Cherry Shrimp — Fire Red Neocaridina
Molten red against green moss — the shrimp that made planted tanks addictive.
Deep, opaque fire-red females and solid-colored males, selectively bred over generations in our own tank-raised colonies. Cherry shrimp graze biofilm across every surface of the scape, breed readily in stable water without any intervention, and forgive the small mistakes every new keeper makes. Sold as individual young adults, roughly 0.5–0.75 inch, already eating and colored up.
What it needs to thrive
- Lighting
- Any — low to high. Shrimp color reads best against dark substrate under warm, moderate lighting.
- Flow
- Gentle to moderate. Sponge-filtered or pre-filtered intakes only so juveniles are never drawn in.
- Feeding
- Biofilm and algae grazers. Supplement 2–3× weekly with a quality shrimp pellet, blanched spinach, or botanicals; remove uneaten food within two hours.
- Temperament
- Peaceful and non-destructive. Keep with nano fish only — no cichlids, loaches, or large barbs.
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Ideal Tank Size
- 5 gallons and up, fully cycled and mature with moss or botanicals.
- Water Parameters
- 68–78°F · pH 6.8–7.6 · GH 6–8 · KH 2–5 · TDS 150–250 · 0 ammonia / 0 nitrite / <20 nitrate · copper-free
Anywhere in the tank — they work the substrate, hardscape, glass, and plant leaves around the clock. Add moss, cholla wood, or Indian almond leaves to give juveniles cover.
Completely peaceful. The risk runs the other way: anything with a mouth big enough will eat them. Keep with chili rasboras, ember tetras, otocinclus, or species-only. Copper-based medications and untreated tap water are fatal — always dechlorinate and drip acclimate over 60–90 minutes.
Quarantine, dip, and acclimation
Quarantine
Hold all new fish in a bare-bottom 10–20 gallon QT for a minimum of 4 weeks. Observe for flashing, clamped fins, white spots, or breathing changes. Treat preventatively with copper (1.75–2.5 ppm chelated) or tank-transfer method for ich, plus a praziquantel course for flukes. Invertebrates and corals skip QT but go through dip and observation instead.
Recommended coral dip
For every new coral: a 5–10 minute bath in your reef-safe dip of choice (Bayer Complete, CoralRx, or Reef Primer) following label dosage, followed by two clean saltwater rinses. Inspect plugs and bases for flatworms, pyramid snails, and eggs — remove or refrag onto clean plugs before placing in display.
Acclimation
Float sealed bags in your QT or display for 15 minutes to match temperature. Then drip acclimate at 2–4 drops per second for 45–60 minutes until volume has tripled. Net livestock into the tank — never pour shipping water in. Dim the lights for the first 24 hours to reduce stress.
