What to feed baby cherry shrimp

How to Breed Red Cherry Shrimp (Neocaridina davidi) at Home – Aquarium Co-Op

How to Breed Red Cherry Shrimp (Neocaridina davidi) at Home – Aquarium Co-Op Skip to content

Home· Freshwater Aquarium Blog·Red Cherry Shrimp "Neocardinia davidi" - Breeding - Detailed Version

Over the past few years, there has been a great deal of interest in keeping dwarf shrimp in the home, usually planted, aquarium. Keeping dwarf shrimp is fun, rewarding, and beneficial to the planted tank; but a word of warning – once you get hooked on these interesting creatures it is hard not to want to explore the more exotic and usual varieties. One of the most popular, relatively inexpensive, and colorful varieties for the beginner is the Red Cherry Shrimp, Neocardinia davidi var. red.

Red Cherry Shrimp Characteristics

Red Cherry Shrimp reach about 4 cm (1.6 inches). They prefer clean water with a ph of 6.5-8.0, and a rough temperature of 14-30 degrees C (57-86), most comfortable at a moderate room temperature of about 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. Shrimp love plants and hiding spaces, so it is important to include frill plants that allow them to sit on, groom, and feel safe. This is especially critical after molting, one of the most vulnerable times for the shrimp. They are also ravenous about eating the film of algae and micro-organisms that form on plant leaves, spending hours grooming their favorites. Shrimp also love to groom and hide in mosses, whether in a clump or tied onto a rock or wood.

Grades of Red Cherry Shrimp

There are various grades of Red Cherry Shrimp, from deep dark red to paler colors. The females are the most colorful and are particularly sensitive to the color of the substrate and background. For instance, if they are kept in a tank with light-colored substrate, they will become pale or even transparent. In a tank with darker substrate, they take on a fuller, redder, coloration. The intensity of the color is also dependent upon the type of food available, water pH, temperature, and quality.

Excellent for Planted Tanks

Dwarf shrimp LOVE planted tanks. They love the hiding space, they love the food plants engender, and they love what plants do for water chemistry. That being said, it is also important to decide what your goal is with your Red Cherry Shrimp – do you want to raise a single colony of adults or breed and increase your shrimp population? 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. For this reason, it is vital to have mosses and other hiding places; or even some of the cute bamboo shrimp hotels that can easily be covered with moss. 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 ¾” as adults (chili rasboras, etc.) or none at all.

Red Cherry Shrimp are non-aggressive and active during both the day and night. 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. Periodically, the shrimp will shed its exoskeleton, leaving a husk of itself drifting 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. One can tell the gender of a Red Cherry Shrimp by looking at their size and color. In this case, males are smaller and less colorful. Females often have a yellowish saddle on their back, which are actually eggs developing in the ovaries. Juvenile Red Cherry Shrimp are almost impossible to sex until they are larger and can show color.

Breeding Red Cherry Shrimp

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. It takes the shrimp about 3-5 months to begin breeding, with the female most susceptible to the male’s advances just after molting. She then hides and releases pheromones into the water that call 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.

Feeding Red Cherry Shrimp

Feeding your Red Cherry Shrimp is easy. Like many omnivores, they love variety. They will eat most any aquarium food but love shrimp pellets, algae wafers, blanched vegetables (zucchini, carrots, etc.), or one of the more exotic foods on the market. It is also a good idea to use some Zoo Med Plankton Banquet blocks in the 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. The key to feeding shrimp is MODERATION. 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 successful shrimp keepers even suggest that you feed only every other day, or at least put no food into the tank one day per week. Some also recommend you try to remove uneaten food after 2-3 hours, again depending on the number of shrimp, snails, and conditions.

Finally, there are many varieties of dwarf shrimp. Not all can be placed in the same tank, though due to interbreeding. If you follow a few simple steps you will find it fairly easy to enjoy these active little creatures as they go about their day hunting for food and tending “their plant garden.”

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What Do Cherry Shrimp Eat? 10 Of Their Favorite Foods

If you go to the pet store, you may notice the armies of tiny red cherry shrimp foraging along the bottom of many fish tanks and aquariums. Cherry shrimp are becoming increasingly more popular among fish enthusiasts because of their eye-catching bright red “cherry” color, as well as how easy they are to care for as pets.

