Fire Red Cherry Shrimp
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 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.
Check out our guide on the different substrates that can help achieve ideal water parameters for these shrimp: Best Substrate for Shrimp
Key Features & Important Notes
- Tank-raised specimen
- Deep, solid red coverage that surpasses standard cherry grades.
- Shrimp are excellent scavengers and will happily feed on biofilm, decaying plant matter, and algae
- 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
Algae, biofilm, diatoms, decaying plant matter, spirulina powder, bee pollen, vegetable matter-based shrimp pellets/wafers, blanched vegetables
Breeding
Fire Red Cherry Shrimp are among the easiest aquarium shrimp to breed. Sexing is straightforward once they reach maturity; females are larger, have a deeper underbelly, and display a visible yellow "saddle" behind the head. To ensure a thriving colony, we recommend starting with 8–10 specimens to guarantee a mix of males and females.
The breeding cycle begins when a fertile female molts and releases pheromones to signal males. After breeding, she will carry eggs for a 2-week gestation period. The resulting shrimplets are self-sufficient and feed on the same biofilm and algae as adults. Always leave molted shells in the tank; they provide essential calcium and trace minerals that help expedite healthy 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.
Check out our blog article to learn how to breed freshwater shrimp.