How To Prevent Cherry Shrimp From Breeding?

Cherry Shrimps are such cute little pets, making aquariums of any size look amazing. However, the problem arises when the tank has a greater number equipoise benefits of Cherry Shrimps than it requires, which is why you need to control their breeding.

So, How To Prevent Cherry Shrimp From Breeding? Cherry Shrimp’s breeding can be preventable by keeping the male and female shrimps separately. However, controlling the cherry population can be done easily by using the shrimp’s fry as the food of big fishes.

This article will provide you with various insightful information on Cherry Shrimp breeding and the problems relating to it. Lastly, I will provide various ways to prevent the Cherry Shrimp from breeding.

Happy Reading!

Do Cherry Shrimps Breed Easily?

Neocaridina heteropoda, which is commonly known as Cherry Shrimp or Red Cherry Shrimp, is a freshwater shrimp that is native to Taiwan. They are pretty easy to maintain. They add colors to the tank.

However, the problem arises when the tank gets filled with a greater number of Cherry Shrimp than it requires. Yes, you guessed it right. They breed very easily and can hatch 20 to 30 eggs per hatch. 

Cherry Shrimp can breed every 3 to 5 months. The ideal breeding phases include; pregnancy (approximately 30-days) hatching (2 to 3 weeks). To become sexually mature, Cherry Shrimp will take up to 4 to 6 months. 

The ideal scenario is to keep 3 to 5 Cherry Shrimp per gallon. So, compare it with the size of your gallon and keep the adequate amount of Cherry Shrimp on the tank; not less nor more. 

Will Cherry Shrimp Breed In An Aquarium?

Of course, Cherry Shrimp will breed in an aquarium. But you need to prepare the aquarium for that and provide a suitable environment to breed in. 

A few steps to make an optimal environment for the Cherry Shrimp to breed;

  1. Increase the number of plants and provide adequate hiding spots. 
  2. Make them feel secure and enhance comfort. 
  3. Make sure to feed the Cherry Shrimp protein-rich foods.
  4. Keep the water temperature at a suitable level, preferably at 82° F
  5. Provide adequate time to breed.
  6. Ensure the water is clean and the pH level is at 6.5 to 8.0.

Why Do I Need To Stop the Cherry Shrimp Breeding Process?

When the number of Cherry Shrimp in a tank is too large, it can hamper all the fish present in the tank. As a result, you might need to take necessary actions to stop the breeding.

So, what are the problems relating to the over-breeding of Cherry Shrimp? The problems include;

1. Too Much Waste: 

More fish will produce more waste, and the tank will not only have oxygen shortage but will also require constant cleaning of the water and a powerful filter. The temperature of the water will also fluctuate. 

Sometimes the oscillations of the water parameters will affect the health of the fish and might cause death. 

2. Unfavorable Condition For Plants: 

Cherry Shrimp prefers to scratch the plants. Then again, the plants are a good source of food for Cherry Shrimp. As a result, with a greater number of Cherry Shrimp, the plants will not have the scope to grow as per the need.

Moreover, the plants are required to make the Cherry Shrimp feel secure and help them during the breeding phase. That is, for the betterment of the plants and the Cherry Shrimp, you might need to stop them from breeding. 

3. Competition For Food Will Increase: 

The number of food for the Cherry Shrimp is usually constant. For an extra number of Cherry Shrimp, you might require more food which might cost you more.

Again, with the increased number of Cherry Shrimp, the competition for food will upsurge. They might fight among themselves to grab the most amount of food.

4. Other Type Of Fish Might Feel Insecure

Always remember that the ideal environment of an aquarium requires a perfect balance between all types of fish. Moreover, there might be a silent war with the food as well. 

You need to keep each type of fish in a group and also need to keep other kinds of at the perfect ratio so that the environment does not feel insecure about any kind of fish. 

My suggestion would be to make a balance and do not let the over-breeding of any kind of fish hamper the overall tank environment.

How Do You Stop Cherry Shrimp From Breeding?

Killing or stopping the natural flow of the Cherry Shrimp will not be a good option to implement. As a result, I would highly suggest you control the Cherry Shrimp population rather than stop the natural breeding process. 

The most natural way to stop the cherry shrimp from breeding is to separate the male from female shrimps. So, how do you identify the male or female cherry shrimp?

1. Identify Male and Female Cherry Shrimp:

Identifying or differentiating male and female cherry shrimp from each other is very easy. You just have to know the difference in looks.

How Do I Identify Male and Female Cherry Shrimp?

Female cherry shrimps are usually larger in size than the male ones and look more vibrant and colorful.

On the other hand, male cherry shrimp are small in size and look a little transparent and are not as densely colored as female ones.

Female cherry shrimps also have a rounder abdominal region than male shrimps.

Knowing these physical traits will help you to know which one is male and which one is female.

