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Aquarium guides/Breeding cherry shrimp

Breeding cherry shrimp

Cherry shrimp breed readily in a mature, stable tank with moss or plants and no fish large enough to eat the young. Females carry eggs under the tail for two to three weeks, then release tiny shrimplets that graze biofilm from the start.

A female Neocaridina shrimp carrying eyed eggs
Shown: a female Neocaridina shrimp carrying eyed eggs. Photo: Sleepycrab, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

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Conditions that work

  • A cycled tank of 5 gallons or more, months old, with biofilm on every surface.
  • Stable temperature and hardness; small, regular water changes rather than big ones.
  • A sponge filter or a sponge over the intake so shrimplets are not pulled in.
  • Moss and plants for cover.

Growing the colony

Start with ten or more for a mix of males and females. Females are larger and more colored; a yellow saddle behind the head shows developing eggs. Shrimp-safe tankmates: fish that leave shrimp alone.

Common problems

Copper in medications or some fertilizers kills shrimp. Failed moults point to unstable or very soft water. Cherry shrimp care.

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