Information for people wanting to breed Cherry Shrimp

vinnymac · 09-12-2005, 08:24 PM

I've seen a lot of people asking questions about cherry shrimp and breeding requirements, tank setup, water parameters, etc.

I thought I'd take a little time to talk about what has worked for me. I got into the hobby a little over a year ago and found this site and a few others and quickly became interested in freshwater shrimp. I bought my first batch of 10 cherry shrimp and 10 amano shrimp and rest is history.

It wasn't until my second batch of cherry shrimp before I realized how easy they were to breed. My second purchase contained a pregnant female and she ended up having the babies in a small pint cup when I was moving her into her permanent home.

I started with a 10 gallon tank with various plant clippings from my main 65g tank and I noticed more and baby shrimp each week. I soon had nearly 100 and I ended up giving some away and selling some to other hobbists.

I set up a 20 gallon planted tank and moved a bunch of the shrimp into it and now I have successfully bred nearly 1,000 very nicely colored cherry shrimp.

Here is what has worked for me and what I suggest for other people if they want to try their hand at breeding cherry shrimp.

1. Tank size should be at least 10 gallons to support up to 100-150 shrimp (based on weekly 30% water changes).
2. Temp should be between 75-78F.
3. Moderate water hardness seems to work the best for robust breeding and coloration.
4. I highly recommend the addition of live plants to maintain good water quality.
5. Sponge filters are the best since they do not pose a danger to baby shrimp.
6. PH of 7.6 has worked well for me.
7. Keep up with water changes! Cherry shrimp are highly prone to nitrate poisoning and they need good water to maintain good health and molting. I do weekly 30% water changes. I use plain tap water (moderate hardness, PH 7.6) and I treat it with declorinator (Amquel).
8. I use full spectrum lighting...10 hours a day on a timer.
9. I DO NOT dose liquid iodine as the shrimp will get all they need from a proper diet.
10. I feed them HBH Vegetable Wafers and HBC Crab & Lobster Bites exclusively. Any invertebrate food will suffice as long as it does not contain any large amounts of copper (READ those labels!). I will occasionally drop in a piece of boiled vegetable (squash or spinach). I feed my shrimp once a day in small amounts.
11. I also recommend you maintain genetic diversity after a few generations of breeding. You can easily do this by introducing new cherry shrimp from other sources. This helps reduce the occurance of inbred deformities or weak shrimp. I have traded shrimp with other hobbist a few times.

I hope I haven't forgotten anything. Please feel free to contact me if you have any specific questions.

Thanks!!!

I thought I'd add some recent pics to show my breeding population and tank:

Sponsors

Faust2001 · 09-12-2005, 10:10 PM

Thanks for the good info.

How long does it take for your shrimp to mature from babies to breeding adults?

**Urkevitz** · 09-13-2005, 12:55 AM

The HBH crab bites are great the cherries go crazy for them. It contains copper sulphate but I haven't seen any problem.

I have bred them in my 2.5 gallon, but they seem to be stunted and never reach the size of the cherries in my 75 gallon.

vinnymac · 09-13-2005, 01:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Faust2001

Thanks for the good info.

How long does it take for your shrimp to mature from babies to breeding adults?

I'd say 45-60 days before the females start to display swollen ovaries in the carapiece.

BlueEL · 09-13-2005, 03:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Urkevitz

I have bred them in my 2.5 gallon, but they seem to be stunted and never reach the size of the cherries in my 75 gallon.

I have similar experience with my 5.5G, they seems to stay pretty small comparing to the ones in the bigger tank.
I wonder if its because less food available in the smaller tank.

X-Treme · 09-13-2005, 04:08 AM

I just bought HBH crab and lobster bites.....the ingredients label says they contain copper sulfate. Isn't copper poisonous to shrimp???

Faust2001 · 09-13-2005, 04:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by X-Treme

I just bought HBH crab and lobster bites.....the ingredients label says they contain copper sulfate. Isn't copper poisonous to shrimp???

I've been feeding mine HBH crab and lobster bites for about a week and no deaths. Other people on the board mentioned that they've fed their cherries the same thing with no deaths.

