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. The hobby of keeping dwarf shrimp in a planted aquarium is enjoyable, rewarding, and beneficial. However, once you become enthralled with these fascinating creatures, it is difficult to stop exploring the more exotic and familiar varieties. The Red Cherry Shrimp, Neocardinia davidi, var., is a popular and inexpensive choice for beginners. red.

Red Cherry Shrimp Characteristics

Red Cherry Shrimp are approximately 4 cm (11.6 inches) long. 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 usually live for 1-2 years under ideal circumstances. Make sure you keep copper-containing food, supplements, and chemicals out 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. The shrimp love hiding places and plants so frill plants are important. This is particularly important after molting, which is the most vulnerable time for 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 love to hide in mosses and groom them, whether they are in a clump, tied to a rock or a piece of 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 tanks that have light substrate. 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.

Ideal for planned tanks

Dwarf shrimp are a huge fan of planted tanks. They love hiding places, the food plants provide, and the chemistry that plants can create in water. However, it is crucial to decide your ultimate goal with Red Cherry Shrimp. Do your goal be to raise just one colony or to breed more shrimp? 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. The shrimp tank can also be home to smaller snails, such as nerites, which help remove any debris and are safe for 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 Shrimps are non-aggressive. They are active throughout the day as well as at night. One can often spot them grazing on algae, looking for any detritus in gravel. Sometimes, shrimps will shed their exoskeleton. This leaves a husk that drifts around the plant. This is very important because shrimp will eat the husk and replenish mineral needs. When it’s close to spawning, female Red Cherry Shrimp will hide in the darkness and may abandon their eggs if they are startled. The more places shrimp can hide in, and the more secure they feel, the greater their chances of laying a full clutch. The size and color of Red Cherry Shrimps can help you determine their gender. In this case, males are smaller and less colorful. Females may have a yellowish saddle around their backs, which is actually eggs growing in the ovaries. The Juvenile Red Cherry Shrimp can be difficult to sex until they become larger and can show some 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. It is possible to induce breeding by keeping the water conditions stable. Shrimp need a regular food source, with higher protein foods (Repashy, Shrimp Cuisine, Fish poo, etc.) They should be fed regularly but in a very limited quantity. It takes the shrimp about 3-5 months to begin breeding, with the female most susceptible to the male’s advances just after molting. The female then hides in the water and releases pheromones that attract males to her. After a bred female, she will carry the eggs under her, moving them around to keep them clean and oxygenated for approximately 30 days. The baby shrimp are tiny, exact replicas of adults but much smaller. Because most newborn shrimp will eat them, it is essential to ensure there are no predators. Shrimp caves and live-moss help the baby shrimp to hide and find food.

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.

Cholla Wood or Catappa leaf can also be good food options. Because bacteria breaks them down, shrimp can eat the bacteria. Some shrimp enthusiasts claim that adding a little natural bee honey weekly to their breeding system improves the quality of their eggs. 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’s easy to overfeed shrimp. This can lead to a very unhealthy environment. Remember that shrimp can only eat a small amount of food each day. Many successful shrimp keepers suggest feeding your shrimp only once per week or less. Depending on the amount of shrimp and snails you have, some recommend that you remove any food left behind after two to three hours.

Finally, there are many varieties of dwarf shrimp. Due to interbreeding, not all of the dwarf shrimp can be placed in one tank. These active creatures will be a joy to watch as you follow some simple steps.