How Often Do Cherry Shrimp Breed? (Answered!)

Cherry shrimp are among the most straightforward varieties to keep, as they’re a hardy species that don’t demand too much investment.

As long as you give them a stable environment, these creatures can thrive and reproduce without much prompting.

On this topic, many breeders want to know – how often do cherry shrimp breed?

If you’re interested in breeding your cherry shrimp, you’ve come to the right place.

They don’t require significant investment and can reproduce all year long, usually every few months. Read on for the details.

How Fast Do Cherry Shrimp Breed?

Mature cherry shrimp take three to five months to breed, assuming the conditions are favorable and there are no predators to stop the process.

It takes four to six months for cherry shrimps to reach sexual maturity, and breeding will start right after a female molts. She will release pheromones into the water soon after molting.

Males in the vicinity will react and find the female, initiating the second step of the breeding process.

After mating, the female will lay eggs and carry them around under the tail. The eggs stay there until hatching time.

After the juveniles hatch, they’ll feed and grow, eventually reaching sexual maturity. Then, the cycle begins anew.

Therefore, you should be able to breed these shrimp at least once a year and have enough to sell for profit if you’d like.

How Frequently Do Cherry Shrimp Breed?

Cherry shrimp breed as soon as they have the chance.

Mature females will molt and immediately attract the males nearby. So, you only need to wait for her to release the pheromones.

In addition, certain conditions must be met to induce breeding.

For example, the water pH must be within 6.5-8.0, and the temperature is ideally 70-80 degrees Fahrenheit.

Water hardness isn’t too much of an issue unless it veers toward extreme hardness or softness.

The cherry shrimp also need more food to breed. However, it’s a delicate balance, and excessive feeding can result in water pollution.

Dirty water discourages females from emitting their pheromones, and the males won’t attempt to mate with them if none are present. That’s why keeping a balance is vital.

Often, the algae that grow in the tank is adequate for your shrimp. You can also feed them fish food or blanched vegetables as long as you provide enough nutrition.

When testing the water, there should be no nitrite and ammonia. Cherry shrimp are sensitive to these substances, and even a slight presence can be harmful.

Nitrate levels should be under 20ppm and can be lowered by keeping plants and performing regular water changes.

Keep in mind that water changes shouldn’t happen too frequently, but 30% per week is a good starting point. When adding new water, ensure it’s not too hot or cold.

Summertime is usually the breeding season for cherry shrimp, so you can plan accordingly, and it’s accurate to say they generally reproduce once a year.

Despite this, you can also artificially induce mating behavior during other seasons.

Owners have found that raising the temperature by a few degrees Fahrenheit and increasing water hardness slightly with limestone chips prompts females to release pheromones.

All things considered, cherry shrimp can breed all year round but prefer summer.

How Often Do Cherry Shrimp Lay Eggs?

Cherry shrimp lay eggs immediately after they mate with a male. The female signals her fertility with pheromones and lays eggs once per successful implantation.

If a female is stressed, she may abandon her eggs and not lay until she is induced to breed again.

As per the usual breeding cycle, cherry shrimp lay eggs every three to five months if everything goes well.

How Many Eggs Do Cherry Shrimp Lay at a Time?

On average, cherry shrimps lay 20-30 eggs every time they breed.

The number does vary depending on the shrimp’s age since younger females are less experienced and may produce fewer eggs.

The older the mother is, the more they tend to lay at once.

Some breeders have also reported that increasing the protein content in the shrimp’s diet can result in more eggs.

All 20-30 eggs are kept under the female’s tail for around 30 days. The mother will continue to fan them and provide oxygen during this time.

That’s why providing enough oxygen for the young shrimp is essential to survival.

How Many Cherry Shrimp Babies Survive?

Out of 20-30 eggs from a standard breeding attempt, sometimes only several reach adulthood. However, their survival rates can be drastically influenced by breeders.

For example, you shouldn’t keep fish in the same tank, as they might eat the newly hatched babies. Keeping other shrimp species is fine, however.

Providing shrimp with lots of hiding spots is one way to keep them from dying because baby shrimps don’t move much at first.

Instead, they eat biofilm and powdered food floating around and are particularly vulnerable during this period.

Also, don’t feed baby shrimp adult food, as they can’t get enough to fulfill their nutritional needs.

Grinding pellets into a powder or buying specialized baby shrimp food tends to be the most successful way of ensuring they have enough to eat.

When the babies just hatch, ensure the water chemistry doesn’t experience wild swings in pH and hardness.

Some hardness is okay to provide minerals, but rapid changes will result in death for all cherry shrimp, not just the juveniles.

It’s also essential to use shrimp-safe water filters.

These have extremely fine mesh or sponges that can’t suck up baby shrimp. They also trap organic detritus that the babies enjoy eating.

How Long Do Cherry Shrimp Live?

Red cherry shrimp can usually live for around a year, but optimum tank conditions can increase their lifespan slightly.

However, they may die after being relocated if stressed, so it’s best to keep them in the same water conditions.

Generally, higher grade cherry shrimp are more fragile. This is something to keep in mind if you’re considering mixing neocaridina colors to improve grades or make new colors.

In Summary

Many aspiring aquarists aren’t familiar with the species they want to breed, and that’s why doing research first helps.

Knowing how often cherry shrimp breed, planning ahead becomes possible.

With some changes, it’s even possible to breed them several times a year, mainly by inducing mating behaviors.