The Lowdown on Keeping Cherry Shrimp in Your Aquarium

Hello there! I've been into aquarium hobby for about a year and a half now, and aside from fish, I also have shrimp in my aquarium. While aquarium enthusiasts might find shrimp not that exotic, people new to the hobby often raise an eyebrow when I tell them I have shrimp in my aquarium. Of course, the first thing that comes to mind for most is using them as a snack, but nope, they don't grow to the size where you can eat them or even get a taste. I'm talking about the Neocaridina Vishnia species, specifically. There's another species, Caridina, which is more high-maintenance because they're more finicky about their environment.

Neocaridina Vishnia.

Neocaridina Vishnia Red Fire, Bloody Maryxa0

They grow to about 3 cm.

They're pretty low-maintenance.

They're omnivores.

Neocaridina Vishnia Red Fire, Bloody MaryContent

I'm not going to cite websites because you can find that info online if you want. I'll share my own experience of caring for these shrimp and what I've learned. Hopefully, you'll get a sense of whether these little critters are worth adding to your aquarium.

Red Fire Shrimp, Bloody Mary ShrimpI've found the Red Fire Shrimp from the Amano family to be pretty low-maintenance compared to other varieties. Tap water's fine for them, and they breed like crazy on their own. But don't get it twisted – there are some requirements to keep in mind.

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Blue Dream ShrimpFirst and foremost, setting up the tank right is key. You need to keep water parameters stable, have some hiding places, and ideally some live plants. Let me break down the specifics for you:

1. Tank setup.

Setting up an aquarium isn't just about filling it with water. For at least a month, you'll want to keep the aquarium running with just water and plants, no live animals. Don't even think about adding fish or shrimp during this time. It's okay to introduce a snail on the third week, but patience is still key. This initial period allows the processes happening in the water to normalize, and the aquarium to prepare for its inhabitants. During this month, the aquarium will be colonized by beneficial bacteria that break down ammonia, ammonium, and nitrite into nitrate. These first three elements are toxic to any aquatic life, but the bacteria will help process them. As the bacteria population grows, they'll be able to handle the workload, and from then on, they'll continue to help break down these elements, along with the help of plants. Keep in mind that this is a simplified explanation, and if you want to learn more, you should read about the nitrogen cycle in aquariums.

2. Stability. Once the aquarium is up and running, it needs to maintain a stable environment, avoiding sudden changes or parameter fluctuations that can disrupt the delicate balance between the bacteria's production and consumption of elements, and the plants' consumption. So, we don't make any drastic moves. We replace about 30% of the water every week, and when introducing fish or shrimp, we do it gradually, giving the aquarium time to adapt to the new load.

3. Shelters and plants. During molting, the larvae need to hide, and plants provide them with food. They feed on dead plant particles, soften the algae growth, and live in moss and other plant thickets. That's why many aquarists keep them in moss tanks – a special aquarium with moss. Plants are also crucial for breaking down the elements that the water gets from fish waste, overfeeding, and decomposition processes (like a dead leaf or an unnoticed dead fish).

Many of you might have heard that houseplants thrive in aquarium water. That's because this water is rich in nutrients and various substances. And that's exactly what fish don't need in high concentrations. That's where plants come in to help.

Now, let's talk about the shrimp. If you're setting up a new aquarium, it's better to wait a few months before introducing the shrimp, especially if you're a beginner. If you have a stable, established aquarium, you can introduce the shrimp right away, as long as there are some hiding places.

Red Fire Shrimp, Bloody Mary ShrimpHow to introduce shrimp to your aquarium?

When you're finally ready to introduce them to your aquarium, it's crucial not to dump them in all at once. I've learned that acclimating them gradually is key, and the same goes for the fish. Every aquarium is unique, with its own water chemistry and conditions, so it's essential to avoid sudden changes that could be deadly for your new inhabitants. To do this, I place the package or bottle of shrimp in a separate container, depending on how I've purchased them, and then slowly add water from my aquarium to the container using a dropper. I've found that a capillary tube from the pharmacy works perfectly for this - I attach one end to the package and the other to the aquarium, and then slowly siphon off a small amount of water to create a gentle flow of about 4-5 drops per minute. As the container fills, I'll occasionally drain off a bit of water to keep the shrimp comfortable.

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When the old and new water are roughly 50/50, I'll release the shrimp into the aquarium. I usually take a bit longer than that, though.

Red Fire Shrimp and Bloody Mary Shrimpxa0

Substrate and Plants

When it comes to setting up your shrimp aquarium, I highly recommend choosing a planted tank. The plants will provide a safe haven for the shrimp to hide from any fish that might see them as a snack. And let's be honest, fish love to munch on shrimp that wander into their mouths! Even small fish like guppies and neon tetras will chase after shrimp if they don't have anywhere to hide. So, if you're planning to keep shrimp, a planted tank is definitely the way to go.

Blue Dream ShrimpI've mentioned the benefits of plants earlier, but let's talk about the substrate. You really want to go with a fine, porous, and smooth substrate. If you use a coarse one, food and waste from the animals will just sink to the bottom, where they can't break down properly. This makes it hard to clean, and most of the contaminants will stay in the substrate, affecting the water quality and the health of the animals. They won't die immediately, but they'll gradually get poisoned, which will shorten their lifespan.

Blue Dream ShrimpA good substrate should be fine and not sharp - think quartz sand (construction sand, pool filter sand), propant.

