Baby Cherry Shrimp

Aww, I'll definitely keep my fingers crossed for you, can't wait to see pics of them when they're a little bigger. 

I'd say the reason you are seeing fewer of them in the small tub is because they are getting bigger, you can see them better, and they can avoid the siphon better.

It'll be interesting to see how they get on.   

Hi Natalia,

If you pop back in and read this:

Is it OK to add some water from the 50 litre when filling up after a water change? Am I right that it will help build up immunity to whatever is in the 50 litre for when they get big enough to go in there? I am using new water as well, not 100% old water. That and using decor from the 50 litre. I should add the tank is bare bottomed - should I put sand in it? It is easier to clean it without any......

Is algae on the plastic plants, micro-organisms on the wood and powdered Hikari Shrimp Cuisine enough for them to eat? Should I be feeding something else in addition/instead?

I've just done the water change on the QT and found 2 newly hatched cories. That's one reason for swapping the two spherical plastic plants back and forth with the 50 litre. The cories lay eggs in these plants, and I know that they often spawn after a water change if you use cold water as it simulates the melt water coming down from the mountains in spring. I swapped the plants the day after last week's water change on the 50 litre.

The reason for the daily water changes is just so I can hoover the mess off the bottom of the QT. It's surprising just how much appears in 24 hours between uneaten food and the digestive system of baby shrimps and those tiny ramshorn snails.

Hi Sue,
Well, I popped back in – for you and your shrimplets! 
Right, first of all, everything I will say should only be related to Cherry Shrimps. Even though the broader Neocaridina genus and related Yellow, Blue, White Pearl, Red and Blue Rili ones are very close to Cherry Shrimps, these morphs are even more selectively bread... As for other dwarf shrimps – this gets more and more complicated. Although the fundamental principles are the same, each of them is more complicated care wise – and the more expensive a shrimp is, the more complicated care is. So, for the advice you will be giving to other people in the future – I have no doubt you will! – I would limit this to Cherry Shrimps only...
Well, a disclaimer is done... Sorry.
Well, I think so far your routine with them is pretty much O.K.
 A couple of notes.  Biofilm and microorganisms are a very important part of the diet of dwarf shrimps (and especially shrimplets). They would not survive without it. Substrate is the media providing this better than anything else.  Prolific shrimps’ poo actually serves as a perfect food for those microorganisms which are so important for shrimps’ diet (the amazing act of nature – yet another one!). Every time I disturb substrate in my tanks with dwarf shrimps they go absolutely bonkers – a festival, a Christmas dinner and a party combined. This is because they graze on substrate constantly anyway, and when I disturb it they have soo much new supply of loved and very much needed food... So, although I know some people keep them in bare tanks, ideally they like some substrate. As you are keeping them in that tank only temporarily, it’s up to you to decide what you want to do – they should be O.K. for a while and substrate is only valuable when it is mature anyway... The fact that you put artificial plants and wood from the “main” tank in is great – there will be biofilm there. Mind you, they will strip it off very quickly... Although some fresh supply is meant to keep on growing...
Doing water changes with 50/50 water – I think it is a very good idea. The shrimplets will get used to the water they will be in. I think this should work (theoretically) but in any case it is the best what can be done. The Hikari shrimp food powdered as you do is also fine (one of better brands).
So all things considered I think you have done whatever can be done, really... Now it is down to the shrimplets’ genes about the survival....
Long term ahead – I would get them into the “main” tank as soon as they are bigger than any fish in that tank can swallow. Also, hopefully, with them maturing and growing and starting to breed you will need to introduce some “fresh stock” of shrimps from time to time – ideally from various suppliers. That will keep the gene pool fresh. Every 6 months is fine and you only need literally a couple of females (luckily already berried!) for the number of shrimps you have now (increasing the number of additions as your population grow and starting selling/giving away/swapping your shrimps).
So, fingers crossed for the youngsters – it is now up to them to be good and survive and grow.   

No the amanos are in the 125 litre. As I have Apistogramma cacatuoides in there, I wouldn't risk cherries in that tank. I have just 2 male amanos left as the one female died a week or so ago. I did buy them in Feb 2009, so they are over four years old. My researches so far suggest that is a good age for amanos, so perhaps the female died of old age. I had noticed that over the last six months she had spells without eggs for the first time since I bought her.

The cherry babies are growing well. Some are almost double the size of others - is that something to worry about?
And I do keep swapping the plastic plants back and forth with the ones in the 50 litre. Hopefully that will serve 2 purposes - replenish the biofilm, and add any bugs to the shrimp QT to 'acclimatise' the babies.

Just an update a couple of weeks later....

I'm not changing the water as often now since Natalia mentioned shrimp poo being a good breeding ground for the micro-organisms the babies eat. And after her comments about substrate, I carefully hoovered the top layer of sand from the 50 litre and put it in with the baby shrimps. There's enough to cover about two thirds of the bottom with a layer 1 grain thick. The downside is I can't see the shrimps.

I have one shrimp about 1cm long, one a bit smaller and the rest are still only a couple of mm. I still check the bucket for sucked up babies when I do a water change. Today I found 1 live baby cory and 2 live shrimps. And three shed skins. So far, I've found 3 dead shrimps in the weeks since they hatched, but a lot more skins.

I also checked the bucket when I cleaned the 50 litre this afternoon and found 2 more baby cories which are now in with the shrimps.

Glad to see all the babies are doing well! Once my tank is settled again I'm going to get a few more RCS preferably male since my 3 survivors (still doing great) are all female. Im pondering adding an Assassin snail too at some point

And so it begins again!!

This morning I moved 6 shrimp into the 50 litre, including a small saddled female. The other five are still white in colour - males or slow colour developers? This is a bit of an experiment as I'm not sure how they'll cope in there. The fish have changed a bit since I last had shrimp in this tank. The pygmy cories are still there but the male endlers have been replaced (they are in the 125 litre). There are currently 4 Microdevario kubotai in the 50l. Yes, I know 4 isn't enough. I rang round and one not-quite-so-local shop said they could order any number I wanted, so I ordered 12. Only four turned up from the wholesaler  . The wholesaler is currently listing them as out of stock, and I'm just waiting to get some more. I thought they may as well be in a group of 4 in my tank rather than the shop tank.

But I still have 5 shrimp in the QT, two of which are berried females. These are my back up in case something goes wrong in the 50l.







Saddled = a female with eggs in her ovaries, visible as a paler saddle shape on her back
Berried = a female carrying eggs under her abdomen. The eggs are said to resemble a cluster of berries.

Photos will be tricky, they don't keep still. I still haven't got anything other than orange blurs for my ember tetras.