As a Cherry Shrimp Baby owner, I know they are small and weak. To protect cherry shrimp babies, you must know few things related to their growth and nutrition.
So here I am going to show you some techniques you should follow when rearing cherry shrimp baby.
What do baby Cherry Shrimp look like?
Jump To
- 1 What do baby Cherry Shrimp look like?
- 2 How do you take care of cherry shrimp babies?
- 3 How fast your cherry shrimp babies will grow?
- 4 How Do you prepare baby shrimp for survival
- 5 Why is my baby cherry shrimp dying?
- 6 Should I remove dead Shrimp from the tank?
- 7 What do newborn cherry shrimp babies eat?
- 8 FAQ
Cherry Shrimp babies are looking identical to their adult cherry shrimps. Among other saltwater shrimps, cherry shrimp take the more squared shape.
Where other shrimps prominent in a pointed shape. After their born, they appear colourless for first few days.
Cherry shrimp babies have a delicate body. Their body is more delicate than adult shrimps.
If you have an aquarium with cherry shrimps, you will see jumping cherry shrimp babies in the water. Mostly after the breeding period.
Because of the weak and delicate nature of cherry shrimp babies, you must be careful with them.
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How do you take care of cherry shrimp babies?
Taking care of cherry baby shrimp is the same as taking care of the cheery shrimp adults.
However, when it comes to cherry shrimp babies, there are few factors you should pay attention to. Let us have a look at those facts one by one.
How do you maintain the water quality
the pH of the water
Same as the adults, cherry shrimp babies prefer specific water quality parameters. They cannot adopt the wide range of environmental changes at all.
When it comes to the pH of the water, both adults and babies prefer the pH range of 6.5 to 7.5. This means cherry shrimp babies prefer the neutral pH level in the water.
You can easily recognize the pH value of water with a pH meter. Not only the pH but also a wide range of parameters you can measure from it. Like nitrites, nitrates and ammonia.
Which are insert into the water by the excretions of fish. Those parameters can affect the pH. So it is useful to have a test kit for routine monitoring.
The ideal temperature for cherry shrimp babies
The temperature range should be 700 to 750 F as their optimal growth. It is very important to maintain the temperature above values for their well-being.
Although adult cherry shrimps can survive in a wide range of temperature, babies cannot. Among the temperature range of 700 to 750, the ideal value is 720F for cherry shrimp babies.
Clean water
Cherry shrimp babies need clean water for their survival. Tank water gets dirt and toxic because of the excretions of the fish.
So you need to clean the aquarium water in frequent intervals.
General Hardness
Indicates the term of the general hardness of the water. GH value includes the amount of dissolved calcium and magnesium ion concentration plus some minerals in the water.
carbonate hardness
KH stands for the carbonate hardness in the water. It also indicates the pH stability of water.
total dissolved solid
TDS stands for the total dissolved solid amount in water. Here, the number of solid molecules in water other than water molecules are calculated.
If the TDS value exceeds the limit in the water table, you should change the water.
| Parameter | Optimal value |
| Temperature | 700 to 750 F |
| pH | 6.5 to 7.5 |
| GH | 6 to 8 ppm |
| KH | 1 to 4 ppm |
| TDS | 150 – 250 ppm |
Preferred water flow for cherry shrimp babies
As we discuss, cherry shrimp babies are weak and delicate organisms. So, you need to slow down the water flow rate if you are using a flow rate emerge instrument in your aquarium.
The water current provided by the instrument will be harmful for cherry shrimp babies. As a result, they will stress. But complete stopping the flow rate is not good either.
There should be a sufficient flow rate that can help cherry shrimp baby for a swim. Also, the ideal water flow rate brings foods and dissolves oxygen all over the tank.
Therefore, keeping a perfect flow rate is essential.
Ideal tank environment
For the better growth of Cherry shrimp babies, you must provide a stress-free environment for them.
High sounds
You need to provide a calm environment because aquatic lives are sensitive to high sounds. Especially babies are delicate, and high sounds will stress them a lot.
So, keeping the environment calm and quiet will make every fish in the aquarium healthy.
Safety of the cherry shrimp babies
Because of the smaller size and delicate body of the cherry shrimp babies, they can be trapped in the water inlet pipe. As discussed, they cannot swim well.
Therefore, they can be pushed towards the inlet water pipe by water currents. In the absence of a barrier, these small cherry shrimp babies can be inserted and harmed.
But you can avoid this issue by adding a filter to it. This security layer can protect the shrimp trap efficiently.
Also, it has an added advantage as moss and biofilm making substrate, which shrimp babies are in love with most.
