Pet Aqua — Three Step Guide to Healthy Cherry Shrimp

Buying Your Shrimp

Start with a group of at least 10 shrimp. Cherry shrimp are social and do better in groups. A larger starting group also gives you both males and females, which means breeding can begin straight away.

• Buy at least 10 shrimp to start. This gives you a mix of males and females and gets the colony going.
• Ask at Pet Aqua about the colour varieties available — red cherry, blue dream, yellow, orange, green, and white are all the same species (Neocaridina davidi) in different colours.
• Do not mix different colours in the same tank. They will interbreed and the offspring will revert to a dull brown or wild colour. Keep one colour per tank.
• Choose active, brightly coloured shrimp. Avoid shrimp that are sitting still, pale, or showing white or cloudy patches.
• Buy from a reputable source. Pet Aqua stocks healthy, quarantined shrimp.

Bringing Shrimp Home

The journey home and the introduction to the tank are the most stressful moments for shrimp. Get it right.

• Keep the bag insulated in winter — cold shock kills shrimp. Use a cool bag or wrap the bag in a towel.
• Do not leave shrimp in a hot car. Go straight home.
• When you arrive, float the sealed bag in the tank for 15–20 minutes to equalise the temperature. Do not open the bag yet.
• After temperature equalises, open the bag and roll the top down to keep it floating. Add a small amount of tank water to the bag every 5–10 minutes for 30–45 minutes. This slowly acclimatis the shrimp to your water parameters.
• After 30–45 minutes, use a net or cup to transfer the shrimp into the tank. Do not pour the bag water into the aquarium — it may carry contaminants.
• Dispose of the bag water down the sink.
• Keep the light off for the first few hours to reduce stress.
• Do not feed on the first day. Let the shrimp settle and find the biofilm.

Feeding

In a well-established planted tank, cherry shrimp find most of their food naturally — they graze on algae and biofilm 24/7. Supplemental feeding is needed, but less is more. Overfeeding is one of the biggest causes of water quality problems and shrimp deaths.

How Much and How Often

• Feed a small amount 2–3 times per week. A piece of food the size of a pea is enough for 10–15 shrimp.
• Shrimp will swarm the food. If it is all gone within 1–2 hours, that is the right amount. If food is left after 2 hours, you are feeding too much — reduce the portion.
• Remove uneaten food after 2–3 hours so it does not rot and spike ammonia.
• Underfeeding is rarely a problem. Shrimp graze on biofilm constantly and will not starve between feeds. Overfeeding kills shrimp.

What to Feed

• Shrimp-specific pellets or sticks (such as Pet Aqua Cherry Shrimp sticks). These contain added calcium for strong exoskeletons. Always check the label — no copper.
• Algae wafers. Shrimp love them and they sink straight to the bottom where shrimp feed.
• Blanched vegetables: courgette, spinach, carrot, cucumber, kale, peas, broccoli. Boil for 2–3 minutes until soft, cool under cold water, then add a small piece. Remove after 24 hours.
• Indian almond (catappa) leaves. These break down slowly and grow biofilm that shrimp graze on for weeks. No need to remove them.
• Avoid fish flakes as a staple — they break apart and pollute the water. Use them only as an occasional treat.

Tank Mates — Keep It Shrimp-Only

The safest option for a breeding colony is a shrimp-only tank. Almost all fish will eat baby shrimp (shrimplets), and even small fish will pick at adults when they molt.

• For a breeding colony: keep it shrimp-only. This is the only way to guarantee shrimplets survive.
• If you want tank mates, choose only the safest options: nerite snails, ramshorn snails, or Malaysian trumpet snails. These do not eat shrimp.
• Fish that are sometimes considered "shrimp-safe" (small tetras, otocinclus, rasboras) will still eat shrimplets. They are not truly safe.
• Never keep shrimp with cichlids, bettas, gouramis, barbs, loaches, or any predatory fish. They will hunt and eat adult shrimp.
• If you want fish and shrimp together, accept that you will rarely see shrimplets survive to adulthood.

