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Scientific name: Neocaridina davidi Origin: Taiwan Max size: 2.5 cm Lifespan: 1-2 years PH: 6.5 - 8.0 Temperature: 18 - 28°C, Recommended 23°C Description Cherry Shrimps are peaceful shrimp which are easy to care for if they have clean and stable water conditions. They are good tank cleaners and will eat algae off your tanks which make them very useful! Cherry Shrimps should be kept alone or with small fishes that are non-predatorial as big fishes would eat them, For Example Neons. They also should not be kept with other variants of cherry shrimp or else they will interbreed, and their offsprings will not be of good quality. However, they can live with other species of shrimp, like the Crystal Red Shrimp, as they are of different species, and there will not breed together. Food and Diet Cherry Shrimps will need a balanced diet containing of protein and minerals. They should be fed vegetables, either raw or blanched in boiling water for a few seconds, high-protein and calcium foods, and special shrimp foods which are designed for shrimps. They will also eat algae as a source of food. Cherry shrimps, like all other shrimps should not be fed foods which contain high in copper, as copper can kill shrimps. Hikari Shrimp Cuisine: Shrimps eating banana: Sexing Sexing of the cherry shrimp may not be determined until they are nearly old enough to breed. Females are bigger, will have a darker colour, a wider abdomen and will grow a saddle behind her head when she is ready to breed. Males are mainly smaller and less colourful and of course will not grow a saddle. Female: Male: Breeding Breeding cherry shrimp is very easy. As long as the water parameters are stable, and there are both males and females which are ready to breed in the tank. Once the female grows a saddle, the female will release hormones into the tank which will attract males. A male will eventually mate with her and she will have eggs to carry, (also known as being berried). After 3+ weeks, baby shrimp, also known as shrimplets, will appear in the tank as tiny replicas of their parents. A sponge will be needed to cover the intake of the filter so that baby shrimp will not get sucked in, this also provides a good source of bacteria for shrimps to eat. Berried Shrimp: Sponge over filter: Dangers and Extra Notes Can be killed by copper, like any other shrimp. Juveniles may/will be killed by Pest and Parasites if not treated (A thread can be found in the SKF Library by Dean) Can be killed by overdose, such as an overdose of “no-planaria†Which is used to kill Planaria. Juveniles can be killed by the filter suction. It is important to acclimatise shrimps properly, when shrimps are moving from one tank to another You should always have some moss for your shrimps, as it provides food You should change/top up about 10-20% of the water fortnightly. Filter maintenance should be done around twice a year Shrimp love live plants, also they will look nice in your tank If keeping two species in the same tank, make sure BOTH species satisfy the conditions. Have a few places for the shrimps to hide Variants There are many colourations of the cherry shrimp which are kept in Australia. (For Pictures please refer to the SKF library Cherry Shrimp ID by Nogi) Var. Red Var. Sunkist Var. Pumpkin Var. Chocolate(Delight) Var. Black Var. Yellow Var. Blue

I am often amazed at the panic that people exhibit when they discover that they have a colony of seed shrimp in their aquariums. Is it because of lack of knowledge about this little animal ?or is it just a case of I have some sort of BUG in my tank so I must get rid of it before it kills my shrimp? I know people with planted tanks may not like the sight of them but to my eye they are very interesting. In this short article I will attempt to dispel these fears by a little knowledge about these wonderful creatures. Ostracoda Podocopida (Seed Shrimp) belong to the major group Crustacea minor group Ostracoda order Podocopida this order comprises terrestrial, marine and freshwater seed shrimp. they can be described as small crustaceans typically round or egg shaped, varying in size from 0.2 to 1mm . The body of a seed shrimp is encased in a calcified shell consisting of two parts, superficially resembling the shell of a clam The body consists of a head and thorax. unlike many other crustaceans the body is not clearly divided into segments. The head is the largest part of the body and bears most of the animal's appendages, two pairs of well developed antennae, used for swimming and feeding, a pair of mandibles and two pairs of maxillae (mouthparts) Seed Shrimp have no gills instead they take in oxygen through plates on the surface of their shells. Seed Shrimp can be found worldwide but mainly in Africa and Australia. Australian Seed Shrimp occur in fresh to hyper saline waters from permanent to temporary waterways. They are mostly free living and are often found in or just below the substrate. Seed Shrimp are "Filter Feeders" using their antennae to filter and search for their food. They live on organic detritus and algae. Seed Shrimp form part of the food chain for other invertebrates and juvenile fish. In actual fact Seed Shrimp are a benefit to your aquarium , because of their small size and eating habits they are one of nature's best clean up crews for shrimp keepers aquariums. Many people encourage them to thrive in their tanks in the true belief that they are an indicator that their tank and water parameters are healthy. My personal experience with these fascinating little creatures is that they seem to be self regulating and will disappear from my tank by themselves only to reappear at a later date. I always look forward to their return. I hope that this short article will help those who fear them to relax a little and enjoy their company Wayne REF Wikipedia - Ostracod www.mdfre.org.au identification and ecology of Australian Freshwater Invertebrates.