2. Keep Male & Female Shrimp Separately:

Now, you can identify the male and female shrimps. Try to keep the males in one tank and females in the other one.

This is the most popular method to prevent cherry shrimp from breeding.

However, if you can’t keep male and female shrimp separately, there are some other ways that will help you to keep your cherry shrimp population under control without preventing them from breeding.

Here are a few tips to control the populations of cherry shrimp:

Tips 1: Sharing Cherry Shrimp With Your Friends And Relatives

The best way to balance the number of Cherry Shrimp is by giving away the extra ones to the people who love to keep fish as pets. 

As the Cherry Shrimp grows greatly in a favorable environment and sometimes it can get tough to prevent such breeding. 

As you know, a large number of Cherry Shrimp can be risky and unwanted, and you can share your Cherry Shrimp with other Shrimp lovers who have a deficiency. You can share them through online platforms or search for Shrimp lovers physically. 

Tips 2: Sell The Extra Cherry Shrimp

After sharing a great number of Cherry Shrimp, you can always sell them to Shrimp lovers if you feel like you want to make some profit from it. 

Cherry Shrimp are fallen among the list of fishes with great popularity. They can be very profitable. You can use various online platforms or social media to post advertisements. 

Then again, you can search for buyers in the neighborhood. You can also check out the local fish stores, and you can make them your constant buyers. 

Cherry Shrimp can be both higher quality and local quality, and the price can vary depending on the quality. You can keep the high-quality ones and sell the local or cull shrimps to the buyers.

But the price will also be lower; however, if you want more profit, you can sell the higher-quality Cherry Shrimp.  

Tips 3: Use The Extra Cherry Shrimp As Food For Big Fishes

A fish lover usually has fish from different breeds, sizes, and types. Therefore, the one with Cherry Shrimp might also have other big fishes. When the number of Cherry Shrimp gets greater, you can use them as food for big fishes like; Oscar, Cichlids, and Arowana.

Live Cherry Shrimp are a great source of protein for fish, and they will also reduce the food cost. You can put the live shrimp in the tank or prepare the food by boiling them. 

Tips 4: Add Some Predator Fish

After all the three steps, if you find the number of Cherry Shrimp is still higher, you can leave one or two predators along with the Cherry Shrimp in the tank.

The predators will go after the baby Cherry Shrimp and maintain the balance between the plants and fishes. But make sure the tank is filled with enough plants. 

The list of useful predators to leave in the aquarium with Cherry Shrimp include; 

  1. Dario
  2. Trichopsis
  3. Apistogramma
  4. Rams
  5. Bettas
  6. Barb

Following these steps, you can simply balance the number of Cherry Shrimp in the tank so that the food, plants, and other fishes along with Cherry Shrimp stay in a proper manner. 

Do Cherry Shrimp Eat Their Babies?

Cherry Shrimp do not eat their babies. However, the mother might discharge some of the unfertile eggs, which other Cherry Shrimp might eat eventually. 

How Do You Cull Cherry Shrimp?

Cherry Shrimp can be culled out by distributing the extra ones among the neighbors or relatives. You can also sell them at a reasonable price. 

Another way to reduce the number is by feeding them to predators or big fishes. This will reduce the extra number of Cherry Shrimp and, at the same time, reduce the food cost. 

Why Are My Cherry Shrimp Swimming Around?

The reasons behind the Cherry Shrimp swimming around can be because they might be feeling uncomfortable in the water.

This can occur when the temperature and pH level of the water is unfavorable, and the tank does not have a safe environment. 

Ensure to maintain the water temperature at 60° F to 85° F. You can use an aquarium heater to check it regularly.

Also, make sure to keep the pH level at 6.5 to 8.0; use an API testing kit to check it. Lastly, keep the water clean and plant more plants. 

What Animal Eats Cherry Shrimp?

Cherry Shrimp are mostly eaten by large fishes like; Dario, Trichopsis, Apistogramma, Rams, Bettas, Barb, Angelfish, and many more. Then again, large carbs also prey on Cherry Shrimp.

Final Thoughts:

Cherry Shrimp are magnificent creature that adds colors to your tank. They are very easy to maintain and do not need huge investments. With the proper environment and protein riched food, Cherry Shrimp are most likely to produce more Cherry Shrimp babies.

Sometimes the number of baby Cherry Shrimp might get higher that which becomes difficult to maintain and cause many problems.

It is recommended to keep 3 to 5 Cherry Shrimp in per gallon, that is, 30 to 50 in 10 gallons. I would recommend not to extend this number. 

In case you see the increase of Cherry Shrimp is getting out of your hand, you can take some necessary steps to reduce the numbers. One of the effective ways to do this is by giving away or selling the extra Cherry Shrimp to other Shrimp lovers. 

You also use it as other big fish’s food and use the baby Cherry Shrimp directly or by boiling to feed them. 

Asif Iqbal

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