Blue Dream Shrimp

Food

Shrimp will eat leftover fish food, dead plant parts, so in a well-planted tank with fish, you might not need to supplement their diet. I have them in different tanks, sometimes alone, sometimes with small fish. I rarely feed them extra, about 2-3 times a week. I use the following foods:

Food for Aquarium Shrimp

I've been feeding my shrimp a mix of Tetra, spirulina, alfalfa, dried shrimp, oak acorns, and oak leaves. The spirulina comes in green tablets, which I break into quarters and add one to the tank at a time. The alfalfa is in pellet form, and I also break those in half.

Food for Aquarium ShrimpI don't overfeed my shrimp, and I make sure to chop them up into smaller pieces before adding them to the tank.

Food for Aquarium ShrimpThe oak acorns and leaves serve as a plant-based food source, which the shrimp will eventually devour. I've also started using dried nettle leaves, which the shrimp seem to love. Of course, I don't add all the food at once – I like to rotate it to keep things interesting. The acorns and leaves can sit in the tank for 2-3 weeks without needing to be replenished.

Food for Aquarium ShrimpJust like fish, shrimp don't need to be overfed – too much food can harm the water quality and the shrimp's health.

Interestingly, shrimp seem to enjoy eating fish food, including food meant for catfish.

Red Fire Crayfish, Bloody Mary Crayfish

Reproduction

Crayfish carry eggs, and they hatch into tiny little crayfish right away.

Check out the female - you can see the larger shell in the tail section.

Red Fire Crayfish, Bloody Mary CrayfishSo, they don't lay eggs - they just have live young. The little crayfish is only a few millimeters in size, so it's super important to have some hiding places so the fish can't catch them.

Red Fire Crayfish, Bloody Mary CrayfishYou'll often see a white shell in the tank with crayfish, and it looks like a whole crayfish. That's actually the shell that the crayfish sheds when it molts. You can leave the shell in the tank - the crayfish will eat it.

Red Fire Crayfish, Bloody Mary CrayfishAre there any benefits to having crayfish?

The good news is that shrimp are useful in general. They'll clean up leftover food that the fish didn't eat, a stray leaf, a dead fish that went unnoticed, and soft growths.

Red Fire Shrimp, Bloody Mary ShrimpHowever, regular cherry shrimp aren't very effective at fighting algae. It's not worth getting them for that purpose. If you have algae, you need to find the root cause.

Red Fire Shrimp, Bloody Mary Shrimpxa0

Appearance

Colorful neocaridinid shrimp are mainly part of the cherry shrimp order. That includes reds of various breeds, blues, yellows, blacks, browns, and more.

I have regular cherry shrimp, and they're less vibrant compared to Red Fire, Bloody Mary, and others:

Cherry ShrimpRed Fire, Red Fire Shrimp, and Bloody Mary Shrimp:

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Red Fire Shrimp, Bloody Mary Shrimp These shrimp are living in the same tank as me, and they're way more vibrant red. I won't go into the differences between the two breeds, but it's cool to see them side by side.

Red Fire Shrimp, Bloody Mary Shrimp

Blue Dream:

Blue Dream Shrimp Check out the difference between the males and females. In the top photo, it's the female with the rounded belly and the brood pouch at the bottom. The bottom photo shows the male, which is leaner.

Blue Dream Shrimp The blue shrimp are also part of the Red Fire breed - they're not too different in terms of their care requirements.

I'm not sure what breed the orange shrimp are, sadly:

Coral Red Shrimp I've noticed that all of these are Corals, so the care conditions are the same.

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Can I keep different colored shrimp in the same tank?

It's possible, but they'll quickly revert to their natural transparent color.

They take on this color when kept in a community tank:

Coral Shrimp xa0

Do shrimp 'fade' quickly?

Coral Reds breed pretty quickly under optimal care conditions. Over time, generations become less colorful, the shell loses vibrancy, and transparency appears. It's best to remove these and add new, vibrant ones to mix in. But it's not a super speedy process.

Coral Red Shrimp - Red Fire, Bloody Mary This is what red Corals look like when they fade:

Wild Red Fire ShrimpWild Red Fire Shrimpxa0

So, is it hard to raise shrimp?

I'd say no. If your aquarium's already established a stable environment, and you're not dealing with high levels of ammonia, and there are plenty of hiding spots and plants, they'll thrive and breed without much effort from you.

Wild Red Fire Shrimp, Bloody MaryOf course, when you first introduce them, some may die off due to various reasons. So, it's a good idea to get at least 10 to begin with. Plus, even with that many, you'll hardly see them in the aquarium at first. Just give 'em time to settle in and get comfortable.

Wild Red Fire Shrimp, Bloody MaryI'm really enjoying these shrimp - they're entertaining, add some color and movement to the aquarium, and are just plain fun to watch.

Red Fire Shrimp, Bloody Mary ShrimpI've found that one of the biggest perks of these little guys is that they're perfect for small aquariums where you don't want to introduce fish. Even a 10-15 liter tank can be beautifully set up with driftwood, moss, and plants, and you can add 5-10 of these shrimp to it. They seem to thrive in an environment without fish.

Now, let's talk about their escape attempts.

I haven't had any issues with them jumping out of the tank, and I'm not sure why that would happen. I've noticed that they can jump if the water quality is poor or if the filter is too strong, or if there are fish that are stressing them out. In my aquariums, I've kept them either solo or with micro-rasboras, rasboras, and tetras.

Yes, these shrimp are great for small tanks and beginners, but it's still essential to understand that they need proper conditions, just like any other pet.

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Thanks for reading! I hope you found this helpful. Good luck with your aquariums!

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Red Fire Shrimp, Bloody Mary Shrimp