Should I buy it?
Cherry Shrimp
Neocaridina davidi
Also known as: red cherry shrimp, rcs, sakura shrimp, fire red shrimp
The hobby's gateway shrimp. Cheap, hardy, breeds for free in a planted nano. Anything with a mouth eats them. Plan a species-only or shrimp-safe community before buying.
Cherry Shrimp tank mates · 30L tank size hub
peaceful · beginner care
Sources & confidencemedium · partially verified · beginner: excellent
Typical care sources — real tanks still vary. Numbers here are a careful starting point. Your tap water, tank size, and habits decide the rest. How we evaluate.
Best for: Planted nano tanks 20L or more, species-only or with small confirmed shrimp-safe fish. A self-sustaining beginner colony.
Avoid if: Your tank holds any fish over 4 cm, cichlids, loaches, or anything with a predatory record.
Common mistakeAdding cherry shrimp to a mixed fish community because they are “peaceful” is how keepers invent a free snack tray. Most fish eat shrimplets immediately, and many eat juveniles too. Keep a shrimp-first tank or choose proven soft neighbours — do not stock fish first and hope the cherries recruit.
Top things that go wrong
- Shrimp & snails. Compatible with snails. Will interbreed back to wild brown if mixed with other Neocaridina colour lines (blue dream, yellow, etc.).
What most shops don't tell you
- 1.Myth: cherry shrimp are set-and-forget cleaners that thrive with any fish once the tank is cycled. Reality: they need stable mature water, soft cover, and fish that will not treat them as snacks — copper, crashes, and curious mouths erase colonies faster than algae ever did.
- 2.Buying three for a fresh tank. A new cycle has no biofilm and three shrimp die over a fortnight. A mature tank with grazing surface settles a colony of ten within a week.
- 3.Treating ich with copper-based medication in the same tank. The shrimp die before the symptoms clear. Quarantine fish in a separate tank for treatment or use shrimp-safe products.
- 4.Three rules. No copper, ever (skip copper-based snail killers and most ich meds). Mature tank with biofilm, never a fresh cycle. Ten or more to start a colony, not three for colour. A pair on day one is a slow death; a colony is a self-sustaining feature.
About this species
Cherry shrimp are the easiest breeding shrimp in the freshwater hobby. A colony of ten in a planted 20L turns into thirty over three months without intervention. Females are larger and redder, males smaller and clearer. Wild-type Neocaridina is brown, so a tank that drifts brown over years is reverting, not dying.
- Blue Dream Shrimp20L min · same group, comparable tank size
- Malaysian Trumpet Snail20L min · same group, comparable tank size
- Nerite Snail20L min · same group, comparable tank size
- Assassin Snail30L min · same group, comparable tank size
- Amano Shrimp40L min · same group, similar adult size
- Mystery Snail40L min · same group, similar adult size
- Bamboo Shrimp80L min · same fish family
- Amano Shrimpalso beginner peaceful, similar tank size
- Assassin Snailalso beginner peaceful, similar tank size
- Beckford Pencilfishalso beginner peaceful, similar tank size
- Black Neon Tetraalso beginner peaceful, similar tank size
- Bloodfin tetraalso beginner peaceful, similar tank size
- Blue Dream Shrimpalso beginner peaceful, similar tank size
- Clown Killifish tank mateslists this fish as a safe and recommended mate
- Malaysian Trumpet Snail tank matesnames this fish as a conditional pairing — read the pair page conditions
- Mystery Snail tank mateslists this fish as a safe and recommended mate
Plan grid
Key limits are above. Here: pH band, swim level, bioload, and activity.
Swim zones
Care snapshot
Quick compare before you buy. Not a score of how “good” the fish is.
- Beginner ease82
- Peacefulness90
- Community fit79
- Small-tank fit100
- Hardiness76
- Energy54
Numbers are deterministic planning indices from Fishori fields — not a scientific score of your individual fish.
Example setups
Starting points only. Run the pair checker for every fish you add.
Rough 90L+ layout: one calm centrepiece, 8–12 small tetras/rasboras, 6–8 corydoras-type bottom fish — verify every name in the pair checker before buying.
Safer directions include: Amano Shrimp, Harlequin Rasbora, Nerite Snail.
Compatibility
Tank mates for Cherry Shrimp
Usually safer (engine GOOD): Amano Shrimp, Harlequin Rasbora, Nerite Snail, Otocinclus. Conditional (CAUTION — read the pair page before buying): Betta, Corydoras Catfish, Dwarf Gourami, Neon Tetra. Avoid (RISKY): Angelfish, Ghost Shrimp, Jack Dempsey, Oscar, Pea Puffer. Every name links to a live pair check — the lists are a shortlist, not a stocking plan.
Usually safer
Open a pair page with this fish as the starting point.
Needs planning
Read the blocking rule on each pair page before experimenting.
Usually avoid
Do-not-stock combinations on conservative hobby rules.
Compare with
Run a real pair check: Cherry Shrimp + Amano Shrimp
- Try Amano Shrimp — open the pair check.
- Try Harlequin Rasbora — open the pair check.
- Try Nerite Snail — open the pair check.
- Try Otocinclus — open the pair check.
Behaviour and temperament
Cherry shrimp are completely peaceful and spend their time grazing biofilm and soft algae. They do not bother fish; fish bother them. Breeding colonies need cover, stable parameters, copper-free water, and neighbours that will not hunt every moult and shrimplet.
What sets them off
- Sudden crowding
- Poor water quality
Fin nipping: Not a habitual fin-nipper; stressed or crowded individuals can still test fins.
