Hey fellow aquarium enthusiasts! I’ve been keeping cherry shrimp for years, and lemme tell you – these little red creatures are fascinating when it comes to reproduction Today, we’re gonna dive deep into everything about cherry shrimp eggs and breeding Trust me, once you understand their breeding process, you’ll be amazed at how these tiny creatures reproduce!
Quick Answer
Yes, cherry shrimp do lay eggs! But unlike fish that scatter eggs, female cherry shrimp carry their eggs under their body until they hatch. We call these eggs “berried” because they look like tiny berries clustered beneath the shrimp.
The Fascinating Journey of Cherry Shrimp Reproduction
Before the Eggs Come
Before we talk about eggs let’s understand how these cute little shrimps prepare for breeding
- Temperature needs to be just right (72-82°F)
- Water parameters gotta be stable
- Females need to molt (shed their shell) before mating
- Males detect female hormones after molting
- Mating happens within 24 hours after female molting
The Egg-laying Process
Here’s what happens when cherry shrimp lay eggs
- Female releases eggs from her ovaries
- Male fertilizes them immediately
- Female catches fertilized eggs with her swimmerets (special legs)
- Eggs attach to swimmerets using a special glue-like substance
- Female carries eggs for about 2-3 weeks
How Many Eggs Do Cherry Shrimp Lay?
Get ready for this – a healthy female cherry shrimp can lay anywhere between 20-30 eggs per batch! But here’s the cool thing:
- Young females might only lay 20-25 eggs
- Mature females can lay up to 30+ eggs
- Larger females generally produce more eggs
- They can breed every 3-5 weeks if conditions are perfect
Caring for Berried Cherry Shrimp
When you’ve got a berried female, here’s what you should do:
DO’s:
- Keep water parameters stable
- Provide lots of hiding spots
- Feed high-quality food
- Maintain clean water
- Give extra calcium supplements
DON’Ts:
- Don’t move the female to another tank
- Don’t mess with the eggs
- Don’t do major water changes
- Don’t overfeed
How to Tell if Eggs are Healthy
Healthy cherry shrimp eggs should look like this:
- Initially yellowish or greenish
- Gradually become darker as they develop
- You might see tiny black dots (eyes) near hatching
- Eggs should be uniform in color
- No white or fuzzy spots (those are bad news!)
Common Problems with Cherry Shrimp Eggs
Sometimes things don’t go as planned. Here’s what might happen:
-
Dropped eggs
- Usually happens with first-time mothers
- Could be due to stress
- Poor water conditions might cause this
-
Unfertilized eggs
- Look opaque or whitish
- Usually drop off after few days
- Nothing you can do about these
-
Fungal infections
- White, fuzzy growth on eggs
- Can spread to other eggs
- Usually fatal for affected eggs
Tips for Successful Cherry Shrimp Breeding
Want more baby shrimp? Follow these tips:
-
Water Quality
- Keep nitrates below 20ppm
- Stable pH between 6.5-7.5
- Regular small water changes
-
Food & Nutrition
- Varied diet including:
- High-quality pellets
- Blanched vegetables
- Leaf litter
- Special shrimp foods
- Varied diet including:
-
Tank Setup
- Lots of plants
- Moss is awesome
- Small hiding places
- Sponge filters only
When Will the Eggs Hatch?
The waiting game! Here’s the timeline:
- Day 1-7: Eggs are yellowish/greenish
- Day 8-14: Eyes become visible
- Day 15-21: Eggs darken significantly
- Day 21-25: Hatching time!
After Hatching
Once those tiny shrimplets hatch:
- They look like miniature adults
- No special care needed
- They eat biofilm naturally present in tank
- Will start eating regular food after few days
- Growth rate depends on conditions
Final Thoughts
Cherry shrimp breeding ain’t rocket science, but it sure needs patience and attention to detail. I’ve had countless generations of these little guys in my tanks, and each time I see a berried female, I still get excited!
Remember, the key to successful breeding is:
- Stable conditions
- Good nutrition
- Plenty of hiding spots
- Patience!
P.S. Don’t forget to share your success stories with us. We love seeing new shrimp babies in the community!
Grades of Red Cherry Shrimp
There are various grades of Red Cherry Shrimp, from deep dark red to paler colors. The females are the most colorful and are particularly sensitive to the color of the substrate and background. For instance, if they are kept in a tank with light-colored substrate, they will become pale or even transparent. In a tank with darker substrate, they take on a fuller, redder, coloration. The intensity of the color is also dependent upon the type of food available, water pH, temperature, and quality.
Breeding Red Cherry Shrimp
It is actually fairly simple to breed Red Cherry Shrimp in the home aquarium if one pays attention to three major steps: 1) Inducing breeding, 2) Ensuring health and comfort while carrying the eggs, and 3) Raising the young. Inducing breeding can be done by keeping the water conditions stable. Shrimp need a regular food source, with higher protein foods (Repashy, Shrimp Cuisine, Fish poo, etc.) fed regularly, but at a small amount. It takes the shrimp about 3-5 months to begin breeding, with the female most susceptible to the male’s advances just after molting. She then hides and releases pheromones into the water that call males to her. Once bred, the female will carry the eggs underneath her, fanning and moving them around so they stay clean and oxygenated, for about 30 days. Baby shrimp are exact duplicates of the adults, but very tiny. It is important to make sure there are no predators in the tank because most will easily consume a newborn shrimp. Live moss and shrimp caves help the baby shrimp hide and find food, especially providing microfauna to help the babies grow.
Do Red Cherry Shrimps Lay Eggs?
FAQ
Will cherry shrimp breed in a tank?
There are 3 main things to be concerned with when attempting to breed Red Cherry Shrimp, inducing breeding, breeding / carrying of eggs, and raising the young. If all 3 variables are taken care of Red Cherry Shrimp will breed in an aquarium and their population will grow rapidly.
Do cherry shrimp drop their eggs?
It’s totally normal for new, inexperienced mother shrimp to drop some or all of their eggs. Each time they become berried, they should get better at fanning and keeping hold of their eggs.
How many babies does a cherry shrimp have?
A female cherry shrimp typically carries between 20 and 30 eggs, which hatch into baby shrimp called shrimplets. The exact number can vary, with larger females sometimes producing more, potentially on the higher end of that range, according to a YouTube video.