AW0L · 09-13-2005, 07:25 AM

ive been feeding blended spinach they get anuff iodine from the spinach

Georgiadawgger · 09-13-2005, 12:20 PM

Mine do fine off small bits of Omega veggie rounds. If I put any other "tasty treats" in there my rasaboras seem to find it (pretty darn good olfactory sensors therre)...even with the lights off for a few hours.

vinnymac · 09-13-2005, 02:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by X-Treme

I just bought HBH crab and lobster bites.....the ingredients label says they contain copper sulfate. Isn't copper poisonous to shrimp???

I guarantee HBH Crab & Lobster Bites are fine for cherry shrimp. I've been feeding my shrimp this food for nearly a year.

m.lemay · 09-13-2005, 03:51 PM

Good thread!!

I just made this a sticky. If anyone else has things to add or compliment this thread add it here.

Marcel

carlnorman · 09-14-2005, 08:15 PM

The trick with the crab bites may be how much copper is in the water from the pipes. The deaths stopped as soon as I stopped feeding it. I have adjusted every other factor and it was the only thing it could have been.

It is a small amount, but coupled with the water, that could cause toxic levels in their systems.

Be careful on feeding! In addition to some of the foods mentioned macroalgea sheets also seem to be enjoyed and give them the idodine they need as well. I tear off a little strip and sink it with a plant weight, it works great.

**AaronT** · 09-14-2005, 08:59 PM

If you're worried about the copper sulfate in the HBH Crab and Lobster Bites than you might try the Hikari Crab Cuisine. It's essentially the same thing only without copper sulfate. My shrimp actually fight over that stuff.

Georgiadawgger · 09-14-2005, 10:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by grandmasterofpool

If you're worried about the copper sulfate in the HBH Crab and Lobster Bites than you might try the Hikari Crab Cuisine. It's essentially the same thing only without copper sulfate. My shrimp actually fight over that stuff.

I can't find that stuff anywhere near me!!

SCMurphy · 09-14-2005, 10:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Georgiadawgger

I can't find that stuff anywhere near me!!

Aquarium Center

My shrimp like the Hikari sinking wafers too.

09-12-2005, 08:24 PM	#1 (permalink)
vinnymac Planted Tank Enthusiast (View User Tanks) PTrader: (53) Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Saint Louis, MO Posts: 515	Information for people wanting to breed Cherry Shrimp I've seen a lot of people asking questions about cherry shrimp and breeding requirements, tank setup, water parameters, etc. I thought I'd take a little time to talk about what has worked for me. I got into the hobby a little over a year ago and found this site and a few others and quickly became interested in freshwater shrimp. I bought my first batch of 10 cherry shrimp and 10 amano shrimp and rest is history. It wasn't until my second batch of cherry shrimp before I realized how easy they were to breed. My second purchase contained a pregnant female and she ended up having the babies in a small pint cup when I was moving her into her permanent home. I started with a 10 gallon tank with various plant clippings from my main 65g tank and I noticed more and baby shrimp each week. I soon had nearly 100 and I ended up giving some away and selling some to other hobbists. I set up a 20 gallon planted tank and moved a bunch of the shrimp into it and now I have successfully bred nearly 1,000 very nicely colored cherry shrimp. Here is what has worked for me and what I suggest for other people if they want to try their hand at breeding cherry shrimp. 1. Tank size should be at least 10 gallons to support up to 100-150 shrimp (based on weekly 30% water changes). 2. Temp should be between 75-78F. 3. Moderate water hardness seems to work the best for robust breeding and coloration. 4. I highly recommend the addition of live plants to maintain good water quality. 5. Sponge filters are the best since they do not pose a danger to baby shrimp. 6. PH of 7.6 has worked well for me. 7. Keep up with water changes! Cherry shrimp are highly prone to nitrate poisoning and they need good water to maintain good health and molting. I do weekly 30% water changes. I use plain tap water (moderate hardness, PH 7.6) and I treat it with declorinator (Amquel). 8. I use full spectrum lighting...10 hours a day on a timer. 9. I DO NOT dose liquid iodine as the shrimp will get all they need from a proper diet. 10. I feed them HBH Vegetable Wafers and HBC Crab & Lobster Bites exclusively. Any invertebrate food will suffice as long as it does not contain any large amounts of copper (READ those labels!). I will occasionally drop in a piece of boiled vegetable (squash or spinach). I feed my shrimp once a day in small amounts. 11. I also recommend you maintain genetic diversity after a few generations of breeding. You can easily do this by introducing new cherry shrimp from other sources. This helps reduce the occurance of inbred deformities or weak shrimp. I have traded shrimp with other hobbist a few times. I hope I haven't forgotten anything. Please feel free to contact me if you have any specific questions. Thanks!!! I thought I'd add some recent pics to show my breeding population and tank: Last edited by vinnymac : 10-20-2005 at 06:29 PM.

