Cherry Shrimp Care Guide for Beginners: Everything You Need to Know

Cherry shrimp (Neocaridina davidi) are one of the most popular aquarium inhabitants in the hobby, and for good reason. They are colourful, easy to keep, fun to watch, and they help keep your tank clean. If you have never kept shrimp before, cherry shrimp are the best place to start. I breed cherry shrimp in lots of colours at Hand Picked Aquatics and they are one of my best sellers.

What are cherry shrimp?

Cherry shrimp are small freshwater shrimp that grow to about 2 to 3cm. They come in a wide range of colours, all selectively bred from the same species. The most common colours include:

• Red: The classic. Bold and bright against green plants.
• Orange: Warm and vibrant, less common than red.
• Yellow: Bright lemon colour that stands out in any tank.
• Blue: Rich blue, striking against green plants.
• Black: Deep and dramatic.
• White: Clean and elegant.
• Bloody Mary: Deep translucent red, a premium variety.
• Skittles (mixed colours): A colourful mix at a lower price point.

Browse all my cherry shrimp

Tank setup

Cherry shrimp are not demanding, but getting a few things right will make a big difference to their health and breeding.

Tank size: 10 litres minimum, but 20 to 40 litres is better for a breeding colony. Larger volumes are more stable.

Temperature: 18 to 28 degrees Celsius. Room temperature works fine in most Australian homes. They do not need a heater unless your house gets very cold in winter.

Filtration: A sponge filter is the best choice. It provides gentle filtration and biological surface area without any risk of baby shrimp getting sucked in. This is important because cherry shrimp fry are tiny.

Substrate: Any substrate works. Dark substrates make shrimp colours look more vibrant. If you want to grow plants as well, an active soil like AquaEarth works well for both plants and shrimp.

Plants: Cherry shrimp love planted tanks. Moss is especially good because it traps biofilm that shrimp graze on constantly. Guppy grass, floating plants, and any dense vegetation all provide food and hiding spots.

Cycling your tank first

This is the most important step. Cherry shrimp are sensitive to ammonia and nitrite, so your tank must be fully cycled before adding shrimp. This means the beneficial bacteria that process waste need to be established first.

Cycle your tank for at least 2 to 4 weeks before adding shrimp. You can speed this up with a fishless cycling product or by adding established filter media from an existing tank. Test your water and make sure ammonia and nitrite are both at zero before adding shrimp.

A mature, cycled tank with established biofilm is ideal. If you can, set the tank up a month or more before adding shrimp. The longer it has been running, the more natural food (biofilm) will be available for the shrimp to graze on.

Feeding

Cherry shrimp are scavengers that spend most of their time grazing on biofilm, algae, and decaying organic matter. In a well-planted, established tank they will find a lot of their own food. But you should still supplement their diet.

Good foods to offer:

• Shrimp Daily: A balanced everyday pellet food.
• Shrimp Snow: A fine powder that mimics natural biofilm.
• Snowflake food: Long-duration food that does not foul the water.
• Shrimp Bee Pollen: Nutrient-dense natural supplement.
• Mineral balls: Slow-release calcium for healthy moulting.

Blanched vegetables like zucchini, spinach, or cucumber are also great occasional treats.

Feed small amounts every day or every other day. Remove any uneaten food after a few hours to keep the water clean. Less is more with shrimp feeding. Overfeeding is the most common mistake beginners make.

Botanicals

Adding botanicals to your shrimp tank is one of the best things you can do. Indian almond leaves, coastal she-oak cones, and other leaves and cones release beneficial tannins and develop biofilm that shrimp graze on. They also provide hiding spots and a natural look.

I keep botanicals in all my shrimp tanks. They are one of the simplest ways to improve shrimp health and give them a constant food source.

Moulting

Cherry shrimp moult (shed their exoskeleton) regularly as they grow. After moulting they are temporarily soft and vulnerable, so having plenty of hiding spots is important. You will often find empty moult shells in the tank. Leave them. The shrimp will eat them to recycle the minerals.

Healthy moulting depends on stable water conditions and adequate mineral levels, particularly calcium. If your water is soft, use a product to maintain mineral levels, or add mineral balls to the tank.

Failed moults (where the shrimp cannot shed its exoskeleton properly) are usually caused by sudden water parameter changes or low mineral levels. Consistency is key.

Breeding

Cherry shrimp breed easily and prolifically in the right conditions. If you have males and females in a cycled, planted tank with stable water conditions, they will breed without any special effort.

Females carry fertilised eggs under their tail (called "berried" females) for about 3 to 4 weeks before releasing fully formed baby shrimp. The babies are tiny but are miniature copies of the adults and immediately start grazing on biofilm.

In a well-planted tank with moss and floating plants, fry survival is high even without separating them. The key is plenty of hiding spots and not keeping them with fish that will eat them.

A colony will grow steadily over time. Starting with 10 to 20 shrimp will give you a self-sustaining colony within a few months.

Colour mixing

One thing to be aware of: if you keep different colour cherry shrimp together, they will interbreed and the offspring will eventually revert to wild-type (brownish-clear) colouring over a few generations. If you want to maintain a specific colour, keep only one colour per tank.

If you do not mind about colour purity and just want a fun, colourful tank, mixing colours is fine. The Skittles mix is perfect for this.

Tankmates

Cherry shrimp are peaceful and will not bother any tankmate. The question is whether the tankmates will bother the shrimp. Safe tankmates include:

• Small, peaceful nano fish like endlers (adults are safe, some fry may be eaten), celestial pearl danios, and pseudomugils.
• Ramshorn snails and other peaceful snails.
• Other cherry shrimp (same colour to maintain colour purity).
• Avoid any fish large enough to eat shrimp. Most tetras, barbs (except the smallest species), and cichlids will eat cherry shrimp or harass them.

The safest option for a breeding colony is a shrimp-only tank.

Water changes

Regular water changes are important for shrimp health, but consistency matters more than frequency. Cherry shrimp are sensitive to sudden changes in water parameters. When you do water changes:

• Change 10 to 20 percent at a time, not large volumes.
• Match the temperature of the new water to the tank water.
• Always use a dechlorinator
• Add new water slowly rather than dumping it in all at once.
• Weekly water changes of 10 to 20 percent are a good routine. The key is consistency.

 Shrimp thrive in stable conditions and struggle with sudden changes.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Adding shrimp to an uncycled tank. Always cycle first.
• Overfeeding. A little food goes a long way.
• Large or sudden water changes. Keep changes small and consistent.
• Keeping them with fish that eat shrimp.
• Using fertilisers or medications that contain copper. Copper is toxic to shrimp. Use shrimp-safe fertiliser if you have a planted shrimp tank.
• Mixing colours if you want to maintain a specific colour line.

Why I keep cherry shrimp

Cherry shrimp are one of those species that everyone should try at least once. They are affordable, easy to care for, endlessly entertaining to watch, and they make your tank look and function better. Once you start a colony, you will wonder why you did not do it sooner.

If you have questions about setting up a shrimp tank or choosing the right colour, email me at elyza@handpickedaquatics.com I am always happy to help.

Cheers, Elyza Hand Picked Aquatics