Cherry Shrimp - Housing

Housing

Red cherry shrimp are easy to care for in the home freshwater aquarium and breed well. They will adapt to a wide range of water conditions, and will thrive in the same conditions as many common aquarium fish. A few cherry shrimp can be kept in a desktop aquarium of 4–8 litres (0.88–1.8 imp gal; 1.1–2.1 US gal) capacity, and a setup of 40 l (8.8 imp gal; 11 US gal) or more will allow for an active colony.

The shrimp spends a great deal of its time sitting on aquatic plants, when available, and hiding in them for protection, especially after molting. They also eat the film of algae and microorganisms that forms on plant leaves without harming the leaves in the process. Java moss and Java fern are both excellent plants for the shrimp tank, as they thrive in the same conditions as the cherry shrimp and provide both the physical benefits of the plants to the shrimp and provide a human viewer with a pleasing visual contrast with the red bodies of the shrimp.

Red cherry shrimp respond to the colour of their background and substrate. If they are kept in a tank with light-coloured substrate, they will become paler, or even transparent. On a darker substrate, they take on their full red colouration. Colour intensity also depends on the types of food available (live foods and those high in protein and fats are more beneficial than flake foods), water pH, and temperature.