Cherry Shrimp

Neocaridina davidi

FreshwaterShrimp

Care at a glance

Temperature: 59–84°F (15–29°C)
pH: 6.5–8.0
Adult size: 1.6 in (4 cm)
Minimum tank: 5 gal (20 L)
Temperament: Peaceful
Social behavior: Social
Swim level: Bottom
Difficulty: Beginner
Breeding: Easy
Rarity: Very common
Origin: Taiwan
Family: Atyidae

Overview

Keep them in a group, the more the better, in a tank of about 20 liters or larger. They are peaceful bottom dwellers that spend the day grazing on algae, biofilm, and leftover food, and a quality algae wafer or shrimp pellet rounds out their diet. They handle a wide temperature range, roughly 15 to 29 C, and a pH from about 6.5 to 8, but they hate sudden swings, so go slow on water changes. Keep them with small, peaceful fish or no fish at all, since anything large will eat the young.

In the wild

Cherry shrimp come from streams and ponds in Taiwan, where they graze over rocks, leaf litter, and plants. Give them a planted tank with moss, driftwood, and some biofilm to pick at, since that mimics what they eat in the wild. A mature, stable tank suits them best because they live and graze along every surface.

Good to know

This is Neocaridina davidi, a dwarf shrimp in the family Atyidae. Adults stay small, around 4 cm at most, and usually live one to two years. Females carry their eggs under the tail until the fry hatch as tiny, fully formed shrimp with no larval stage.

Did you know

Color comes from selective breeding, not the wild type, which is a plain brownish shrimp. Breeders have pushed cherry shrimp into grades from pale pink up to deep solid red, and the redder lines usually cost more.