bud29
Aquarium Advice Addict
Common name: Red Cherry Shrimp, Cherry Shrimp, RCS
Scientific name: Neocaridina heteropoda var. red
General:
Temperature: 74-82 degrees F - can be kept in lower temps, but this is the ideal range. The lower the temperature, the slower shrimplet growth will be.
pH: Very undemanding. They are very adabtable to a variety of conditions.
Hardness: Just like with pH, they are very undemanding in this category. Just avoid super super soft water, or liquid rock
Compatible tankmates: Most smaller fish like tetras, CPD's, and rasbora are suitable tankmates if you are not intending to breed the shrimp. If you do intend to breed the shrimp, they are best kept in a tank of their own, because even small fish will not resist a shrimplet snack. Suitable tankmates in a breeding tank are snails, and maybe small plecos.
Recommended tank size: 2.5+ gallons would be best. They have successfully been kept in smaller tanks, but, due to how quickly they breed, you would run out of room very fast.
Size: 1 inch
Diet: Can be fed algae disc pieces, or special shrimp food such as veggie sticks or barley pellets. Also, they love blanched zucchini or spinach.
Description: The Red Cherry Shrimp is a dwarf shrimp whose colors range from almost completely pale to very solid, deep red, depending on the grade of those specific shrimp. Males are typically smaller and less colorful than the females.
Behavior: The Red Cherry shrimp is normally seen walking around your tank, grazing for algae. They are not aggressive at all, and are susceptible to being preyed upon. Occasionally, males will be seen swimming through the water column, this normally means he is searching for a female to mate with. Red cherry shrimp molt every 2-8 weeks. Rarely do you actually see the shrimp molt, you normally just see the shed exoskeleton, which looks like a ghostly RCS laying on the ground. The shrimp will hide after a molt until their exoskeleton re-hardens.
Reproduction: Red Cherry shrimp are arguably the easiest shrimp to breed in the hobby. They hardly require any extra care for them to start breeding. You will see a female "saddled" when the eggs are developing inside of her. She will look much fatter, but you won't be able to see the eggs. Then, she will molt and release a hormone into the water, telling the males she is ready to breed. The males will be seen swimming around the tank looking for her. When a male finds her, the female drops the eggs on to her swimming legs under her tail. The male then fertilizes the eggs. You will now be able to see the eggs under the tail of the female. In 2-4 weeks, the eggs will hatch. The babies are miniatures of their parents, they have no larval stage. The shrimplets will eat the same thing as the parents, no need for extra food.
Scientific name: Neocaridina heteropoda var. red
General:
Temperature: 74-82 degrees F - can be kept in lower temps, but this is the ideal range. The lower the temperature, the slower shrimplet growth will be.
pH: Very undemanding. They are very adabtable to a variety of conditions.
Hardness: Just like with pH, they are very undemanding in this category. Just avoid super super soft water, or liquid rock
Compatible tankmates: Most smaller fish like tetras, CPD's, and rasbora are suitable tankmates if you are not intending to breed the shrimp. If you do intend to breed the shrimp, they are best kept in a tank of their own, because even small fish will not resist a shrimplet snack. Suitable tankmates in a breeding tank are snails, and maybe small plecos.
Recommended tank size: 2.5+ gallons would be best. They have successfully been kept in smaller tanks, but, due to how quickly they breed, you would run out of room very fast.
Size: 1 inch
Diet: Can be fed algae disc pieces, or special shrimp food such as veggie sticks or barley pellets. Also, they love blanched zucchini or spinach.
Description: The Red Cherry Shrimp is a dwarf shrimp whose colors range from almost completely pale to very solid, deep red, depending on the grade of those specific shrimp. Males are typically smaller and less colorful than the females.
Behavior: The Red Cherry shrimp is normally seen walking around your tank, grazing for algae. They are not aggressive at all, and are susceptible to being preyed upon. Occasionally, males will be seen swimming through the water column, this normally means he is searching for a female to mate with. Red cherry shrimp molt every 2-8 weeks. Rarely do you actually see the shrimp molt, you normally just see the shed exoskeleton, which looks like a ghostly RCS laying on the ground. The shrimp will hide after a molt until their exoskeleton re-hardens.
Reproduction: Red Cherry shrimp are arguably the easiest shrimp to breed in the hobby. They hardly require any extra care for them to start breeding. You will see a female "saddled" when the eggs are developing inside of her. She will look much fatter, but you won't be able to see the eggs. Then, she will molt and release a hormone into the water, telling the males she is ready to breed. The males will be seen swimming around the tank looking for her. When a male finds her, the female drops the eggs on to her swimming legs under her tail. The male then fertilizes the eggs. You will now be able to see the eggs under the tail of the female. In 2-4 weeks, the eggs will hatch. The babies are miniatures of their parents, they have no larval stage. The shrimplets will eat the same thing as the parents, no need for extra food.
