Red cherry shrimp

The grades, plainly

All of these are Neocaridina davidi, selected for how much red they carry and how opaque it is.

Higher grades are not more difficult. They are more inbred, which in practice means slightly lower fecundity and a slightly higher chance of culls in the offspring, but the care is identical.

Water

GH 6–8 (tolerant to about 12), KH 2–8, pH 6.5–8.0, TDS 150–250, temperature 65–78°F. San Diego tap runs harder than this (the city’s 2025 report averages roughly GH 13, TDS 530–590 ppm, pH about 8.3), but hardy Neocaridina cope with it — dechlorinate and use it, or cut it about half and half with RO for the deepest colour. Our water is chloraminated, so it must be treated every time; leaving a bucket out overnight does nothing.

A 5-gallon tank will hold a colony and a 10 is easier. Sponge filter, or a sponge guard over any intake, because shrimplets get pulled into everything. Heater optional in most San Diego rooms.

Getting them to multiply

Cherries breed readily — the usual problem is not breeding but survival of the young. Three things move the needle:

• Cover. Moss, in quantity. Shrimplets need somewhere adults and fish cannot reach, and java or christmas moss is the standard answer.
• Maturity. A tank running six months supports far more shrimp than the same tank at six weeks, because the biofilm is established. Do not judge a colony's potential in month one.
• No predators. Any fish will eat shrimplets. If you want the numbers to climb, run them species-only.

Females carry eggs under the tail for roughly three to four weeks and release fully formed miniature shrimp — no larval stage, nothing to intervene in. A healthy colony of ten becomes a colony of fifty within a few months and then finds its own ceiling based on food and surface area.

Culling, and whether you should

Over generations, some offspring come out paler than their parents. Breeders remove these to keep the line's color tight. You do not have to — plenty of people run a mixed-intensity colony happily — but if you want the reds to stay deep, move the pale ones to another tank rather than letting them breed back in. It is not cruelty and it is not optional if color matters to you.

Tankmates that actually work

Adults are usually safe with otocinclus, small corydoras, pygmy rasboras and snails. They are not safe with anything large-mouthed, and the shrimplets are not safe with much at all. Bettas vary by individual. Assassin snails will eat shrimp. Almost any cichlid will clear a tank.

See also Neocaridina care in full, blue dream shrimp and our parameter reference.

Questions we get asked

Are cherry shrimp good for beginners?

Yes, they are the standard first shrimp. They tolerate a wide parameter range, they breed without intervention, and in San Diego they can be kept on dechlorinated tap water with no adjustment at all.

What is the difference between cherry, fire red and bloody mary?

Cherry, sakura, fire red and painted fire red are increasing grades of red coverage and opacity in the same line. Bloody mary is a separate line where the red pigment sits in the shell rather than the skin, giving a deeper, more stable colour.

Why are my cherry shrimp losing their colour?

Usually stress or environment rather than genetics. Pale substrate, bright light, predatory tankmates and unstable parameters all wash out colour. Over several generations, interbreeding with another Neocaridina colour also causes permanent reversion to wild-type.

How fast do cherry shrimp breed?

Females carry eggs for three to four weeks and release fully formed young. A group of ten in an established tank typically becomes fifty or more within a few months, provided nothing is eating the shrimplets.

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