Q&A for How to Breed Red Cherry Shrimp

It takes about three months for a shrimp to mature into an adult capable of reproducing itself.

Yes, they will breed with each other. But if you have enough in there (you can add more too), it's not a problem. Inbreeding usually isn't going to produce horrid results in shrimp.

Have plants in your aquarium, and change about 20% of your water. You can also purchase products to help rid of ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates. And do not put too much food in the tank, only what your water pets consume. Otherwise, left over food turns into ammonia, ammonia into nitrite, and nitrite into nitrate*. *Nitrate isn't as harmful as ammonia and nitrite.

A cherry shrimp will keep fanning its eggs with its spinnerets until the eggs are ready to hatch -- it usually takes one month. Then the little shrimp break out of their eggs, emerging as tiny versions of the adults. These shrimplets are very small, so make sure there aren't any fish in the tank that might view them as yummy snacks.

Yes, but you must perform frequent 10% water changes and run a small sponge filter and heater. Also, remember to include lots of plants, the more plants, the better.

Yes. A male will need to catch a female to transfer sperm.

First, you don't need to feed it often. It's probably eating algae, or is eating when you're not observing the tank.

Yes, they do, but they are not very high grade, meaning they are less red.

The guppies will eat fry if they are underfed. Pay attention to how much food the guppies are eating and also pay attention to the amount of fry. Separate them if fry are disappearing.

Females are more colorful than males. You might have too many males. Also, substrate and lighting will play a role in how your shrimp looks. Dark substrates and high lighting will make them look redder.

Around 24-36, give or take a few. It's also good to keep in mind that all the eggs may not hatch, or the some of the babies won't live to be adults, especially if you have large "predator" fish that could eat them.

Not necessarily. Any tank can house shrimp, so long as they're being taken care of properly. In a tank of that size, you could have many shrimp and plants and create a very attractive aquarium.

The same way! Just be sure to include lots of moss and some driftwood. It might just take a bit longer because red cherry shrimp breed like crazy!

Then you will always have one shrimp, but a single shrimp can make a nice addition to a community tank as long as there are no major predators. Bigger fish may cull your shrimp community and this is why multiples are often suggested so that they can hopefully reproduce at a higher rate than they are culled. Having a single shrimp is fine, but you cannot breed only one.

It is possible.

Female shrimp will have unfertilized eggs when they are sexually mature, then they release a pheromone to help the males find and fertilize the eggs.

You can slow down the breeding process by lowering the temperature. A higher temperature means more shrimp. You could sell the extras, though!

Because they can eat algae on your tank and they are great pets to add into a community tank, as long as there are no larger fish that can eat them.

Nope, all aquatic pets should have treated water. Larvae (babies) are especially vulnerable to harmful substances in water.

It is needed, as it allows for aeration and light filtration without sucking up any larvae.

You can find them on online shopping sites or online pet stores.

Adult shrimp can be fed shrimp pellets and algae wafers. Baby shrimp will eat plat matter and scavenge around the tank for left overs.

No, you can't use these tips for any kind of shrimp. Some require different temperatures or water conditions, so you need to do research on how to breed your specific type of shrimp.

Yes, but you have to feed them algae wafers regularly as they could not get enough natural food.

They need specific water temperatures and parameters to trigger breeding.

No, red cherry shrimp can breed, live and thrive without ever needing to be separated. You can use a breeding box but it is not mandatory.

You can try lowering the temperature of the tank, but if you keep multiple shrimp in one tank, there's no real way to stop them from breeding.

Stick to brine shrimp. Brine shrimp are smaller (so fish can easily eat them) and many calm aquarium fish don't eat the red cherry shrimp, which is why they can coexist. They're not meant for feeding fish like the ones you have described.

Yes, you should provide some hiding spots for your shrimp during the molting period, like a few small pots.

Not entirely, maybe find something that you are both very interested in, like a show or an animal.