How to Get Cherry Shrimp to Breed: A Simple Guide for Shrimp Enthusiasts

Cherry shrimp, also known as red cherry shrimp (RCS), are a popular freshwater dwarf shrimp species commonly kept by aquarists. Their bright red coloration and peaceful temperament make them an excellent choice for nano community tanks.

One of the best things about keeping cherry shrimp is that they are prolific breeders. With proper care and tank conditions you can easily establish a large sustainable cherry shrimp colony. Read on to learn everything you need to know about getting your cherry shrimp to breed successfully.

Setting Up the Right Tank Environment

Cherry shrimp are relatively hardy and undemanding when it comes to water parameters and tank setup. However, providing optimal conditions will encourage breeding and baby shrimp survival. Here are some key things to consider:

• Tank Size: A 10 gallon or larger tank is ideal for a cherry shrimp breeding colony. This allows adequate swimming space and provides more surface area for biofilm growth which baby shrimp need to graze on.

• Filtration A gentle sponge filter is perfect, as it won’t suck up baby shrimp. Avoid strong water currents

• Substrate: Use a fine gravel or sand substrate. Shrimp enjoy digging through and foraging in the substrate.

• Plants: Have plenty of moss, ferns, anubias, subwassertang, etc. The plant mass provides ample hiding spots from larger tank inhabitants and surfaces for biofilm. Floating plants are great too.

• Decor: Include rock caves, driftwood, cholla wood, Indian almond leaves. This gives shrimp shelter and grazing areas.

• Water Parameters: Maintain stable conditions with pH around 7, GH 5-8, KH 2-5, temperature 70-78°F. Perform regular partial water changes.

• Tankmates: Choose peaceful community fish that won’t eat adult or baby shrimp, like small rasboras, tetras, or guppies. Avoid fish like bettas, cichlids, or goldfish that may prey on shrimp.

Feeding Your Shrimp Properly

Providing a nutritious and varied diet is key for getting cherry shrimp to thrive and trigger breeding. Here are some feeding tips:

• Protein-rich foods: Offer foods like shrimp pellets, blanched vegetables (zucchini, spinach, etc), bloodworms, brine shrimp 1-2 times per week. This fuels growth and breeding.

• Supplements: Add mineral supplements like Bacter AE or Shrimp Baby 1-2 times per week. This provides important vitamins and minerals.

• Algae: Allow some natural algal growth in the tank for shrimp to graze on constantly. You can supplement with additives like Shrimp King Algae Wafers.

• ** biofilm:** Use Indian almond leaves, driftwood, cholla wood to promote biofilm growth that baby shrimp need.

• Avoid overfeeding: Only feed as much as shrimp can consume within a few hours to prevent water fouling. Remove uneaten food promptly.

Following this varied diet will provide all the nutrients cherry shrimp need for optimum health, growth and breeding.

Getting the Right Shrimp Numbers and Ratio

When starting a new cherry shrimp colony, it’s important to begin with enough individuals and an optimal male to female ratio. Here’s what to aim for:

• Purchase at least 10-15 shrimp to start with. Having this baseline group size prevents inbreeding issues and kickstarts breeding.

• Buy more females than males. Aim for a 1:2 male to female ratio. Females drive breeding capacity while a few males can fertilize many females.

• Add more females over time. You can safely keep 1 male per 5-10 females in a thriving colony.

• Mix in new genetic lines periodically by buying shrimp from other sources. This maintains genetic diversity.

With enough shrimp numbers and a good male/female balance, your colony should start breeding prolifically within 2-3 months.

Sexing Cherry Shrimp

Being able to accurately distinguish male and female cherry shrimp is important when buying shrimp to start a colony and monitoring breeding progress. Here’s how to tell the difference:

• Females are usually larger and have a rounded underbelly shape for carrying eggs. They are intensely colored red across the whole body and legs.

• Males are smaller with a slim, straight underbelly line. Their body color is more translucent with a light red/brown tinge concentrated on the head and upper back. The legs are pale.

• Saddle: Mature females develop a yellow-green “saddle” patch on the back which indicates fertile eggs are present and they are ready for breeding.

Use these visual cues when selecting your first shrimp and as your colony matures to ensure you maintain a good breeding ratio. Separate out excess males if needed.

Recognizing Breeding Behaviors

Once you’ve optimized tank conditions and shrimp health, breeding activity should ensue. Watch for these key shrimp behaviors to spot when breeding is underway:

• Mating dance: A male will vigorously fan and flick his swimmerets while alongside a female to signal his interest in mating. If receptive, the female will stand still.

• Saddled females: Gravid (egg carrying) females will develop a yellow-green “saddle” marking on their back as eggs mature. This saddle indicates she will breed soon.

• Breeding embrace: If mating is successful, the male will turn the female over onto her back and hold her in an embrace while fertilizing the eggs.

• Fanning eggs: Berried (fertilized egg carrying) females will frequently fan their underside pleopods to aerate the developing eggs.

• Hatching: Eggs will fall off and tiny baby shrimp will emerge after 3-4 weeks of development. You may see empty egg shells on the female.

Watching your shrimp colony exhibit these breeding behaviors is extremely rewarding! It means your setup is dialed in for shrimp reproduction.

Caring for Pregnant and New Mom Shrimp

Once female cherry shrimp have mated and become saddled or berried, some additional care is advised:

• Supplement feed berried females with extra protein, minerals and algae to support the energy demands of reproduction.

• Reduce stress by avoiding tank maintenance like water changes or rescaping while females are berried.

• Give them ample hiding spaces using plants and decor. This allows them to find secure spots to hatch eggs and hide from predators.

• Remove molts promptly to prevent females from eating their own calcium-rich shells before babies hatch.

• Isolate from predators like fish that may eat new babies. Use a breeder box/net or separate nursery tank.

• Leave babies be for several weeks while they grow stronger. Avoid siphoning or rescaping so they aren’t inadvertently removed or disturbed while still vulnerable.

With some extra TLC while breeding and hatching, you’ll have the best chances of shrimp success!

Culling to Improve Colony Quality

As your cherry shrimp population explodes, you may notice some lower grade shrimp in terms of size, color and morphology. Periodically culling out these undesirable shrimp improves the gene pool. Here’s how to cull selectively:

• Remove small/weak shrimp that are visibly smaller in size or pale in color. These traits could be passed down.

• Cull misshapen shrimp with spinal or other physical deformities that can result from inbreeding.

• Separate excess males to maintain an optimal male:female ratio, as noted earlier.

• Sell or give away extra culls instead of destroying them if possible. Someone may want lower grade shrimp.

• Introduce new lines by purchasing higher grade shrimp from reputable sources and breeding them into your colony.

With regular selective culling and new introductions, you can maintain a vibrant, high quality cherry shrimp colony long-term.

Troubleshooting Lack of Breeding

Sometimes issues arise that can prevent successful cherry shrimp breeding. Here are some common problems and solutions:

Problem: No mating activity observed

Solution: Ensure you have enough females and males at a 2:1 ratio. Supplement their diet with mineral-rich foods.

Problem: Few or no females getting berried (egg carrying)

Solution: Test water parameters and do water changes to improve water quality. Increase feeding frequency or amounts. Add more hiding places and reduce tank stressors.

Problem: Eggs not hatching or babies dying soon after

Solution: Test water parameters. Perform water changes with remineralized RO