How Soon Before You Can Tell The Colour A Cherry Shrimp Will Be?

That thought has occurred to me too. I also have some very red females, and some very pale males, with the majority of both sexes being somewhere between the two.
When rescuing baby shrimps from the water change bucket, some of the very tiny ones are white (and very hard to see) while others are already showing a pinkish colour. Presumable those latter ones turn into the very red shrimps.

As for how old they are when they become able to breed, I haven't a clue. But I've been back through my old shrimp threads and can give you an idea.
27 July 2013 - babies born in QT, and mother found dead.
20 September 2013 - two of those babies had saddles
5 October 2013 - one of the saddled shrimps now had eggs
22 October 2013 - found baby shrimps in the water change bucket. Could have been a few days old.

So in this case, 3 months between the female shrimps being born and giving having their own babies.

It is very likely that the temp of the water and the amount & type of food will influence the speed of development of baby shrimps.

I have been toying with the idea of setting up the QT and moving the very red females into there with the reddest males I can find, but I don't think that would go down well 

I think they'd probably end up as fish food going by the way the cherry barbs scour the bottom of the tank and the loaches weave themselves into the plants after particles of food 
Though the amanos did survive with the loaches and quite big male cockatoo apistos so it could be worth a try with big colourless males.

I'll give it a go once the eSHa Exit has been removed from the big tank 

I'll have to take some.

Provided you all promise not to laugh at my attempts at plants - all java ferns and anubias 

Nothing wrong with anubias, though in the beginning I was surprised to see it flowering under water - pretty white flowers.

As for my Java fern it proved very economical, it started off as one plant and I now have 4 dotted around the tank tied or pushed into decor.

Both seem very hardy.

Anne

I have 2 in the tank and they have both flowered at least twice, my tank was set up in January 15.  I am not doing anything special, it just happens despite my lack of input or maybe because of it.

In fact there is a thread on here somewhere with a picture of the first time it flowered and an alarmed enquiry to see if it was meant to.

Still doesn't seem right to have flowers under water - bees and butterflies can't get to it!


Anne

What plants are good for a shrimpery, and do they need added ferts

Java moss is one of the easiest 'plants' to grow and shrimps will love sifting through it. No special care required.

I just used black cotton, I literally wrapped the cotton thread round "in a spiral" going up the length of wood I wanted it to stick too.  I have since removed lots of the cotton again as eventually the moss sticks by itself.