Sakura Cherry Shrimp Care Guide

The Ultimate Sakura Cherry Shrimp Care Guide

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Keeping Sakura cherry shrimps as pets is a fantastic hobby, as they are communal and are relatively easy to care for. Being quite small, they don’t require a huge tank or lots of food. 

To care for your Sakura cherry shrimp, ensure they have:

  • Water: 72° Fahrenheit (22° Celsius), pH of 6.5-8, no ammonia, nitrates, and nitrites less than 20 ppm, and copper less than 0.03 ppm.
  • Shrimp-friendly plants.
  • Enough space (25 per 5 gallons/23 liters).
  • Biofilm, algae, pellets, soybean husks, etc., to eat.

If you’re starting out with keeping shrimps as pets, you’ll need the best information to help you get started. Read on to learn all about sakura cherry shrimp and how to best look after them.

Sakura Cherry Shrimp Care Guide
HIgh Grade Sakura Cherry Shrimp

Introducing Cherry Shrimp 

Sakura shrimp and red cherry shrimp are variants of the species known as Neocaridina davidi. You may have also come across the newer name Neocaridina heteropoda—but they’re both referring to the same species! 

These freshwater shrimp originated from China and are naturally green-brown or transparent in the wild. They’ve been introduced in different regions, such as Asia and Europe. 

As with dog and cat breeds, these shrimp are selectively bred to produce offspring with different appearances, but they still belong to the same species. This means that they can reproduce together.

Humans have bred these shrimp to give them different grades of coloration. We can now find and purchase them in a wide range of colors, such as:

  • Red
  • Yellow
  • Orange
  • Green
  • Blue
  • Black (etc.)

Red Cherry Shrimp Grades

The red morph is generally called the “cherry shrimp.” But there are specific names given to red cherry shrimp with darker shades of red and higher rankings. 

A shrimp’s color intensity and how much of their body is covered in color determine what grade they’re given. Those with the darkest, densest shade, with more coloration covering their bodies, receive the highest grading. 

There are three factors to consider when determining the grade of a cherry shrimp:

  • Intensity of color. More color means a better rating. Shrimp with intense colors covering more of their bodies receive a higher rank. The color intensity and amount is the essential factor!
  • Opacity and translucency. Opacity means that light can’t pass through (the colored areas), and translucency is the opposite. Shrimp are rated better quality if they’re more opaque with less blotchy, translucent areas.
  • Females and males. Female cherry shrimp tend to be larger and have more coloring than males (including their brothers). It’s helpful to keep this in mind if you want to breed your shrimp.

Here’s a brief rundown and description of the different grades:

  • Regular cherry grade: These shrimp are the lowest-ranked, and they are mostly translucent, with only a bit of red. This grade is the cheapest.
  • Sakura grade: These have darker red and more coloration. Often, their top is red, but the color doesn’t cover their whole body; they still have many translucent areas and translucent legs. (Sakura can also be divided into low and high grades.)
  • Fire red grade: Fire red cherry shrimp have a rich, dense coloring and are mostly opaque, with colored legs. Translucent spots are very minimal. Due to their higher ranking, they are more expensive.
  • Painted fire red grade. Cherry shrimp that earn the “painted fire red” name look like they’ve had their intense color painted on. There are no translucent patches. 
  • Bloody Mary grade. Named after the cocktail, the Bloody Mary is a more recent variant with a stunning, dark red color. Unlike other grades, they have red body tissue with transparent shells. They can look maroon (especially the females).
  • Kanoko cherry shrimp. Sometimes you’ll notice dark brown or black patches on cherry shrimp. These shrimp are called Kanoko, and their dark patches don’t affect their grading (only the amount of red does).

Watch this fantastic video by Tiny Menagerie to see the different grades of red cherry shrimp:

Caring for Your Sakura Cherry Shrimp 

If you’ve never bred sakura cherry shrimps before, everything you need to know to care for them successfully is covered in this section. They can make fantastic pets, as they come in beautiful colors and are communal.

It’s best to keep sakura cherry shrimp in separate tanks with predatory fish to eliminate the risk of attacks.

Sakura Cherry Shrimp Colony Size

First, decide how many sakura cherry shrimp you want to start with. You can begin your colony with just one male and a female, but it’s recommended to begin with at least 10 shrimp. You can quickly grow a large colony if you really enjoy keeping them.

Remember that they reach a reproductive age quite quickly, so you’ll need to monitor how many shrimp you’ve got and which ones you want to keep. They can reproduce from around 4-5 months when they’ve reached their full size (about 1.25 inches or 3.2 centimeters). 

Like other cherry shrimp species, sakura cherry shrimp tend to live for 1-2 years. The females lay around 20-30 eggs, which take approximately 2-3 weeks to hatch. 

Baby sakura cherry shrimp (shrimplets) are lighter and more translucent in color than adults. Many will darken as they mature. As they grow, it’s easier to determine how dark their final, adult color will be.

Aquarium Water Quality for Sakura Cherry Shrimp

Water quality is of high importance to shrimp keepers. The good news, however, is that sakura cherry shrimp are quite hardy and not too fussy about their living conditions. 

According to Josh’s Frogs, these shrimp prefer slow-moving and well-oxygenated water, so installing a sponge filter is a good idea. As cherry shrimp are so tiny—especially their babies—make sure they won’t get sucked up your filter!

These shrimp can be added to an existing tank with other fish (provided it has settled water and predators). 

However, if you wish to breed a larger colony and profit from selling shrimp, you’d be best to establish a new tank dedicated to them.

