Fire Red Cherry Shrimp
Species Overview
Common Name: Cherry Shrimp, Red Cherry Shrimp, Fire Red Cherry Shrimp
Scientific Name: Neocaridina davidi "Fire Red"
Genus: Neocaridina
Wild Origin: Taiwan
Adult Size: 0.75-1.25 in
**Note: All livestock orders will come carefully packaged with solid wall Styrofoam insulation and shipped via 1-day shipping only. No additional insulation is needed for your livestock.
These dwarf freshwater shrimp are a premium, high-grade variant of the classic Red Cherry Shrimp. Unlike standard grades with patchy or translucent shells, the Fire Red strain is the result of rigorous selective breeding, ensuring a deep, opaque red body with solid color extending through the legs. This striking red color provides a stunning contrast against dark substrates and green aquatic plants.
Fire Red Cherries are a good choice for beginners. They are exceptionally hardy, often thriving in standard tap water conditions across a wide range of parameters. These active, social freshwater shrimp are low-maintenance yet high-impact, making them the gold standard for both dedicated shrimp aquariums and community clean-up crews.
Key Features & Important Notes
- Tank-raised specimen
- Deep, solid red coverage that surpasses standard cherry grades.
- To increase survival rates, please allow 2-3 business days after an order is placed to properly prepare live animal shipments
Recommended Water Parameters
Listed information should be treated as general guidelines only. We encourage you to do thorough research before committing to keeping any livestock.
- Temperature Range: 65-80 °F
- pH: 7.2-7.6
- TDS: 250-300 ppm
- GH: 8 dGH
- KH: 8 dGH
Recommended Tank Size
5+ gallons, minimum. Tank size is relative, and various factors should be considered when determining tank size. These shrimp are very active; a 10-gallon tank or larger is ideal for maintaining stable water quality and allowing a healthy colony to flourish.
Diet
Omnivorous. Shrimp are natural scavengers that constantly consume detritus, diatoms, and organic waste. Supplement their diet with high-quality vegetable-based shrimp pellets, spirulina wafers, and blanched vegetables. Adding textured hardscape like lava rock to your shrimp aquarium is highly recommended to maximize the surface area available for beneficial biofilm growth.
Breeding
Fire Red Cherry Shrimp are among the easiest aquarium shrimp to breed. Once mature, females are easily identified by their larger size, deeper underbelly, and a visible yellow "saddle" behind the head. For a thriving colony, we recommend starting with 8–10 specimens to ensure a healthy male-to-female ratio.
The breeding cycle begins when a fertile female molts and releases pheromones. After mating, she carries the eggs for a 2-week gestation period. The resulting shrimplets are self-sufficient, feeding on the same biofilm and algae as adults. Always leave molted shells in the tank; they provide essential calcium and trace minerals that accelerate growth.
A line is established when a breeder selects specimens with the highest amounts of red, breeds them together, and then re-selects from the offspring for those with the most red, with the intention of breeding superior shrimp to one another again. The breeder repeats this process with the resulting offspring across generations until opaque red shrimp are consistently produced.
Solid red shrimp are considered higher grade and more desirable, therefore commanding a higher price than a patchy-colored shrimp. Note that lower-grade shrimp aren't "worse" or less healthy than high-grade specimens; they're simply less pretty.
Team Buce Plant Tips
If you're new to the hobby, learn the fundamentals with our Freshwater Aquarium Shrimp Care Guide. Before introducing your new livestock into a new tank, learn about the perfect drip rate and timing in 7 Easy Steps to Drip Acclimate Shrimp and Fish. Whether you need active soil or inert sand, you can find the perfect fit to stabilize your parameters in our Best Substrate for Shrimp Guide. When your tank is balanced and your colony is thriving, check out our step-by-step breakdown on How to Breed Freshwater Shrimp.