Breeding Shrimps With A Ph 7.4

My pH is around 7.5 and I have no problems with cherries - now. Having said that, hardness is also important. But cherries - red ones - are the easiest shrimps to start with. The species does come in in other colours (orange, yellow, blue to name a few) but they are less hardy. This is simply because the wild cherry shrimp is brown. Red cherries have been developed be selectively breeding wild cherries; the other colours were 'made' by selectively breeding red cherries. Selective breeding not only produces different colours, it also selects for some genetic weaknesses.

I have also kept amano shrimps successfully - the last one to die had been in the tank over 5 years, and since they are wild caught was probably older than 5 years.


I did have problems with my very first cherry shrimps, but the babies that hatched in my tank thrived, it was the shrimps bought as adults that died. Since then I have added the odd shrimp from different shops to add genetic diversity and I think they've survived. With so many shrimps it is hard to tell if a dead one was a bought one or one that hatched in my tank. But I always buy a single female carrying eggs so that if she does't survive, at least some of her babies should.


However, over the years I have also tried tiger shrimps and crystal red shrimps without success.



These sites give the water parameters needed by various shrimp species
http://www.planetinverts.com/
http://petshrimp.com/shrimpspecies.php

Thank's for the info and links sue as they are really helpful @Matt that's good they wont interbreed so i may have go at breeding both at once when the tank is cycled.

Just one other question because the shrimp don't make much waste, would that tank have to be really mature before adding them. 

Thank's Sue that's interesting to know about the larger intimidating the smaller ones so i think i will stick to one kind to start with and see how i get on.