Common Names: Cherry Shrimp, Fire Shrimp

Scientific Name: Neocaradina Heteropoda var Red, was Neocaradina Denticulata Sinensis var red.

Availability in the UK: The cherry shrimp is probably the second most widely available variety of shrimp in the UK. Available in many local stores, and most if not all of online stores that sell shrimp stock cherry shrimp.

Incompatible Shrimp: Cherry shrimp will hybridise with most other types of neocaridina shrimp and should therefore not be kept with these.

Feeding:Mostly eat algae, but will scavenge fish flake. Also said to enjoy Hikari Crab Cuisine, but mine ignore this completely, prefering to graze on algae. Best to make sure there is a good growth of algae in their tanks.

Sexing: Females are more brightly coloured than males, males mostly been colourless sometimes with a few red spots on their bodies. When females are about to drop their eggs they develope a cream coloured Saddle as can be seen in the above image.

Breeding: When these shrimp are happy it would be harder to stop them from breeding. They are very very easy to breed in freshwater, with no larval stage. When the female is ready to drop her eggs, or berry as it is called, she will develop a cream coloured saddle on her back. Not long after this she will be seen carrying lime green coloured eggs on her underside. These eggs hatch as miniature versions of the adults. It is advised that they are kept in very well planted tanks, with plenty of moss and hiding places. If bred in the community tank this is especially important due to the small size of the young making them prone to predation. Also check filters regularly as the young often get sucked in and will live inside external filters. To call these shrimp fecund would be an understatement, 10 shrimp can become 100 within the space of a few months.

shaz3271 has written a guide to breeding Cherry Shrimp for the forum that can be found here.

Photos:

Thanks to ballpc for many of the photographs used

Thanks to Paulo Leal for the last photograph