Checking Your Shrimp

Spend a few minutes each day watching the shrimp. Healthy shrimp are active, brightly coloured, and constantly grazing. Learning what normal looks like helps you spot problems early.

• Healthy shrimp are active and constantly picking at surfaces. A shrimp sitting still for long periods, or lying on its side, is in trouble.
• Check colour. Pale or transparent shrimp are stressed. Bright, solid colour means healthy shrimp.
• Look for molts. Finding empty shells is normal — it means shrimp are growing. Leave the molts in the tank; shrimp eat them for the calcium.
• Watch for berried females (females carrying eggs under their tail). This means your colony is breeding successfully.
• Count your shrimp weekly. In a healthy colony, numbers should slowly increase as shrimplets grow.
• Bring a water sample to Pet Aqua for testing during the first month.

Water Changes

Regular water changes are the single most important maintenance task. But with shrimp, how you do them matters as much as how often. Large or sudden changes cause parameter shock, which triggers failed molts and deaths.

• Change 10–15% of the water weekly. This is the Pet Aqua standard for shrimp tanks. Small, frequent changes keep parameters stable.
• Never change more than 25% at once. Large changes cause parameter swings that stress shrimp and can trigger fatal molts.
• Always match the temperature of the new water to the tank. Use a thermometer — even a few degrees difference can shock shrimp.
• Add Seachem Prime to the new water before it goes in the tank. This removes chlorine and chloramine instantly.
• Pour the new water in slowly. Do not pour it directly onto the shrimp or disturb the substrate.
• If your tap water is very soft (below 4 dGH), add a shrimp mineral supplement to the new water to maintain hardness for molting.

Filter Maintenance

The sponge filter holds the beneficial bacteria that keep your shrimp alive, and its surface grows biofilm that shrimp graze on. Clean it properly or you risk crashing the tank.

• Never clean the sponge under tap water. Chlorine kills beneficial bacteria. Always rinse the sponge in a bucket of old tank water removed during a water change.
• Squeeze the sponge gently in the old tank water to remove debris. Do not scrub or wring it out aggressively.
• Do not replace the sponge. A well-maintained sponge lasts years. Only replace it if it is falling apart, and even then, run the old and new sponge together for a month first.
• Clean the filter every 4–6 weeks, or when the flow reduces. Check the air pump is working and the airline is not kinked.
• After cleaning, add a dose of Seachem Stability to replace any bacteria lost.
• Clean the pre-filter sponge more often — every 1–2 weeks — as it clogs faster.

Lighting and Temperature

• Keep the aquarium light on for 8–10 hours maximum. Use a timer. More than 10 hours promotes algae.
• Do not place the tank near windows. Natural light is uncontrolled and causes algae and temperature swings.
• Check the temperature daily. Cherry shrimp do best at 22–25°C (72–77°F).
• Cooler water (18–22°C) means longer lifespans and larger shrimp, but slower breeding. Warmer water (25–28°C) means faster breeding but shorter lifespans.
• Do not exceed 28°C. Above this, shrimp become stressed and oxygen levels drop.
• If using a heater, check it weekly. Heaters fail. A failed heater in winter can kill shrimp quickly.

Regular Water Testing

Test your water weekly. Catching problems early prevents shrimp deaths. Shrimp are far more sensitive to ammonia and nitrite than fish.

• Bring a water sample to Pet Aqua for testing, or use a home test kit.
• Test for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, pH, GH, and KH.
• Ammonia and nitrite should always read 0 in a healthy tank. Any reading above 0 is an emergency — do a 15% water change immediately and add Seachem Prime.
• Nitrate should stay below 20 ppm. If it rises, increase water change frequency.
• Keep GH at 6–8 dGH. If GH drops below 4, shrimp will struggle to molt — add a mineral supplement or a small piece of cuttlebone to the tank.
• Keep a record of your parameters over time. This helps you spot trends before they become problems.

Molting

Molting is the process where a shrimp sheds its old exoskeleton and grows a new, larger one. It is completely normal and happens every few weeks for adults, more often for juveniles. Understanding molting is the difference between success and failure with shrimp.

