Red Cherry Shrimp 101-The Basics

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The Zigman

Here fishy fishy fishy!!!
Oct 5, 2007
5,249
7
62
Near Chicago, Il.
www.uglymuggs.com
I have seen quite a few people with questions concerning RCS lately, so I thought I would put this little tutorial together...

Scientific Names:
New - Neocaridina Heteropoda (red)
Formerly Known as - Neocaridina Denticulata Sinensis (red)

A few facts:
Adult RCS are about 1 inch long (2.2cm)
They are scavengers, they eat small amounts of algea, plant matter, left over fish food, just about anything.
They will not rid your tank of algae, they aren't an effective algae control device.
Average life span is 1.5-2 years.

Temp
65F -80+F (I have several in my 85F discus tank)
Ph
from slightly acidic to alkaline 6.5 - 8.0
Hardness
3.5-15dkh

these are adult RCS

adults001.JPG adults002.JPG
 
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The Zigman

Here fishy fishy fishy!!!
Oct 5, 2007
5,249
7
62
Near Chicago, Il.
www.uglymuggs.com
Saddled Females

These are saddled females. The visable yellow "saddle" is the reproductive organs of the shrimp getting ready to do their job, these female shrimp are now producing eggs..

Saddled Female.JPG Saddled Female002.JPG Saddled Females.JPG
 

The Zigman

Here fishy fishy fishy!!!
Oct 5, 2007
5,249
7
62
Near Chicago, Il.
www.uglymuggs.com
Berried Female

Soon a saddled female mate with a male, and produce eggs, she then carries the fertilized eggs under her swimmerettes in her tail area.. note the yellow eggs..."


Egg color can vary from yellow to green..

Berried001.JPG Berried002.JPG Berried003.JPG
 
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The Zigman

Here fishy fishy fishy!!!
Oct 5, 2007
5,249
7
62
Near Chicago, Il.
www.uglymuggs.com
Hatchlings

Soon the eggs will hatch into baby RCS, these little shrimplets are TINY versions of their parents. They are very small when they are newborns, and these pics show them a little bigger that that.

if you are looking to breed any RCS, be aware that your filter will suck them in, so it is recommended that a foam pre-filter be installed on the intake tube of your filter. Also the shrimplets should be protected from any predators, even adult RCS are a tasty snack to any fish big enough to eat them..

Juvie001.JPG Juvie002.JPG
 
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The Zigman

Here fishy fishy fishy!!!
Oct 5, 2007
5,249
7
62
Near Chicago, Il.
www.uglymuggs.com
Conclusion

Well thats it! this concludes my tutorial, I hope you have enjoyed the ride.
RCS are fun to watch, they are very active, and reproduce rapidly. They are easy to take care of, and with a little patience, a few shrimp can start a whole colony!

One thing I forgot to mention, it that RCS are a little sensitive to nitrate, so keep up with the water changes, and keep that nitrate level at 20PPM or less.

All Images contained in this thread are of shrimp in my tanks, and all images were shot by me using a Canon Eos XSI.

Thanks for coming, and enjoy your day.
Class Dismissed!!
 
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leeser28

AC Members
Jan 4, 2009
993
0
16
56
Croton-on-Hudson, NY
Excellent tutorial. I'm getting my first RCS this week and looking forward to watching the cycle first hand! Great pics too!!! Lisa
 

Hollygirl

Overfilter and Understock
Sep 3, 2007
2,681
1
0
Chicago, Illinois
Thank you Mr. Zigman! Very educational! What is that leafy plant in several of the shots? Is that moneywort?
 
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