Man, I never thought I’d be the guy with forty cherry shrimp living in a tank on my kitchen counter, but here we are. Started with aquascaping, got obsessed with creating these underwater gardens, and then discovered that shrimp are basically the perfect little janitors for planted tanks. Plus, you know, they’re weirdly fascinating to watch when you’re stressed out from work.
My first attempt at keeping shrimp was… well, let’s just say I probably shouldn’t have been giving anyone advice back then. Walked into that pet store next to my grocery store – same one where I bought my first tank – and the kid working there sold me ten Amano shrimp. “Great for algae,” he said. “Super easy.” Yeah, right. I brought them home, acclimated them for maybe fifteen minutes (which I now know is nowhere near long enough), and dumped them into my 20-gallon planted tank.
Three days later, they’d all vanished. Not dead bodies floating around, just… gone. I tore that tank apart looking for corpses, figured my filter had somehow sucked them all up. Felt terrible about it, honestly. Turns out – and I learned this months later from reading forums at 2am – they’d probably molted from stress and then died from the shock of completely different water parameters. My tap water in Columbus is pretty hard and alkaline, and who knows what the pet store was using. Recipe for disaster.
That failure sent me down this research rabbit hole that lasted weeks. Problem was, most of the “beginner shrimp” guides I found were either dumbed down to the point of being useless, or they were pushing these gorgeous but incredibly delicate species that have no business being recommended to beginners. Crystal Red shrimp look amazing in photos, sure, but they need water parameters so specific that people who’ve been keeping shrimp for years still struggle with them sometimes.
So after losing probably thirty bucks worth of shrimp and feeling like an idiot, I decided to figure out which species actually work for people who don’t have perfect setups or years of experience.
Cherry shrimp – that’s Neocaridina davidi if you want to get technical about it – turned out to be the answer. I bought five from a hobbyist I found through an online forum, spent way more time acclimating them properly, and they not only survived but started breeding within a couple months. Two years later, I’ve probably got sixty of them in that same tank. They range from deep red to pale pink to the occasional brownish one that looks like their wild ancestors.
The thing about cherry shrimp that nobody really explains well is they don’t need perfect water parameters – they need consistent ones. I’ve kept them successfully in water ranging from pH 6.8 to about 7.8, temperatures anywhere from 70 to 76 degrees, and hardness from moderately soft to pretty hard. What kills them isn’t imperfect conditions, it’s sudden changes. That disaster with my first Amanos happened because I basically shocked them with water that was completely different from what they were used to.
Here’s what actually matters if you want cherry shrimp to thrive: your tank needs to be properly aged before you add them. I’m talking at least six weeks of running with plants and beneficial bacteria established, preferably eight or more. They spend most of their time grazing on biofilm and tiny microorganisms that grow on surfaces, and a brand new tank – even one that’s technically cycled for fish – won’t have enough of that natural food available.
I learned this the hard way when I set up a dedicated 10-gallon shrimp tank and added cherries too early. They survived, but they looked stressed and weren’t very active. Took about six more weeks before the tank really matured and they started behaving normally – constantly grazing, exploring every surface, actually interacting with each other instead of just hiding.
Blue Dream shrimp are basically the same species as cherries, just selectively bred for that electric blue color. Same care requirements, same hardiness, equally good for beginners. I keep them in a separate tank because if you mix different color varieties of Neocaridina, they’ll interbreed and eventually you’ll end up with brown, wild-type offspring. Not necessarily bad, but probably not what you’re going for if you want that bright blue color.
The feeding situation is way simpler than pet stores make it seem. They’ll try to sell you specialized shrimp pellets and supplements and all sorts of stuff you probably don’t need. My shrimp get leftover fish flakes maybe twice a week, plus whatever they find naturally in the tank. Blanched vegetables work great – I’ll drop in a piece of zucchini or spinach occasionally, just make sure to remove it after a day before it starts fouling the water.