Cherry shrimp are a color morph of neocardidina davidi, a type of dwarf freshwater shrimp that live in freshwater ponds in Taiwan. In the wild, cherry shrimp aren’t “cherry red”—this vibrant red color is the result of selective breeding (although incorporating carotenoid to their diet may enhance their color, according to a study in Thailand). In fact, these shrimp can be found in a wide variety of different colors, including green, brown, red, yellow, orange, blue, violet, black, etc. However, the vivid “cherry” red is the most common in aquariums and pet stores today.

Let’s take a look at what cherry shrimp eat, and how these tiny, eye-catching creatures are a great addition to any home fish tank or aquarium.

What Do Cherry Shrimp Eat?

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Cherry shrimp eat lots and lots of algae—even hair algae! (Many other aquatic animals would never eat hair algae) Algae is the foundation of a cherry shrimp’s diet. Cherry shrimp eat most types of algae, as well as plankton, uneaten fish food, and plant debris. They are omnivores and scavengers, which means they are happy to eat just about anything they can find.

Here is a list of foods that cherry shrimp commonly eat:

All kinds of algae (however, they may be uninterested in blue-green algae, green spot algae, and staghorn algae)
Uneaten fish food
Bacterial film and biofilm
Plant debris and dead plant matter
Blanched vegetables
Plankton and phytoplankton
Copepods
Bloodworms
Dead brine shrimp
Their own exoskeletons

Why Are Cherry Shrimp Popular Pets?

Cherry shrimp are increasingly popular as pets due to their small size and vibrant color. Cherry shrimp are quite small, only 1.5 inches long, even when they are fully grown. They are peaceful and non-aggressive, so you can have many living together within a single aquarium. Because they are small, docile, and scavenge for their food, they will not bother their other tank mates. They are hardy animals that generally do not need specific water temperatures, which makes them ideal for beginners and experts alike. Although they are small, due to their cherry red color, they are easy to spot in a fish tank and are quite active as they continually graze for food throughout the day, making them a fun pet to watch.

How Much Do Cherry Shrimps Eat?

©DavidTing/Shutterstock.com

Many pet owners may worry about their cherry shrimps getting enough to eat. Yet, because of their small size and scavenging behaviors, their diet is quite easy to maintain. Cherry shrimp act as the “cleanup crew” of any aquarium, picking up uneaten fish food and plant debris. And since algae makes up so much of their diet, they do an especially great job of cleaning up any extra algae growth along the walls and floors of fish tanks. In fact, some pet owners will even leave a light on for an extra hour or two to encourage algae growth in the tank, making an excellent harvest for these tiny aquatic grazers.

What Do Pet Cherry Shrimp Eat?

In addition to the biofilm, algae, uneaten fish food, and plant debris that cherry shrimp will gather on their own, there are a few other foods that pet owners can add to supplement their cherry shrimp’s diet:

Tiny pieces of blanched vegetables (favorites include spinach, carrots, lettuce, zucchini, and cucumber)
Plankton cubes or plankton blocks
Dead brine shrimp
Bloodworms

Pet owners can feed cherry shrimp every day to every three days, depending on how much the cherry shrimp are eating on their own. It is important to remove any excess food that the cherry shrimp do not eat within a few hours of feeding so that the water can remain clear and clean.

What Can’t Cherry Shrimp Eat

While cherry shrimp are scavengers and will eat just about anything, they do not eat fish poop or other cherry shrimp (although they are happy to eat shed exoskeletons, and even other dead shrimp). The one thing they are extremely sensitive to, however, is copper, which can be very bad for cherry shrimp. It is important for pet owners to choose high-quality pellets that do not contain a lot of copper, and to always check the labels of other fish food and medications (as these often contain copper as well).

What Eats Cherry Shrimp?

Cherry red shrimp are opportunists near the bottom of the food chain.

