Hey there! I’ve been keeping fire shrimp for years, and let me tell you – these vibrant little cleaners are absolutely fascinating when it comes to their eating habits. Today, I’m gonna share everything you need to know about feeding these beautiful crustaceans!
Quick Answer
Fire shrimp eat a variety of foods including
- Leftover fish food and debris
- Parasites from other fish
- Commercial shrimp pellets and flakes
- Frozen foods like mysis shrimp and brine shrimp
- Naturally occurring detritus and algae
Natural Feeding Habits
In the wild, fire shrimp are opportunistic omnivores. They’re found in the Indo-Pacific region, hanging out at depths between 65-100 feet. These little guys are natural cleaners, which means they’ll eat:
- Parasites from fish
- Dead tissue and scales
- Detritus (decaying organic matter)
- Microorganisms (aufwuchs)
- Small crustaceans like copepods
- Bits of algae
Feeding Fire Shrimp in Your Aquarium
Best Commercial Foods
I’ve found these commercial foods work great for fire shrimp
-
Sinking Pellets
- Hikari Crab Cuisine
- Omega One Super Color
- New Life Spectrum Marine
-
Frozen Foods
- Mysis shrimp
- Brine shrimp
- Bloodworms
- Krill
Feeding Schedule and Amount
Here’s what’s worked best for me:
- Feed small amounts 1-2 times per week
- Only give what they can eat in 5 minutes
- Remove uneaten food after an hour
- Feed at night (they’re more active then)
Pro Tips for Feeding Fire Shrimp
-
Target Feeding
Use a turkey baster to deliver food near their hiding spots. Trust me, this works way better than just dropping food in! -
Create a Feeding Station
I like to set up a small dish or flat rock where I regularly place food. My shrimp learned pretty quick where dinner gets served! -
Night Feeding
These guys are mostly nocturnal, so feeding after lights out usually gets the best response. Use a red light to watch them eat – it’s pretty cool!
Common Feeding Mistakes to Avoid
- Don’t overfeed! Too much food = water quality issues
- Avoid copper-based foods (they’re toxic to shrimp)
- Don’t rely solely on fish food leftovers
- Don’t feed them right after molting
Special Feeding Considerations
New Tank Syndrome
Never add fire shrimp as your first tank inhabitants! They’re super sensitive to ammonia and nitrites. Make sure your tank is fully cycled first.
Reef Tank Feeding
If you’ve got a reef tank, make sure your fire shrimp get enough food or they might start nibbling on corals. Nobody wants that!
Health Signs Related to Feeding
You’ll know your fire shrimp are well-fed when:
- They maintain their bright red color
- They’re active during feeding times
- They molt regularly
- They don’t pick at corals
Final Thoughts
Feeding fire shrimp isn’t rocket science, but it does need some attention to detail. Keep their diet varied, don’t overfeed, and pay attention to their behavior. Get these basics right, and you’ll have happy, healthy shrimp that’ll be cleaning your tank and looking gorgeous for years to come!
Remember, every tank is different, so you might need to adjust these guidelines to fit your specific setup. Keep an eye on your shrimp’s behavior and adjust accordingly. Happy feeding!
Would you like me to explain anything in more detail? Drop a comment below!
Are Red Fire Shrimps Reef-Safe?
Fire Shrimps are usually considered reef-safe with a few stipulations. They don’t often pick at common tank corals or anemones, unlike their popular Peppermint Shrimp cousins. However, Fire Shrimp have been found to occasionally nibble at stony corals and zoanthids.
To protect your reef tank, you should make sure your scavenger shrimp aren’t going hungry. If they’re not finding enough leftover bits, they’ll likely turn toward eating your prized coral.
Red Fire Shrimp Care
Fire Shrimp will thrive in both small and large tank set-ups. Like other shrimps, they’re incredibly sensitive to metals like copper. It’s vital to fully cycle your tank before adding your shrimp to ensure the nitrate and ammonia levels are stable.
While there can be a slight current, it should be gentle enough to allow the Fire Shrimp to glide along the tank’s bottom.
The minimum tank size for a Fire Shrimp is 10 gallons (check our 4 Best 10-Gallon Saltwater Tanks). However, they’re often better suited to larger 30-gallon tanks that give them room to avoid other inhabitants. They need structures like caves, ledges and rocks where they can hide.
To ensure optimal care for more than one Fire Shrimp, it’s better to opt for a more expansive tank. Unless you’re attempting to breed your shrimp, it’s best to keep them separated to avoid aggressive interactions.
Water temperature: 72°F to 78°F
pH levels: 8.1 to 8.4
Water hardness: 8 to 12 dKH
Specific gravity: 1.023 to 1.025 sg
As Fire Shrimp spend much of their time on the bottom of the tank, it’s helpful to include structures for them to climb. Live rocks, coral and logs will keep them entertained. The substrate should be fine-grained and soft to avoid damaging the shrimp’s antennae.
Consider setting up a “cleaning station” for the shrimp where fish can swim up and be cleaned. The shrimp will consider this overhang or cave its territory. When a fish arrives, it will pick away any parasites, dead scales or grime from the fish’s skin.
Standard aquarium lighting is adequate for Fire Shrimp. They’re sensitive to bright lights and will often only look for food once it’s dark. Using dimmer tank lights can encourage this nocturnal species to be more active during the day.
Keep the dissolved organics level in your Fire Shrimp aquarium low by regularly filtering out waste and siphoning the substrate. Approximately 25% to 30% of the water should be regularly changed every two to four weeks. This timeframe can vary depending on your tank’s bioload. The more fish in the tank, the more often the water will need changing.
Author Note: Use a water conditioner to neutralize the chlorine before changing out the water. It’s also recommended to test the water conditions at least once a week to catch potential bacterial issues early.
The tank should be fully cycled and completely free of nitrite and ammonia before adding any Fire Shrimp. Invertebrates tend to be more sensitive to dissolved nitrogenous waste. Levels around 20 to 40 ppm are safe for most aquarium fish, but this amount of nitrates can be dangerous for Fire Shrimp.
Fire Shrimp are typically one of the hardier invertebrate species, but they can’t live in water with a high metal content. Medications that target parasitic invertebrates often contain excessive copper, which can be deadly. When dealing with a disease outbreak, treat the infected fish in a separate quarantine tank.
Fire Shrimp Care Info+ How to Hand-Feed
FAQ
What is the lifespan of a fire shrimp?
They have a lifespan of 1-2 years. When fully grown, they reach a size of 1.75 inches. These shrimp are available for purchase at a smaller size of 0.75-1 inch.
Are fire shrimp easy to keep?
Fire shrimp or Cherry shrimp or as the Latin name Neocaridina Davidi Red Cherry are perhaps the easiest shrimp to keep. They reproduce effortlessly and survive in a variety of conditions.
Will fire shrimp eat fish?
Diet. Blood-red Fire shrimp feed on parasites and dead skin cells found on fish. They are optimistic omnivores that will eat any meat and greens available. They are also known to prey on both large polyp stony and small polyp stony corals.