Predation: Not a predator toward similarly sized community fish; fry and dwarf shrimp are still fair game for most species.
Territory: Not strongly territorial, but still needs room so its working space does not overlap the next fish.
Planted tanks: excellent — easy plant ideas
In the glass: typical and warning signs
- A colony grazes film on plants and glass all day in a mature, copper-free tank.
- Berried females and frequent moults are normal ownership, not illness.
- Sudden deaths after medication usually mean copper — stop and water-change.
- Shrimp climbing the glass after a big GH swing is chemistry before “wanderlust.”
- None toward fish; competition is over food wafers among shrimp.
- Males do not fight the way crayfish do — predation from fish is the real threat.
- Remove fish that hunt shrimplets if the colony matters more than the fish list.
- Do not add cherries under angels, larger tetras, or bettas and expect a colony.
Fish behaviour can vary between individuals and tank setups. Always observe new fish closely after introduction.
Water, food, and grouping
Hardness
medium
Diet
omnivore
Cherry shrimp graze biofilm and soft algae and still need supplemental foods when the scape runs clean — shrimp pellets, blanched vegetables, and biofilm wafers. Spread food so a few bold shrimp do not monopolise every piece. Copper medications and sudden GH swings kill faster than hunger, so test before you dose.
Shrimp & snails
Compatible with snails. Will interbreed back to wild brown if mixed with other Neocaridina colour lines (blue dream, yellow, etc.).
Ten or more to start a colony. A pair or trio rarely breeds visibly and stays a sad accent until predation thins them out.
- A tank that has been running at least eight to twelve weeks with stable parameters and visible biofilm.
- TDS meter or hardness test kit, not just a pH strip. Cherries care more about TDS swings than pH band.
- Ten or more shrimp from the same source on the same day to start a colony.
- No copper-based meds in the cabinet. Read the label on any treatment you have.
- Tank volume meets or exceeds 20L published minimum for adults.
- You can stock at least 10 individuals (group welfare).
- Heater can hold 18–28°C without cooking cooler-water tank mates.
Explore and stocking hubs
Tank-mates hub, matching guides, category peers, and litre stocking lists around this species’ minimum tank.
Plan with tools
Check mates as pairs first, then add this fish in the tank builder for the full stocking.
Filtration & heating
A 20L minimum tank needs a filter rated for at least 80L/hr turnover and a heater to hold 18–28°C reliably.
Plant suggestions
Cherry Shrimp does well in planted tanks. Plants compatible with 18–28°C and pH 6.5–8:
Research: partially verified · Confidence: medium · 2 linked source(s). We do not invent citations.
How Fishori evaluates compatibility (same logic as pair and tank tools).
- Aquarium Co-Op. Cherry Shrimp Care Guide
Primary: retailer care page covering tank size, water parameters, breeding, and sensitivity to copper and ammonia.
- Seriously Fish. Neocaridina davidi
Secondary: species reference. Note Seriously Fish still uses the older epithet 'denticulata' on some pages; current valid name is N. davidi.
Evidence notes
- Cherry shrimp tolerate a wide pH and hardness band but breed best around pH 7.0 to 7.6 with stable TDS. Sudden TDS swings during water changes are a common moult-failure cause.
- Selectively bred colour lines (fire red, painted fire red) are more sensitive than mixed-line shop cherries. A first colony from a generic source is forgiving; a high-grade line will demand more discipline on chemistry.
Featured compatibility checks
Curated pair pages for Cherry Shrimp. Each opens a full verdict — not just a list label.
- Cherry Shrimp + Otocinclus
- Cherry Shrimp + Amano Shrimp
- Cherry Shrimp + Neon Tetra
- Cherry Shrimp + Betta
- Cherry Shrimp + Pea Puffer
- Cherry Shrimp + Angelfish
- Cherry Shrimp + Pearl Gourami
- Cherry Shrimp + Nerite Snail
- Cherry Shrimp + Mystery Snail
- Cherry Shrimp + Ghost Shrimp
- Cherry Shrimp + Blue Dream Shrimp
- Cherry Shrimp + Clown Killifish
Common questions about Cherry Shrimp
- How big do Cherry Shrimp get?
- Cherry Shrimp adults reach about 2.5 cm. Shop fish look smaller; stock for the adult length.
- What size tank does Cherry Shrimp need?
- 20L is the planning floor for adult swimming space and bioload. A 30L+ tank is the more comfortable long-term footprint. Length and depth matter as much as raw litres for active or territorial fish.
- Are Cherry Shrimp aggressive?
- Cherry shrimp are completely peaceful and spend their time grazing biofilm and soft algae. They do not bother fish; fish bother them. Breeding colonies need cover, stable parameters, copper-free water, and neighbours that will not hunt every moult and shrimplet.
- What is the most common mistake with Cherry Shrimp?
- Adding cherry shrimp to a mixed fish community because they are “peaceful” is how keepers invent a free snack tray. Most fish eat shrimplets immediately, and many eat juveniles too. Keep a shrimp-first tank or choose proven soft neighbours — do not stock fish first and hope the cherries recruit.
- What fish can live with Cherry Shrimp?
- The Cherry Shrimp profile lists Amano Shrimp, Harlequin Rasbora, Nerite Snail, Otocinclus among its safer pairings (engine-checked GOOD). Betta, Corydoras Catfish, Dwarf Gourami, Neon Tetra are conditional (CAUTION): workable only with the specific conditions on each pair page. Avoid Angelfish, Ghost Shrimp, Jack Dempsey, Oscar (RISKY). Run the pair checker for your exact water and tank size before stocking.