The cherry shrimp is a small, hardy freshwater invertebrate, a selectively bred colour form of Neocaridina davidi known for its bright red shell and easy care.
It is one of the best beginner invertebrates and a popular nano-tank species.
Reaching just a few centimetres, cherry shrimp graze biofilm and algae, breed readily, and form colourful colonies.
They are sensitive to copper and unstable water but otherwise undemanding, making them a good introduction to keeping freshwater shrimp.
Housing
A stable, mature, planted tank of at least 20L suits a cherry shrimp colony, with cool to warm temperatures of 18-26C and neutral to slightly alkaline water of moderate hardness.
They need plenty of biofilm, so an established tank is essential.
Provide moss, plants and surfaces for grazing, and gentle, shrimp-safe filtration with intake guards to protect tiny young.
Keep ammonia and nitrite at zero and avoid any copper, which is lethal.
Stable parameters and a cycled tank matter more than precise numbers.
Diet
Cherry shrimp are omnivorous scavengers that graze biofilm and algae continuously, supplemented with specialised shrimp pellets, blanched vegetables such as spinach and courgette, and occasional protein.
A mature, biofilm-rich tank meets most of their needs.
Feed only tiny amounts every day or two, removing uneaten food to protect water quality.
Overfeeding fouls the water and is a common beginner mistake.
A varied diet supports colour, moulting and breeding; calcium and stable hardness aid healthy shell formation.
Health
Cherry shrimp are hardy but acutely sensitive to copper, ammonia, nitrite and sudden parameter swings, all of which cause failed moults and death.
Most losses trace to medications containing copper, unstable water, or adding shrimp to an immature tank.
Avoid copper-based fish treatments entirely, acclimatise new shrimp very slowly by drip, and keep water stable and well cycled.
Moulting problems often indicate insufficient calcium or fluctuating hardness.
In clean, stable conditions a colony stays healthy and reproduces steadily.
Temperament
Cherry shrimp are peaceful, social grazers that do best in colonies and feel secure in numbers, so start with at least ten.
They spend their days foraging over plants and surfaces and pose no threat to other inhabitants.
Keep them in a species tank or with very small, peaceful fish, as most fish will eat shrimplets and some will hunt adults.
Avoid all aggressive or larger fish.
They breed prolifically; cross-breeding with other Neocaridina colours dulls their bright hues over generations.
A good fit for
Nano and planted-tank keepers
Beginners new to freshwater invertebrates
Those wanting a natural algae cleanup crew
Aquarists interested in easy shrimp breeding
Common mistakes to avoid
Any copper, from medications or decor, is lethal
Adding shrimp to an immature, unstable tank
Fish tankmates eating shrimplets and adults
Overfeeding fouling the small water volume
Is your enclosure big enough?
Minimum volume20 litres (5 US gallons)
CompanyCannot be kept alone. The minimum is 10, and the space above is for that group.
In a fish tank the patient is usually the water. Test before you treat — dosing a healthy tank for a disease it does not have makes things worse.
Go now
Any detectable ammonia or nitrite in a stocked tankLarge water change now with dechlorinated, temperature-matched water. Stop feeding. Test again in 12 hours. Both are directly toxic. How toxic the ammonia reading is depends on pH and temperature, so the same number can be harmless or lethal.
Now
Fish gasping at the surface, or crowding the filter outflowIncrease surface agitation immediately, then test the water. Either the oxygen has crashed or the gills are being chemically burned. Both are hours-scale problems.
Now
Sudden deaths, more than one fish in a dayTest ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and temperature before doing anything else. Do not add medication yet. Multiple simultaneous deaths point at the water or the equipment, not at a pathogen.
Now
Today
Flashing — repeatedly scraping against decor or substrateTest the water, then look closely for parasites. Irritation is either chemical or parasitic; the test tells you which before you medicate.
Today
White salt-grain spots over the body and finsBegin the appropriate treatment today and check the temperature. The parasite's life cycle is temperature-driven, and it multiplies with every cycle you wait.
Today
Soon
Clamped fins, hiding, or refusing food for more than two daysTest the water and review recent changes. Usually the earliest visible sign of a parameter drifting.
A few days
Never add a new fish to a tank that is not fully cycled, and never treat blind. A test kit is cheaper than the fish.
This is general guidance for a healthy adult, not a diagnosis. An exotics vet who knows your animal always overrides it — and the time to find one is before you need one.
What it really costs
Setup, monthly, first year and across a whole life, itemised and with the electricity worked out from the actual wattage. Published figures for the same animal disagree by a factor of four, so the calculator shows ranges rather than picking one.
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