• Finding empty shells (molts) in the tank is normal and healthy — it means your shrimp are growing. Leave the molts in the tank; shrimp eat them for the calcium.
• Shrimp need adequate minerals (especially calcium) in the water to build new shells. This is why GH matters — below 4 dGH, molting problems occur.
• A failed molt is when a shrimp cannot shed its old shell and dies stuck inside it. The most common cause is low GH (not enough calcium) or a sudden parameter shift during a water change.
• If you see multiple failed molts (dead shrimp with the old shell still partially attached), test your GH immediately. If it is below 4 dGH, add a shrimp mineral supplement or a small piece of cuttlebone.
• Avoid sudden parameter changes. Always match new water temperature and parameters during water changes — a sudden shift is the most common trigger for failed molts.
• Shrimp hide for a day or two after molting while their new shell hardens. This is normal. Do not disturb them.

Breeding

Cherry shrimp are one of the easiest aquarium animals to breed. In a healthy, stable tank, they breed with almost no intervention. Here is how the cycle works:

How to Encourage Breeding

• Keep parameters stable. Fluctuations stress females and can cause them to drop their eggs.
• Keep the temperature at 22–25°C. Warmer water (up to 26°C) speeds up breeding but shortens lifespan.
• Feed well — a varied diet with plenty of protein and calcium helps females produce healthy eggs. Add blanched vegetables and a quality shrimp pellet.
• Provide plenty of hiding spots (moss, wood, plants) for molting females and shrimplets.
• Keep the tank shrimp-only. Fish eat shrimplets.

Sexing Shrimp

• Females are larger, brighter in colour, and have a rounder underbelly. When carrying eggs, they are "berried" — you will see a cluster of eggs under the tail.
• Males are smaller, paler, and more slender.
• You do not need to sex shrimp to breed them — just start with 10+ shrimp and you will have both sexes.

Shrimplets

• Baby shrimp hatch as miniature adults, about 2mm long. They are immediately independent — no parental care needed.
• Shrimplets do not need special food. They graze on biofilm naturally present in a mature tank. Java moss and sponge filter surfaces are the best feeding grounds for shrimplets.
• The only requirement is keeping predators (fish) out of the tank. In a shrimp-only tank, most shrimplets survive to adulthood.
• Do not do large water changes when shrimplets are present. Keep changes small (10%) and gentle to avoid shocking them.

Colour Quality and Culling

Over time, a colony's colour can fade if lower-quality shrimp are allowed to breed freely. To maintain strong colour, some keepers periodically remove (cull) off-coloured individuals.

• Culling means removing pale, transparent, or off-colour shrimp from the breeding group. You can move them to a separate tank or give them to friends.
• Do not release shrimp into the wild or into waterways. This is illegal and harmful to native species.
• Start with high-quality, brightly coloured shrimp from Pet Aqua. Good stock produces good offspring.
• Feed a diet rich in carotenoids (red, orange, and yellow vegetables) to help maintain colour intensity.

Common Problems

Failed Molts

• The most common cause of shrimp deaths. Usually caused by low GH (not enough calcium) or sudden parameter shifts during water changes.
• Fix: test GH. If below 4 dGH, add a mineral supplement or cuttlebone. Always match new water parameters during changes.

Shrimp Dying After Water Change

• Caused by temperature or parameter shock. The new water was too different from the tank water.
• Fix: always match temperature and parameters. Change only 10–15% at a time. Add new water slowly.

No Breeding

• Usually caused by unstable parameters, wrong temperature, poor diet, or all one sex in the group.
• Fix: stabilise parameters, check temperature is 22–25°C, improve diet, and ensure you have at least 10 shrimp for a mix of sexes.

Shrimp Hiding All the Time

• Shrimp hide when stressed — usually due to poor water quality, too much light, or aggressive tank mates.
• Fix: test the water, reduce lighting hours, and remove any fish from the tank.

White or Cloudy Patches on Shrimp

• This can indicate a bacterial or fungal infection. It is often a sign of poor water quality.
• Fix: test water immediately, do a small water change, and isolate affected shrimp. Do not use copper medications.