09-13-2005, 07:25 AM	#8 (permalink)
AW0L Planted Member (View User Tanks) PTrader: (0) Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: LA, California Posts: 181	ive been feeding blended spinach they get anuff iodine from the spinach __________________ 55g long, 3" shutlzs soil & black natural gravel, homade co2 reactor and homade canisterfilters, high red and blue spectrum plant lites. chrome blue back ground. 25g tall bow front for feeder and fry tank, bare bone with some plants and moss for the frys to hide housing a temp arowana right now

09-13-2005, 12:20 PM	#9 (permalink)
Georgiadawgger Planted Tank Guru (View User Tanks) PTrader: (12) Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Arlington, VA (Near the Pentagon) Posts: 2,404	Mine do fine off small bits of Omega veggie rounds. If I put any other "tasty treats" in there my rasaboras seem to find it (pretty darn good olfactory sensors therre)...even with the lights off for a few hours. __________________ 65g AGA: Pimp# 44: Eheim 2026,2224; Anti- Filstar; CLTT UV; 3 wpg PC, pressurized CO2. GATA! FTD!!!

09-13-2005, 03:51 PM	#11 (permalink)
m.lemay Moderator (View User Tanks) PTrader: (9) Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Naugatuck, CT. Posts: 2,646	Good thread!! I just made this a sticky. If anyone else has things to add or compliment this thread add it here. Marcel __________________ FILSTAR Pimp #2 75 gal heavily planted,50/50 Black beauty,Eco-complete substrate, Pressurised CO2 with solenoid, ph controller, AB Reactor 1000, 330 watts 9325K GE PC lighting,Ehiem Liquidoser, 2-Filstar xp3 canisters.

Thread Tools
Show Printable Version Email this Page
Display Modes
Linear Mode Switch to Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode

09-12-2005, 10:10 PM	#2 (permalink)
Faust2001 Algae Grower (View User Tanks) PTrader: (4) Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Fairfax, Virginia Posts: 113	Thanks for the good info. How long does it take for your shrimp to mature from babies to breeding adults?

09-13-2005, 12:55 AM	#3 (permalink)
Urkevitz Wannabe Guru (View User Tanks) PTrader: (8) Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: NY Posts: 1,851	The HBH crab bites are great the cherries go crazy for them. It contains copper sulphate but I haven't seen any problem. I have bred them in my 2.5 gallon, but they seem to be stunted and never reach the size of the cherries in my 75 gallon.

09-13-2005, 04:08 AM	#6 (permalink)
X-Treme Algae Grower (View User Tanks) PTrader: (0) Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Canada Posts: 52	I just bought HBH crab and lobster bites.....the ingredients label says they contain copper sulfate. Isn't copper poisonous to shrimp???

09-14-2005, 08:15 PM	#12 (permalink)
carlnorman Algae Grower (View User Tanks) PTrader: (0) Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Canada Posts: 31	The trick with the crab bites may be how much copper is in the water from the pipes. The deaths stopped as soon as I stopped feeding it. I have adjusted every other factor and it was the only thing it could have been. It is a small amount, but coupled with the water, that could cause toxic levels in their systems. Be careful on feeding! In addition to some of the foods mentioned macroalgea sheets also seem to be enjoyed and give them the idodine they need as well. I tear off a little strip and sink it with a plant weight, it works great.

09-14-2005, 08:59 PM	#13 (permalink)
AaronT Collectoritis Patient (View User Tanks) PTrader: (80) Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: MD, USA Posts: 1,277	If you're worried about the copper sulfate in the HBH Crab and Lobster Bites than you might try the Hikari Crab Cuisine. It's essentially the same thing only without copper sulfate. My shrimp actually fight over that stuff.