Can You Mix Blue and Cherry Shrimp?

Written by Noa in General Info

Blue and Cherry shrimp are freshwater shrimps that belong to the Neocaridina davidi family. Most aquarists sometimes refer to the Blue shrimp as the Blue velvet shrimp, Blue jelly, and Blue dream shrimp due to their coloration. Suppose you want to add Blue shrimp to your tank of cherry shrimp — can you do that?

You can mix the Blue and Cherry shrimp if you want them to interbreed, as they belong to the same species. Moreover, both have peaceful temperaments and similar requirements, including water parameters. However, keep them in separate aquariums if you don’t want them to hybridize.

The rest of this article will discuss a few topics related to this question. Read on to learn whether Blue and Cherry shrimps are ideal tank mates. Let’s get started.

Can You Keep Blue and Cherry Shrimp in the Same Tank?

You can keep Blue and Red Cherry shrimp in the same tank. They can live in the same aquarium peacefully. Since they have a few requirements, they’re both easy to maintain and breed. Moreover, their attractive coloration will boost your tank’s appearance.

Cherry shrimp, commonly referred to as the Red Cherry shrimp (RCS), is a hardy and peaceful freshwater shrimp. So, it’ll cohabit with the Blue shrimp without aggression. Moreover, both shrimps belong to the same species and thrive in groups.

RCS and Blue shrimp tend to exhibit similar behaviors. For instance, they’ll hide in the same place especially, during the day, to escape predators. Moreover, they’re omnivores and will feed on almost similar foods. So, it’s advisable to rear shrimps of the same species in a community to enhance their safety.

However, the shrimps’ behaviors might change under certain circumstances. For instance, if your tank is small, they may start acting hostile towards each other. Therefore, if you want to keep them in check, ensure that you meet specific maintenance requirements before mixing them.

Here are the Blue and Cherry shrimp maintenance requirements:

  • Tank Environment: Blue and Red Cherry shrimps usually love a surrounding with many plants. These plants provide them with plenty of hiding places. Moreover, they feed on decaying plant matter, helping clean the tank.
  • Sponge Filter: You can also add a sponge filter to trap any food residues and an air stone to keep the water moving.
  • Tank Size: The minimum tank size you can keep them in is 5 gallons (18.93 L). But it’s best to have a bigger aquarium to prevent crowding when the shrimp population increases. Therefore, a larger tank provides adequate space and minimizes aggressive behavior.
  • Temperature and pH Levels: Blue and Cherry shrimp can thrive well in the same tank as long as it meets their ideal water and pH parameters. Therefore, the water temperature should be between 23 and 29°C (73.4 and 84.2°F) a pH range of 6 to 8 is perfect.
  • Feeding: Both shrimp varieties are omnivores and scavengers. However, you can supplement their diet with high-quality flakes and pellets. However, ensure that these foods are copper-free, as ingesting the metal can be fatal for these shrimps. Moreover, since the shrimps are excellent algae eaters, don’t overfeed them.
  • Substrate: Both Blue and Cherry shrimps wouldn’t mind some substrate. So, you can place some small pebbles or sand in your tank.
Can You Mix Blue and Cherry Shrimp?
Can You Mix Blue and Cherry Shrimp?

Can Blue Shrimp Interbreed With Cherry Shrimp?

Blue and Cherry shrimp can share a tank and thrive well easily. Their unique colors create a beautiful visual in any aquarium. But apart from cohabiting, would you expect them to hybridize?

Blue and Red Cherry shrimp can interbreed because they belong to the same genus and species. Therefore, they can give rise to viable (and fertile) offspring. So, try interbreeding the two varieties if you wish to determine what coloration the hybrids can produce.

However, before you interbreed them, take note of these:

Both Shrimp Varieties Have the Same Scientific Names

Knowing shrimps’ scientific names helps aquarists determine if two shrimp varieties can interbreed effectively. In this case, both Blue shrimp and Red Cherry are scientifically referred to as Neocaridina davidi. So, Neocaridina is the genus, while davidi is the species.

Since the Blue and Red Cherry shrimp have the same scientific name, they belong to the same genus and species. Therefore, they can interbreed.

Blue and Cherry Shrimp Can Produce Offspring of Several Colorations

The offspring may not always maintain the vivid colors of their parents. So, after breeding the Blue shrimp with Cherry shrimp, there are several colorations you should expect. For instance, they may have a greenish-brown color, resembling the wild-type coloration of their original breeds.

Alternatively, the hybrids might have a shade of blue or red color. These colors depend on how intense their parent’s colors were. But you might not get the variations in the first trial, as the color blend may occur gradually.

Note: Since the two shrimp variants originate from the same wild-type (greenish-brown), their distinct and attractive colors are a product of selective breeding.

Conclusion

It’s possible to mix Blue shrimp and Cherry shrimp in the same tank. Provided they have all the favorable conditions, they can thrive well together. Moreover, they can interbreed and produce viable offspring.

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