Plants and hiding places for cherry shrimp babies
When considering the fact of shades and shelters, cherry shrimp babies have taken priority.
They need a higher amount of plants and hiding places for their good growth. There are few reasons behind this hiding behavior of them.
- After birth, cherry shrimp babies like to hide for few days. They need few days to adjust to the new environment.
- So, the plants and mosses will help to recover and adjust by providing enough shades to hide.
- Plant bush and thick moss that you have provided to the tank will give the feeling of safety and home to the newborn cherry shrimp babies.
- Because of the weakness of cherry shrimp babies, they love to hide always.
- When they feel any threat behind them, they move quickly to the bush and moss for shelters.
- So, nothing can make them stress until they grow and stronger. Because they have shelter enough with plant and moss.
- In the first days, cherry shrimp babies cannot eat commercial shrimp foods.
- They only depend on biofilms and algae in their tank.
- When you add more bush pants and moss to the tank, they will provide enough biofilms and algae.
- Another thing is those widely spread moss and plants can accumulate enough food particles.
- It will provide an added advantage as food gatherings. Because cherry shrimp babies cannot swim well to find algae and biofilms, these food gatherings are much more effective.
Tank mates ideal for cherry shrimp babies
Tank mates are an important factor for the stress development of cherry shrimp babies. Normally cherry shrimps are ideal for keep alone in the tank without mates.
You can consider the below fish as good tank mates.
- Other shrimp species
- Dwarf suckers
- Small Rasboras
- Small tetras
- Snails
Below category fish behave badly with cherry shrimps.
- Cichlids
- Angelfish
- Fish with a large mouth that can easily grab shrimps
- Aggressive fish like Barbs, Mollies, Tetra and Betta fish.
Food for your cherry shrimp babies
Algae and biofilms are the main sources of food for cherry shrimp babies. In this case, you do not have to worry about foods because those algae and biofilms are easily growable.
Biofilms grow on your tank glass, on the leaves of shrub plants and the rack objects in the tank. Moss naturally rich in amounts of algae.
You need to keep the water tank in a place to obtain sufficient sunlight for algae and biofilm growth. But both adult and baby cherry shrimps do not like to eat algae present as thread, hair or spotted.
And, while you clean the tank, do not remove those algae and biofilm coating objects.
Other things you need to consider
There are some facts you need to know when you are dealing with cherry shrimp babies. These facts are called things not do with cherry shrimp babies.
- If you have little kids around the home, keep the aquarium reach out to the children. Because children can put their hands into the aquarium to catch those small lives. It is a deadly effect on cherry shrimp babies.
- Do not add extra food to the tank anytime. It will cause unwanted algae and biofilm making together with toxins concentrations in the tank.
- Never introduce tank mates without proper research about them to the tank. If not, bad tank mates will destroy both baby and adult cherry shrimps in the same way.
- Using an ultra-power current is badly affect cherry shrimp babies. It will highly stress out this small living being.
How fast your cherry shrimp babies will grow?
According to the researches, cherry shrimps do not follow a linear cycle regarding their growth. Their growth rate is high in their post-larva, larva, and juvenile stages.
But when they become adults, their growth rate will be slower. Once they have achieved their target correct weight and attain maturity, their physical growth will stop.
Growth rate till adulthood
At the first stage of the cherry shrimp babies, they started the life as post-larva life. This stage lasts up to 24 to 48 hours from their birth.
When completing this stage, the cherry shrimp baby obtains 3-4 grams in weight.
Then cherry shrimp baby enters the larva stage ranging from the 2nd day of the birth to the 15th day of the birth.
At the end of the larva stage, the cherry shrimp baby enters the juvenile stage. After the end of 120 days in the above stages, it becomes an adult cherry shrimp with 25 grams.
Growth rate after adulthood
After it became an adult, its growth rate will be slow. When you keep the adult cherry shrimp in optimal water parameters and high nutrition, it can achieve a weight of 2.6 grams per week.
But can change the weight according to the water parameters and nutritional amount. Which you are providing to the tank.
How Do you prepare baby shrimp for survival
Cherry shrimp babies are more sensitive to their environmental parameters than adult shrimps.
So it would help if you prepared the tank water parameters at optimal levels. Above mentioned water quality parameters will help you for adjusting the tank water.
Once you set the optimal parameters of water for shrimp growth, babies started to grow healthier.
Then they can survive in a harsh environment like lack of foods for a much longer time. They cannot survive even for a short period if they are weak from birth.
Another important thing is the tank mates that you have provided to these babies. Much friendly tank mates can increase the survival rate of them.
Because friendly mate does not generate stress over the cherry shrimp babies.
