Red Cherry Shrimp

Red Cherry Shrimp

Neocaridina Heteropoda var. Red

Overview

The Red Cherry Shrimp is undoubtedly the most popular shrimp in the hobby due to the relatively easy ability to breed as well as their ability to live in many different water parameters. Most shrimp hobbyists start out with this species because of it easy requirements and to also learn about dwarf shrimp in general. Once acquiring experience in the hobby through keeping the Red Cherry Shrimp most hobbyists move on to the more difficult species like Tiger Shrimp and Crystal Red Shrimp. Other names for this species is Cherry Shrimp, Cherry Red Shrimp and the acronym R.C.S. means simply Red Cherry Shrimp (RCS).

The Beginner Shrimp

I highly recommend that any newcomer to the freshwater aquarium shrimp hobby start off with the Red Cherry Shrimp. This shrimp will teach you a lot, and mistakes causing shrimp deaths can be overcome due to their ability to readily breed. You also don’t want to make a mistake with another more expensive species. Red Cherry Shrimp are the least expensive shrimp in the hobby.

Background

The Red Cherry Shrimp is a selectively bred species, meaning that the red coloration was slowly bred out from the wild variety. A breeder, who is unknown, slowly bred the red trait out of the wild Neocaridina Heteropoda to achieve the all red coloration. Many thanks to whomever it is that completed the tedious task of selectively breeding this species. For more information on the wild type please visit the species information page for the Neocaridina Heteropoda. In the photo below notice the tiny amount of red coloration in the wild type. You can barely see the red speckles. Also notice the green saddle.

Wild Neocaridina Heteropoda Female

Water Parameters

The Red Cherry Shrimp can be housed in many different water parameters. I have kept them in a pH range from 6.0 to 8.0, soft and hard water, temperatures from 72F to 84F and in many different soils like ADA Aquasoil and normal gravel. It is common knowledge that the Red Cherry Shrimp can live in almost any freshwater aquarium given that the tank is habitable and does not contain predators of course. Some have even reported putting them in ponds and in filterless tanks which I dont recommend however. In other words, the Red Cherry Shrimp is the hardiest shrimp in the freshwater aquarium shrimp hobby.

Feeding

Feeding the Red Cherry Shrimp is also easy as they accept virtually any kind of shrimp/fish food. They eat anything from blanched spinach, zucchini, algae wafers, shrimp pellets, fish flakes, bloodworms, and more. Red Cherry Shrimp are not picky eaters whatsoever. Feeding time is a good indicator of health and also if your Red Cherry Shrimp are breeding well. If a Red Cherry Shrimp colony is healthy then it will rush towards the food and jump all over each other in an attempt to grab a bite to eat, almost like ants. If they swarm the food that is a great sign, and of course if you see babies that is a sign that things are doing very well. Unenthusiastic feeding and constant hiding of the Red Cherry Shrimp is a good indicator that things are not good.

Feeding is best done once a day. Only feed an amount of food that the shrimp can finish within 2-3 hours maximum. It is not good to feed in excess and have food sitting for too long. Overfeeding is a known cause of death and can also cause water quality issues. Remember that shrimp are scavengers in the wild. They will eat whatever they find and are not used to a constant food source 24/7. Not feeding for one or two days is fine and will not harm this species at all. Sometimes I will not feed for a couple of days in order to let the shrimp cleanse their systems and keep the water clean at the same time.

Breeding

The Red Cherry Shrimp is extremely prolific, meaning that they breed readily and virtually around the clock. A healthy colony will quickly multiply and females will be constantly pregnant. It is typically 30-45 days from pregnancy to hatching. The best way to tell if a female is close to hatching her eggs is by the appearance of a set of eyes inside each egg. This is easy to spot and will let you know that hatching is literally days away. Another way to tell is by the emergence of a new saddle when the female still has eggs. The emergence of the saddle is the indication that the female is prepared to have a new set of eggs and that the current eggs are close to hatching. Please look at the photo below to see Red Cherry Shrimp Eggs with eyes.

Eggs with eyes

Red Cherry Shrimp Baby

Sexing

Sexing the Red Cherry Shrimp is very easy. Females are easy to identify as they are larger than the males, have a much darker red coloration, and also have a curved underbelly. In the photo below you can see how the male is smaller, has very little red coloration and the "under belly" is a straight line with no curved shape. After keeping the Red Cherry Shrimp for a little amount of time you will be able to sex this species without a problem.

Male and Female Red Cherry Shrimp next to each other:

Females will also have a "saddle" which is the common name for eggs which are still in the ovaries, located behind the head on the top of the bottom. It is called a Saddle due to the close appearance to the saddle you would find on a horse. Most "saddles" are yellow in color, however they can also be green. "Saddles" are a sign of sexual maturity as well as soon to come eggs. The theory on why the saddle is green is based on the fact that the wild Neocardina Heteropoda has a green saddle. It is thought that the green saddle re-emerges due to the wild type genetics.

The eggs of the Red Cherry Shrimp are mostly yellow but can be green as well. If the saddle is green then the eggs will be green and vice versa. There is no difference between having yellow eggs or green eggs. One is not better than the other and it is also not a health indicator. Please see the photos below for the different colorations of saddles and eggs on the Red Cherry Shrimp. A photo of this shrimp with yellow eggs can be found at the top of the page.

Female with yellow Saddle