Cherry shrimp care
Neocaridina davidi · Freshwater streams of China, Korea and Taiwan
Cherry shrimp are the easiest shrimp to keep and breed: a cycled 5 gallon or larger tank with plants or moss, stable water and a group of ten or more.
- Tank size
- 5 US gal or larger
- Temperature
- 65 to 82 °F (18 to 28 °C)
- Group size
- 10 or more
- Temperament
- Peaceful
- Adult size
- 1.6 in
- pH
- 6.5 to 8
- Hardness (GH)
- 6 to 12 dGH
- Lifespan
- 1 to 2 years
- Diet
- Grazer
- Care level
- Easy
In a 5 gallon: Aqueon 5½
16 3/16 × 8⅜ × 10½ in outsideHow to keep cherry shrimp
Cherry shrimp are the easiest shrimp to keep and breed: a cycled 5 gallon or larger tank with plants or moss, stable water and a group of ten or more. They graze biofilm and algae all day and breed in the tank if no fish eat the young.
Diet: Grazer: biofilm and algae, shrimp pellets, blanched vegetables. Fish food types compared · how often to feed.
Where they swim: Bottom of the tank.
Cherry shrimp tank mates
Share the temperature and water, and neither side eats, nips or bullies the other. Check the full group in the stocking checker.
Neon tetra
1.6 in · 10+ gal · 70–79 °F
Serpae tetra
1.6 in · 20+ gal · 72–79 °F
Sparkling gourami
1.6 in · 10+ gal · 76–82 °F
Black neon tetra
1.5 in · 10+ gal · 73–81 °F
Glowlight tetra
1.5 in · 10+ gal · 72–80 °F
Marbled hatchetfish
1.5 in · 20+ gal · 75–82 °F
White cloud mountain minnow
1.5 in · 10+ gal · 64–72 °F
Medaka
1.5 in · 10+ gal · 65–82 °F
Keep apart
Shell-dweller cichlid: Shell-dweller cichlids eat shrimp.
Pea puffer: Pea puffers belong in a tank of their own.
Everglades pygmy sunfish: Everglades pygmy sunfish belong in a tank of their own.
Angelfish: Adult angelfish eat fish under about 2 in; cherry shrimp grow to 1.6 in.
Cockatoo dwarf cichlid: Cockatoo dwarf cichlids eat shrimp.
Kribensis: Kribensis eat shrimp.
What a cherry shrimp tank needs
A tank of 5 US gallons or more (such as the 5 gallon: Aqueon 5½) with a cover, and the equipment below. Cherry shrimp are comfortable at room temperature, so a heater is optional in a normal home.
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Aquarium Co-Op Easy Flow Sponge Filter, Nano
A sponge filter gives gentle flow and cannot pull in small shrimp. It runs from an air pump, with airline tubing and a check valve, all sold separately.
Fluval AC20
Rated by the maker for 5–20 US gal, which covers a 5 gallon cherry shrimp tank without being built for a far bigger one. It comes with an intake sponge, which keeps baby shrimp out of the filter.
Aqueon QuietFlow Internal Power Filter up to 5 gal
Rated by the maker for up to 5 US gal, which covers a 5 gallon cherry shrimp tank without being built for a far bigger one. Cover its intake with a fine sponge, sold separately, so baby shrimp aren’t pulled in.
API Freshwater Master Test Kit
Tests ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH, the readings that matter most before and after adding cherry shrimp.
Seachem Prime 100 mL
Removes chlorine and chloramine from tap water at every water change.
Fluval Edge Thermometer
Shows the water temperature at a glance, so you know it stays within 65 to 82 °F.
More choices, each with the reason it is in or out: Filters for a shrimp tank · Filters for a 5 gallon tank. We don’t list fish food: any good brand of the foods under Diet will do. Plan the whole tank's equipment →
Common cherry shrimp problems
- Copper in medications and some fertilizers kills shrimp; check labels.
- Failed moults (a white ring at the neck) point to unstable or very soft water; keep GH steady with small, regular water changes.
- Most fish larger than a tetra eat shrimplets.
Test the water first whenever fish look unwell: see what your readings mean, then match the symptom. For disease, a vet who treats fish can diagnose it and advise treatment.
More to compare
Sources
Name, origin and adult size checked against Wikipedia: Neocaridina davidi. Temperature, pH, hardness, group size, lifespan and minimum tank size are common hobby guidance, not figures from that article. Ranges are the range the species tolerates; aim for the middle. Minimum tank sizes are for an adult group. Drawings are our own; photo credits follow.
Photo credits
Real photographs from Wikimedia Commons, resized and cropped to fit; each is used under the license named.
- Cherry shrimp TheJammingYam, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Neon tetra Holger Krisp, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Serpae tetra Faucon, CC BY-SA 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons
- Sparkling gourami BEDO (Thailand), CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Black neon tetra Debivort, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Glowlight tetra gonzalovalenzuela; cropped by Kyknos, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Marbled hatchetfish Sven Kullander, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- White cloud mountain minnow Petrtyl, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Medaka Seotaro, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Shell-dweller cichlid Richard A. Ingebrigtsen, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Pea puffer Beta Mahatvaraj, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Everglades pygmy sunfish Brian Gratwicke, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Angelfish Citron, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Cockatoo dwarf cichlid William Kreijkes, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Kribensis André Karwath aka Aka, CC BY-SA 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons
- Amano shrimp Stefanie Leuker, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Ghost shrimp Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Mystery snail Gabriel Resende Veiga, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Zebra nerite snail TheJammingYam, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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