This video gives you the rundown on how to start a new cherry shrimp colony:

Tank Size for Cherry Shrimp

If you buy a new aquarium, you can fit around 25 cherry shrimp in a 5-gallon/23-liter tank (and 50 in a 10-gallon/46-liter tank). 

While a tiny home is okay to start with, do consider that, as your colony expands, you may require a larger tank in the future, so they don’t get too crowded. Alternatively, you may choose to maintain a smaller-sized collection of sakura cherry shrimp.

The Ideal Temperature for Your Shrimp

Cherry shrimp can live in water with temperatures of 57-84° Fahrenheit (14-29° degrees Celsius). However, they’re most comfortable at a moderate temperature of around 72° Fahrenheit (22° Celsius).

If your water temperature is too high, your shrimp may have a shortened lifespan. So, check that it’s not too hot for them. Your little friends will be comfy and happy if you keep the level at a comfortable room temperature.

Chemicals To Watch Out For

While Neocaridinia davidi is quite hardy, you need to ensure the tank doesn’t have potentially toxic chemicals. Carefully monitor chemical or contaminant levels in your water using specially designed testing strips.

PPM refers to “parts per million” and indicates how much of a chemical or contaminant is in a water container. To maintain conducive water quality for sakura shrimps in your tank, you should aim for these levels:

  • Ammonia (0 ppm)
  • Nitrates (less than 20 ppm)
  • Nitrites (less than 20 ppm)
  • No Copper (which can leach into the water from insecticide-treated plants)

To easily monitor your tank’s water quality, try out these API Test Strips (available on Amazon), which tell you pH, nitrite, and nitrate levels and can be used in both freshwater and saltwater aquariums.

So what pH level is best for your shrimp? To have a happy and healthy colony, it’s best to keep the level between 6.5 pH and 8 pH. If you want the very best conditions for your new pets, it’s essential to check how healthy their water is regularly. 

Water pH should be maintained at a constant level as rapid changes can leave your sakura shrimp weakened, shocked, and with reduced appetite. 

If suboptimal pH levels are maintained for long, your sakura shrimp will have stunted growth and become increasingly susceptible to illnesses. 

Additionally, it is advisable to regulate pH levels gradually, as increasing or lowering the levels too fast can shock the shrimp and leave them in distress. 

Plants and Food for Your Sakura Cherry Shrimp

Shrimp need plants in their tank because they eat the biofilm that forms on top of these plants (and other objects). Due to this, it is crucial to add only plants labeled “shrimp safe.”

Like other shrimps, sakura cherry shrimp love planted tanks as the plants provide them with food, and the plant life also offers hiding spaces for them. Greenery also helps keep the aquarium’s water healthy.

Sakura cherry shrimp are omnivores that’ll eat both protein and plant material. And as they are tiny, they do not require tons of food a day! They eat the following:

  • Plant biofilm
  • Algae wafers
  • Snowflakes (soybean husks)
  • Shrimp pellets
  • Certain vegetables (make sure they are shrimp-safe and have no pesticides on them)
  • Deceased shrimp (yes, they are omnivores, after all)

After a few months, your aquarium will have accumulated a nice amount of algae and biofilm for your shrimp to graze on. Generally, most aquarium hobbyists feed their shrimps once a day to once every two or three days.

Algae wafers are a great choice. For example, API Algae Eater Wafers (available on Amazon) contain algae and Omega-3. These wafers are formulated with nutrients that shrimp would usually get from algae, and they help keep your tank clean.

Remember to remove uneaten food after a few hours, as it can pollute your tank. 

Snails can help by eating the excess, leftover food in the aquarium. If you’re going away for a while, try adding in some pellets of snowflake food for your shrimp.

Cycling Your Shrimp Tank

Considering all of the above, it’s important to cycle your shrimp tank. Here is a fantastic guide that explains how to cycle a tank and its benefits.

Cycling a tank involves accumulating enough beneficial bacteria in your aquarium’s filter to consume your shrimp’s waste products before ammonia buildup leads to health issues.

Because all shrimp grades are highly sensitive to ammonia, it is crucially important to cycle your tank’s water every five weeks. According to MicrobeWiki, Nitrosomonas are proteobacteria that oxidize ammonia and create nitrite. 

In higher amounts, nitrite is also toxic to your shrimp. However, you can have up to 20 ppm of nitrite before it becomes detrimental to their health. 

The next link in the ammonia/nitrite/nitrate chain is a bacteria called Nitrospira—they will oxidize the nitrite into nitrate, which is less harmful and more accessible for plants to absorb.

Cycling your tank every 4-6 weeks ensures there are enough Nitrosomonas and Nitrospira to keep the water’s ammonia and nitrite at healthy levels.

Culling Your Shrimp Colony

If your Sakura shrimp colony has grown too large, you can lower its size in several ways. 

  • Moving some of the shrimp (the ones you don’t want to breed) into another tank.
  • Selling the shrimp.
  • Giving away some shrimp to friends or fellow shrimp enthusiasts.
  • Allowing them to stop breeding “naturally” (anecdotally, some breeders say shrimp will stop reproducing when the colony size is too large).
  • Adding a predator fish (if you’re okay with doing that).

Final Thoughts

Keeping and breeding sakura cherry shrimp as pets is an enjoyable hobby. They are small (not requiring much food or space), relatively low maintenance, and come in many attractive colors. 

To care for your sakura cherry shrimp:

  • Keep their water healthy, with nitrates and nitrites below 20 ppm, no ammonia, no copper (or a tiny amount, less than 0.03 ppm), a pH of 6.5-8, and room temperature.
  • Feed them algae pellets if you wish to clean out their biofilm.
  • Keep plenty of shrimp-friendly plants in the tank.

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