AQUATIC PLANTS & LIVESTOCK

Cherry Shrimp

Hardy Neocaridina dwarf shrimp; the beginner-friendly colour morph of a brown wild species.

Stocking stage Plants

Unplug before servicingHands out of the water firstDrip loop on every cableTest before you dose30 ppm CO₂ ceilingCycle before stocking

Plants

Specification
Adult size	2.5–3 cm
Water	Neutral to slightly hard
Temperature	18–26 °C
Breeding	Very easy
Lifespan	1–2 years
Diet	Biofilm, algae, sinking food

Technical parameters
pH range	6.5–8.0
GH	6–10 dGH
KH	2–6 dKH
TDS	180–350 ppm
Berried female interval	Every 30–40 days
Copper tolerance	Zero — copper is lethal

Cherry shrimp are a red colour morph of Neocaridina davidi, a small freshwater shrimp from Taiwan. They reach about 3 cm, they breed readily in captivity, and they are considerably more tolerant of water chemistry than the Caridina species that dominate the high-end shrimp hobby.

They are grazers. A colony will work over a carpet of Monte Carlo, a sponge filter and every crevice in the hardscape, eating biofilm, algae and leftover food continuously. That makes them useful as much as ornamental, and it means they need a tank with some maturity to it — a bare, sterile, brand-new tank has nothing for them to eat.

The critical parameter is hardness, and the critical hazard is moulting. Shrimp moult by shedding their exoskeleton, and they need available calcium and magnesium to harden the new one. In water that is too soft, moults fail and the shrimp die; in water that is too hard, moults stick. GH of 6–10 dGH is the reliable band for this species.

Safety and welfare

Never use a copper-based medication in a shrimp tank. Copper is lethal to shrimp at concentrations that are harmless to fish.
Drip-acclimatise for at least an hour. Shrimp are far more sensitive to a sudden parameter change than fish are.
Guard the filter intake. Shrimplets are tiny enough to be drawn into an unprotected canister intake.

Using it well

Feed a mineral supplement containing calcium and iodine. Most moulting failures are a mineral problem, not a disease.

A sponge filter is the right filter for a shrimp tank. No impeller, no intake to get stuck in.

Cull for colour if you want a strong red colony. Without selection, a red line reverts toward wild brown over a few generations.

Compatible with

Neon tetra (adults)Nerite snailAnubiasJava fernMonte Carlo

Worth knowingAny fish large enough to eat a shrimplet will do so. Stock shrimp-heavy tanks with small-mouthed fish only.

Note. Parameters are conventional ranges across the category, not the claim of any one manufacturer. Nothing on this page is for sale and no outcome for any plant or animal is guaranteed. Simulator output elsewhere on this site is a simplified model, not a measurement — confirm everything with a test kit and the equipment's own instructions.

Cherry Shrimp

Using it well

Compatible with

Works alongside