©David Tadevosian/Shutterstock.com

Since cherry shrimp are scavengers, eating discarded fish food, algae, and plant decay, they don’t have to worry much about competing with other animals for food. However, because they are near the bottom of the food chain, cherry shrimp do have the potential to become someone else’s meal. When kept as pets it is important to give cherry shrimp lots of hiding places, using densely packed plants, java moss and java fern, and rocky substrate. Pet owners should also be aware of the other kinds of animals they decide to keep in a tank alongside cherry shrimp.

Here are a few of the more aggressive fish that will eat cherry shrimp:

Cichlids
Angelfish
Rainbowfish

It is best to keep cherry shrimp in a tank with less aggressive fish, such as:

Tetras
Rasbora
Dwarf Corydoras
Otocinclus catfish

What Do Baby Cherry Shrimp Eat?

Baby cherry shrimp—or cherry shrimp “fry”—are too small to eat many of the usual foods that adult cherry shrimp enjoy. For the first 60 days of life, cherry shrimp babies eat biofilm and algae as their primary sources of food. When kept as pets, baby cherry shrimp can also eat commercial foods such as powdered spirulina algae. They also like to eat the leaves of anacharis plants (nibbling on the leaves can provide baby cherry shrimp with extra nutrients). Due to their small size, baby cherry shrimp are best kept in their own tank, away from larger fish who may be interested in making these tiny fry their next meal.

What Can Cherry Shrimp Eat To Enhance Their Colors?

The vibrant red color of cherry shrimp is a result of breeding rather than diet. However, just like many other animals, a well-balanced diet and comfortable environment produces healthier cherry shrimp, and healthier cherry shrimp will display brighter colors. Cherry shrimp feel safer in groups of ten or more, with densely packed plants, moss, and lots of hiding places. Helping cherry shrimp to feel safe and comfortable in their habitat will also help them to display brighter colors.

Summary Of The 10 Favorite Foods Of The Cherry Shrimp

Rank	Food
1	All kinds of algae
2	Uneaten fish food
3	Bacterial film and biofilm
4	Plant debris and dead plant matter
5	Blanched vegetables
6	Plankton and phytoplankton
7	Copepods
8	Bloodworms
9	Dead Brine Shrimp
10	Their own exoskeletons

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I have been a professional writer for 10 years with a particular focus on nature, wildlife, anthrozoology, and human-animal relationships. My areas of interest include human-animal studies, ecocriticism, wildlife conservation, pets, and animal behavior. I graduated from Brigham Young University with a master’s degree in Comparative Studies, focusing on the relationship between humanity and the natural world. In my spare time, I enjoy exploring the outdoors, watching movies, reading, creating art, and caring for my pets. Nothing brings me greater joy than a day spent in the company of animals.

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How to feed aquarium shrimp? And should they be fed?

Shrimps are one of the best tank cleaners. They will find and pick up remnants of food, parts of rotting algae, utilize the carcass of the fish.
Shrimp are omnivores and are always on the lookout for food.

If your aquarium is large, with many inhabitants and thickets of plants, and you brought shrimp for cleanliness in the aquarium - in this case, they will have enough food leftovers and vegetation for food.

But if your aquarium small, in it few animals and plants, and you want your shrimp to stay brightly colored and active for a long time - then you need to pick up the right diet for these multi-legged babies :)

The easiest option is to feed them with specially formulated food for shrimp, which contain many useful vitamins and necessary elements.
But do not forget about natural feed - pieces scalded with boiling water fruits, vegetables, herbs. It can be zucchini, pumpkin, spinach, green peas, cucumbers. You can try any vegetables, and will stop at those foods that your shrimp will prefer. Any vegetables are should be left in the aquarium for more than 12 hours - to avoid cloudiness water and not bring down the biobalance.

Herbarium will also be to your taste shrimps - dry leaves of oak, cherry, currant, dandelion, nettle, any fruit trees and shrubs. Leaves should be washed and dried. Be sure to pour boiling water over and soak for a couple of minutes before put in an aquarium. Important! Collect a herbarium outside the city to avoid contact with toxic substances accumulated by leaves near highways.
The best choice of leaves for the shrimp are the leaves of ketapang - Indian almonds. Except antibacterial and antifungal effect, they create natural conditions of water parameters, contain tannins, stimulate reproduction of shrimp and enhance their color.
1-2 times a week be sure to give freezing of small crustaceans (cyclops, daphnia, etc.) - chitin contained in the shells is necessary for molting shrimp.
On small crustaceans (daphnia or cyclops) are perfect for this role. This food serves as a source of such an important substance as chitin. More nutrients are stored frozen. Often such feeding it is not worth giving, as it can cause rapid growth and molting, which adversely affects the health of individuals.

