The Best Places to Buy Cherry Shrimp Online

Cherry shrimp are one of the most popular freshwater shrimp kept in home aquariums Their bright red coloration and peaceful nature make them an excellent choice for community tanks. While you can sometimes find cherry shrimp at local fish stores, the selection is often limited. Buying shrimp online opens up many more options at competitive prices.

In this guide, we’ll cover where to find the healthiest cherry shrimp online, what to look for in a retailer, and tips for getting your new shrimp safely to your home.

Why Buy Cherry Shrimp Online?

Searching for cherry shrimp online offers these advantages over local fish stores

• Wider selection of grades and color variations
• Ability to buy larger quantities
• Lower prices for bulk orders
• Access to rare specialty breeds
• Shrimp bred specifically for aquariums
• Retailers specializing in invertebrates
• Avoiding local sources of disease or parasites
• Shipped directly to your door

You’ll have many more options buying cherry shrimp online compared to what’s available locally. This allows you to find the perfect shrimp for your tank.

What to Look For in an Online Shrimp Seller

Not all online shrimp retailers are equal in terms of quality and service. Here are important factors to consider when choosing where to buy your cherry shrimp:

• Specializes in shrimp – Shops focusing specifically on shrimp often offer healthier, higher quality animals compared to generic fish stores. They also have more shrimp knowledge.

• Good online reviews – Check reviews on independent forums like Reddit or specialty shrimp sites. This gives insight into others’ experiences with that company.

• Wide selection – Look for retailers that breed and sell multiple cherry shrimp grades, colors and specialty varieties. This indicates their dedication to shrimp.

• Breeds their own stock – Shrimp bred in captivity specifically for aquariums tend to be healthier than imports.

• Quarantines new shrimp – Reputable sellers quarantine new shrimp before adding to their tanks to prevent spreading disease.

• Provides detailed information – Detailed descriptions, parameters, genetics, grades and care info show a high level of husbandry and knowledge.

• Strong live arrival guarantee – In case of any DOAs, a full refund or replacement policy protects your investment.

• Insulated, fast shipping – Offers overnight insulated shipping with heat or cool packs to ensure safe, rapid transit.

Using a retailer that meets the above criteria helps ensure you get the highest quality cherry shrimp.

Recommended Online Cherry Shrimp Sellers

Based on the above criteria, here are some of the top recommended online stores for buying cherry shrimp:

The Shrimp Farm

• Huge selection of cherry shrimp grades
• Breed and quarantine their own shrimp
• Excellent reviews and guarantee
• Specialize in dwarf shrimp species
• Provide care info and parameters
• Insulated overnight shipping available

Flip Aquatics

• Wide range of Neocaridina shrimp
• Quarantine and acclimate shrimp
• Overnight insulated shipping
• Strong live arrival guarantee
• Active YouTube channel with shrimp tips

Aqua Huna

• Import and breed their own shrimp
• Specialize in shrimp and other invertebrates
• Several cherry shrimp color varieties
• Good selection of plants and equipment too
• Insulated shipping options

Shrimp Fever

• Focus on shrimp breeding and sales
• Numerous cherry shrimp grades available
• Provide parameters and genetic lineage
• Excellent reviews on forums
• Specialty rare shrimp varieties too

What to Look for When Buying Cherry Shrimp

When selecting your cherry shrimp stock online, look for these signs of health:

• Bright, vibrant and opaque coloration
• Active swimming and grazing behavior
• Intact exoskeleton with no cracks or molting issues
• No visible parasites like scutariella or nematodes
• No dead or lethargic shrimp in images

High quality cherry shrimp will display rich coloration and active normal behavior in their photos or videos.

Select sellers that provide water parameters matching your tank too. Acclimated shrimp have higher survival rates. An established retailer will list the pH, GH, KH, and TDS the shrimp are accustomed to.

Only purchase juvenile or adult shrimp, never larvae or eggs. Mature shrimp over 0.5 inches ship more safely. For breeding, look for female to male ratios around 3:1.

How to Ship Cherry Shrimp Safely

Reputable online shrimp retailers have shipping down to a science to ensure safe arrival. Here’s how they do it:

• Insulate box with paper, foam or heat/cool packs
• Use breather bags inflated with oxygen
• Add ammonia absorbers to bag water
• Double bag to prevent leaks or punctures
• Use expedited 1-3 day shipping
• Include tracking number for monitoring
• Bag moss as hiding spots for shrimp
• Only ship when weather permits safe transit

As a customer, choose overnight or expedited shipping during mild weather. Alert the company ahead of time if weather extremes are expected.

Provide specific shipment requests like adding extra insulation or holding the order if conditions are unfavorable. Communication ahead of time helps guarantee happy, healthy shrimp.

Acclimating Store Bought Cherry Shrimp

Once your shrimp shipment arrives, don’t just dump the bag contents into your tank. All new shrimp need gradual acclimation to avoid shock. Here are some best practices:

• Have tank set up 1+ weeks in advance
• Test and adjust water parameters before shrimp arrive
• Dim lights during acclimation
• Float sealed bag for 20-30 minutes to equalize temperatures
• Open bag and remove shrimp with net to plastic container
• Add small amounts of tank water to container over 1-2 hours
• Net shrimp into tank once acclimated
• Discard shipping bag water – don’t add to tank

Follow these steps and your new cherry shrimp will transition smoothly into their home.

Online vs Local Shrimp: Which is Better?

While buying locally avoids shipping stress, shrimp bred locally or in big-box pet stores often lose out in terms of:

• Genetic vigor – Weak coloration or survival rates
• Disease transmission – Tanks not properly quarantined
• Handling stress – Repetitive moves between tanks
• Knowledge – Staff lack shrimp expertise
• Supply chain issues – Time in wholesale warehouses

Meanwhile, dedicated online shrimp retailers offer:

• Robust genetics – Bright color and higher survival
• Quarantine systems – Prevent disease spread
• Specialized equipment – Optimized for shrimp
• Expertise – Years of exclusive shrimp focus
• Direct shipping – Avoid wholesale distribution

For the healthiest, hardiest shrimp with vibrant color, specialty online shrimp sellers are typically the better source over local options.

Ready to Order Your Cherry Shrimp?

Buying shrimp online opens up an amazing variety of cherry shrimp grades, colors and patterns that your local fish store just can’t match.

Just be sure to select retailers who specialize in shrimp, quarantine, provide information, have good reviews and offer safe shipping.

Once your order arrives, take time to properly acclimate your shrimp over a few hours. This helps them destress and adjust to their new water parameters.

If you follow these tips, your new cherry shrimp will arrive active and ready to thrive. Enjoy building a vibrant cherry shrimp colony by sourcing your shrimp from the vast selection available online.