The Red Cherry Shrimp is the
red color variation of the wild Neocaridina
heteropoda. This color variation was originally
bred in Germany and started to appear in The United
States in the late 1990's
The Red Cherry Shrimp is an
undemanding shrimp in its care requirements.
They should be kept in a well established aquarium
with no predators. The most important factor for
water parameter is stability and as long as none of
the water parameters are in the extremes Red Cherry Shrimp
should be happy and healthy.
The Red Cherry Shrimp is an
Omnivore. They are decent algae eaters and if
sufficient algae is not present foods intended for
aquarium fish and invertebrates can be used to
supplement their diet. Another great supplement
is blanched (boiled until soft) vegetables
If a male and a female are
present in a well cared for aquarium, the Cherry Shrimp
will breed. Females are larger and much more
colorful, males are smaller and display a clear
coloration with red spots. When the female is
mature she will often times display a saddle (as seen
in the insert). The saddle is the eggs
developing in the females ovaries.
Red Cherry Shrimp a very
non-aggressive. They spend most of the day
grazing on plants, gravel and any other tank
decorations for algae and other types of foods.
Red Cherry Shrimp
will get along very will with any other
type of dwarf shrimp that is non-aggressive.
When the Red Cherry Shrimp is kept in an aquarium that has
no predators they are very active and only hide after
molting (shedding exoskeleton to enable growth).
As with all aquatic
invertebrates it is important to make sure copper does
not get into the aquarium. Copper is toxic to
all Dwarf Shrimp. Many medications contain
elevated levels of copper, so it is recommended not to
medicate an aquarium with Dwarf Shrimp in it.