Shrimps in a separate tank, without fish, should be fed once a day, so that within a couple of hours they eat all the food.

Desirable arrange unloading for them day once a week.

In a well-stocked aquarium, shrimp can survive without food for 7-12 days and you can safely relax on vacation.
But not regularly leave them without additional feeding. eating dying parts of plants - shrimp will not store all the necessary substances for monthly molt and may die.
look on these wonderful cleaners - aquarium shrimp in our catalog. Choose - they will keep your aqua clean.

Feeding aquarium shrimp: how, what and how much?

Friends, in this article we will talk with you about how, what and how much to feed our favorite shrimp.

And let's get straight to the truth. All those super expensive specialty shrimp foods of yours like Japanese Beni Bachi are mostly marketing and nothing more.

Yes. Of course, there is money and desire - feed your favorite cockroaches with expensive food. We do not mind. Even for! But at the same time, we just want to convey a general, global idea - the secret of all, even super recessive shrimp, is that they are scavengers!

The shrimp by nature eats almost everything. In their biotopes, they feed on: fallen leaves, algae, microorganisms and everything that turns up. Once in the aquarium, the shrimp also eat everything.

It should be noted that shrimp feeding is variable:

1st option: when shrimp live with fish.

2nd option: when they live separately.

Feeding in an aquarium with fish. In fact, shrimp can eat exclusively plant food all week and once a week they should be given protein food. A dead friend who threw aside his little arthropod hooves. Accidentally crushed snail in the aquarium. All this is also very protein, by the way! And...

And so it turns out, friends, that by and large in the general aquarium, shrimp do not need personal feeding at all. They will gnaw on string and other algae and be content with objects from the fish table that have flown to the bottom of the aquarium and fallen into the grass.

Next, we recommend watching our video on the topic.

If we are talking about pure shrimp . That is, a cube containing a herd of cockroaches without fish. In this case: leaves of walnut, oak, mulberry and other fruit trees. Nettle leaves and even a specially grown string sap will save your aquarium budget a lot. The shrimp will be happy to crunch all this, without grumbling at the meager diet.

Aquarium shrimp on a leaf

Aquarium shrimp eat a leaf

Throw a ration of nettles into your shrimp pot and you can safely go away for two days. Shrimp gnawed nettles - they gave a walnut leaf, let them kiss further. And for the weekend instead of a disgustingly crushed snail or a cherry sacrifice. Throw them a few pellets of Tetra Crusta - this is a popular and at the same time, I emphasize, not too expensive food for shrimps and other arthropods. The feed contains fish products, vegetable protein, cereals, shellfish, crayfish. In general, there are heaps of protein and plant foods in abundance! All! Bellisimo! The gastronomic issue with shrimp is closed once and for all.

Of course, each aquarist can have his own scheme. You can give Tetra Crusta twice a week or at least every day if your budget allows. It's great food, no question. But the profit from the leaves, in order to save the budget, cannot be denied either.

Shrimp feeding area. The best solution to this issue is to choose a single and open place for feeding. So you will kill several birds with one stone, listening to Phil Kirkorov and other shame: on the one hand, you will always see the approximate number of shrimp and monitor the population. On the other hand, you can always see how quickly the shrimp cope with food. Throwing food into the thicket there is a risk that it will go unnoticed.

Perhaps the most important thing is that your pets will be visible: feeding them in the foreground, in an open area, you will be able to admire them and follow their every movement, take pictures, etc.

Shrimp feeding frequency. The best option to maintain cockroach tone would be to feed them about 1 time in 2 days. It will not be superfluous to make fasting days for them, without feeding them at all for several days once a month. This is useful both for them and for the aquarium as a whole.