Another important thing is the shelter and shades in the tank. More shades and shelter in the tank will provide enough space for the hide to themselves.
Which is highly effective as a stress-releasing method. Also, it indirectly helps to the food accumulation of shrimp babies. Also, more shelter can slow down the water current that harmfully affects them.
Why is my baby cherry shrimp dying?
It is all about the water parameter issues in your tank. If the temperature, pH, water hardness like water quality parameters not up to optimal level, shrimps can not tolerate it.
Also if there is any sudden change in water quality parameters shrimps will die almost immediately.
Should I remove dead Shrimp from the tank?
Yes, you should.
When your pet dies, all its body components are mixed with water. So your tank water gets polluted. It affects badly on other fish and shrimps in your tank.
So, once it dies, you should remove the dead body from the tank.
Also, if your Shrimp has any illness, it will spread to other fish and shrimps in the same tank. You are exposing other aquatic pets also to danger. So, immediately remove the dead shrimp baby from the tank.
Also, keep in mind to wash your hands thoroughly. If not, cross-contamination may occur from your hands.
What do newborn cherry shrimp babies eat?
Because they are delicate and weak, you must be very careful with them regarding nutrition. Until they become adults, you have to pay special attention to their food.
What to feed?
As mentioned above, cherry shrimp babies cannot eat any commercial shrimp foods when they are so tiny.
They depend only on the algae and biofilms in the tank. But when they grow and come out of the shelters, you can introduce commercial shrimp foods to them.
Also, when they are growing, those algae and biofilms cannot saturate their protein intake. So, giving an additional protein balanced diet is really good for their health.
In the aquatic food market, there are a lot of shrimp foods available. It is your responsibility to find out what is the best shrimp food among those brands. An excellent shrimp food can saturate below essential facts.
- Encourages more production of biofilm in the tank.
- It should contain all the vital bacteria amount for a shrimp tank.
- Powdered form foods for easy consumption to the cherry shrimp babies to increase their survival rate.
- Higher usage in aquatic shrimp breeding units.
The commercial shrimp food named Bacter AE includes all essential facts. This food is something you can give to your Shrimp without a doubt.
How often feed your cherry shrimp babies?
It depends on the number of shrimps in your tank.
- If your aquarium has shrimps less than ten, you better add shrimp food to half of the measuring spoon once a day.
- You need to add one full measuring spoon of shrimp food once a day. If you have 10 to 25 shrimps in your aquarium,
- The number is more than 25, you need to add more shrimp foods. It means one full measuring spoon of shrimp food twice a day.
As an above way of good food addition will make your shrimp babies grow healthier.
But keep in mind do not add more food exceeding the limit. Because decomposing of the extra food may cause the toxin to concentrate in the tank, it will harmfully affect cherry shrimp babies.
How long cherry shrimp can go without food
When it comes to newborns, they cannot live without foods for long. Because they are weak. But after some days of growth, they can survive for some period without food.
However, they cannot live for more than 7 days without food. The period of 7 days depends on the prior situation of the cherry shrimp babies. If they are not in healthy bodies since birth, they cannot survive even for seven days without foods.
FAQ
Should I remove the baby shrimp in an aquarium?
Removing the baby shrimp is not always needed. But if you plan to add more and more fish into the same tank, it will be more dangerous to put baby shrimp and others together.
At that time, you need to separate babies for their protection.
What do you do with baby shrimp in an aquarium?
The little tine bright color cherry shrimp babies will make your day extremely beautiful when looking at them.
They can release your stress and keep you calm. They will help you in your mental satisfaction. So, it is worth keeping them in your aquarium.
How many babies cherry shrimp have?
Cherry shrimps obtain sexual reproduction. After the breeding period, female cherry shrimp will consist of 20 to 30 eggs in her underside of the abdomen.
The bunch of eggs looks like a tiny bunch of grapes in yellow colour. After 2 to 3 weeks, the eggs are hatch.
Once hatched, tiny cherry shrimp babies will release into the water. As soon as they get to the water, they hide. On the other hand, they are pretty invisible these days because of the ultra-smaller body size.
Will adult Shrimp eat their babies?
They do not eat their shrimp babies.
But before eggs turn into babies, if an egg de-attached from the mother shrimp, it will fall into the water.
Then actually it looks like some common shrimp food. Without attaching to the female shrimp, the egg is no more fertile at all. At that stage, some shrimp will eat that loosened egg. But it is not viable at all.
When talking about the viable eggs or baby shrimps, adult shrimps are not going to eat them.
Hopefully, you can have all the good things and bad things about the cherry shrimp babies from this article. It is your responsibility to keep them safe for more survival time.
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