Water changes are where I see people mess up constantly, though. The standard aquarium advice of 25% weekly doesn’t work well for shrimp because they’re more sensitive to parameter swings than most fish. I do smaller, more frequent changes instead – about 10% twice a week rather than 20% once a week. Takes maybe five extra minutes per week but prevents those sudden shifts that stress them out.
One thing that caught me off guard: tap water that’s fine for fish might be terrible for shrimp. I test every batch of replacement water now after losing groups to chloramine spikes or unexpected pH crashes. Our local water treatment plant apparently switches between chlorine and chloramine seasonally, and most basic dechlorinators only handle chlorine properly. Had to switch to a more expensive product that neutralizes both.
Ghost shrimp get recommended as beginner species a lot, probably because they’re cheap and fairly hardy. I’m less enthusiastic about them, honestly. They’re more aggressive than you’d expect – I watched them constantly harass my cherry shrimp until I moved them to a different tank. They work fine as cleanup crew in community fish tanks, but I wouldn’t recommend them for a dedicated shrimp setup.
Amano shrimp are fantastic algae eaters, but they come with a major drawback for beginners: they don’t breed in freshwater. The larvae need brackish conditions to develop, which means you can’t maintain a self-sustaining population like you can with cherries. They’re also escape artists. I’ve found dried-up Amanos behind my tank stand more than once. Always use tight-fitting lids if you keep them.
Tank size matters less than you’d think, within reason. I’ve successfully kept cherries in everything from a 5-gallon desktop tank at work to my 40-gallon planted setup at home. Smaller tanks are actually easier to maintain stable parameters if you’re careful about stocking and feeding. That 10-gallon office tank is more stable than my bigger home tanks because there are fewer variables to manage.
Equipment requirements are refreshingly simple. Basic sponge filters work perfectly – they provide biological filtration without creating strong currents, and they won’t accidentally suck up baby shrimp like traditional filters might. Heaters are optional in most climates; room temperature works fine for Neocaridinas. I only heat my shrimp tanks if the room regularly drops below 65 degrees.
Plants help tremendously but aren’t strictly required. Java moss, Marimo moss balls, and other easy species provide grazing surfaces and help maintain water quality. I avoid anything that requires intense lighting or CO2 injection in shrimp tanks – keep it simple, especially when you’re starting out.
Breeding happens automatically with Neocaridinas if conditions are right. Females carry eggs under their tails for about four weeks, then release tiny, fully-formed shrimplets. No special breeding setup required. My cherry shrimp population has been self-sustaining for two years now without any intervention from me. Just occasionally I’ll net out some of the offspring to prevent overcrowding.
The most common beginner mistake I see is overcomplicating everything. Specialized substrates, expensive mineral supplements, complex feeding schedules – none of it’s necessary for hardy species like cherry shrimp. Start simple, let the tank establish itself properly, and add complexity later if you want to experiment with more challenging species.
My recommendation for absolute beginners: 10-gallon tank, basic sponge filter, a handful of easy plants like java moss or anubias, and five cherry shrimp from a local breeder if you can find one. Skip pet store shrimp if possible – hobbyist-bred animals are usually healthier and already adapted to local water conditions. Give it six months. If you’re still interested and successful, then start exploring more challenging species or larger colonies.
The satisfaction of a thriving shrimp colony is genuinely rewarding in ways I wasn’t expecting. Watching tiny shrimplets develop and grow, seeing pregnant females carrying bright green or yellow eggs, observing their weird little grazing behaviors and social interactions – it’s like having a tiny ecosystem that you’re responsible for maintaining. Just don’t expect instant gratification. Good shrimp keeping takes patience, but the payoff is worth it.
After leaving corporate sales, Marcus discovered aquascaping and never looked back. His tanks turned into therapy—art, science, and patience rolled together. He writes about real mistakes, small wins, and the calm that comes from tending tiny underwater worlds instead of business meetings.
