food in longer may cause ammonia spikes, something shrimp will not tolerate.

-They do not necessarily breed because the tank is warm. People have bred RCS in temps in the 60's. This does not necessarily have a huge effect on breeding, but the shrimplets will not grow as fast. I don't recommend keeping them in temps this cold, but they can in fact tolerate it.

All in all, RCS are very simple to breed. Stability is the main thing to keep in mind. Don't have fluctuating temperatures or pH levels, and you should have babies coming out of your ears. A question was asked about the capacity of a shrimp tank.......when keeping dwarf shrimp you can have as much as 10 shrimp per gallon. If you have more, that's not necessarily an emergency, but consider re-homing some to make room for future generations.