Neocaridina davidi
The perfect beginner shrimp. Stable parameters matter more than perfect numbers. Calcium for moulting (cuttlebone, GH+, mineral stones) is essential.
Red Cherry Shrimp (Neocaridina davidi) reaches 2.5–3 cm and needs a minimum tank of 20 L with a colony of 10+. Native to Taiwan (selectively bred). Aim for 18–28 °C, pH 6.5–8.0, 6–15 dGH, and 150–250 ppm TDS. Lifespan: 1.5 years. Breeding: very easy, colony breeds without intervention. Diet: omnivore / detritivore, Biofilm, algae, blanched veg, sinking pellets, calcium-rich food for shell. Plant-safe: Yes. Tank-mates: Nano fish only, chili rasbora, ember tetra, otocinclus.
Care at a glance
The perfect beginner shrimp. Stable parameters matter more than perfect numbers. Calcium for moulting (cuttlebone, GH+, mineral stones) is essential.
Updated 2 min read
Part of our complete freshwater shrimp guide.
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The parameters that decide whether red cherry shrimp fits in your tank.
10+
Omnivore / detritivore
Biofilm, algae, blanched veg, sinking pellets, calcium-rich food for shell.
Very easy, colony breeds without intervention
1.5 yrs
Cool weedy streams of Taiwan and southern China
Taiwan (selectively bred)
Tank-mate safety and the species this one is documented to thrive (or fail) alongside.
Best species-only. With caution: chili rasboras, ember tetras, otocinclus, sparkling gouramis — these may eat tiny shrimplets but adults survive.
ALL cichlids, all loaches, all bettas, larger tetras, anything carnivorous over 3 cm. Bigger Neocaridina colour morphs (will crossbreed and revert to wild).
Weighing it against something similar? Compare Red Cherry Shrimp head to head:
Hard-won lessons from the tank.
Drip-acclimate over 2 hours minimum — shrimp die from rapid parameter shifts. NEVER use any copper-based medication in the tank — even residual copper from medicated fish foods kills shrimp. Cuttlebone in the tank slowly dissolves to provide calcium. Keep colonies pure (one colour morph per tank) — mixed Neocaridina lose colour within generations.
What can go wrong and how to spot it.
Failure modes, in order of how dramatic the fix is.
Vorticella (white fuzz at the rostrum tip) — treated with salt baths or commercial parasite treatments. Bacterial infections (cloudy white body) — usually fatal. Most issues come from copper poisoning (medications), pesticides, or unstable parameters.
1) Adding to an uncycled tank — ammonia kills them fast. 2) Copper in fish food or medications. 3) Skimping on hiding spots for shrimplets — they get eaten or stressed. 4) Mixing colour morphs and losing the colour line.
The practical routine, read top to bottom.
20 L+. Stable parameters matter more than perfect numbers. Cycle the tank fully (8+ weeks) before adding. Inert substrate (sand, gravel) or active soil — both work. Lots of moss for shrimplet hiding. Indian almond leaves provide biofilm and tannins. Sponge filter — never an intake without a guard or shrimplets get sucked in.
Where it comes from, how it behaves, and the variants you'll see at retail.
Where it lived before it came home.
See where the Red Cherry Shrimp and every other species comes from on the species world map.
Originally Taiwan/Vietnam, but the red-cherry strain is purely selectively bred. Wild Neocaridina davidi are mottled brown.
How they pair, reproduce, and grow.
Females are larger (up to 3 cm), deeper coloured, with a 'saddle' (yellow eggs visible through the carapace behind the head) and a curved underside (visible 'belly' for carrying eggs). Males are smaller, slimmer, paler.
Every 3–6 weeks. Discarded exoskeletons (clear, intact) are normal — leave them in the tank for shrimp to eat (recovers calcium). Failed molts (stuck half-out) usually indicate calcium deficiency or stress.
Eggs (~20–30) carried by female under tail for 30 days. Tiny shrimplets emerge ready-to-go (no larval stage). Mature at 3 months. Average lifespan 1.5 years; with excellent care up to 2 years.
The named cultivars and the lookalikes worth flagging.
Lowest to highest: Wild → Cherry (light red, transparent) → Sakura (deeper red, some transparency) → Fire Red (solid red body, clear legs) → Painted Fire Red (PFR — solid red including legs and antennae). Higher grades are more expensive and breed truer.
Direct answers to the questions search engines and AI assistants surface most often about this species.
Minimum tank: 20 L with a colony of 10+. Red Cherry Shrimp (Neocaridina davidi) reach 2.5–3 cm as adults.
Target 18–28 °C, pH 6.5–8.0, 6–15 dGH, and 150–250 ppm TDS. Mature, cycled, low-nitrate water is non-negotiable.
Tank-mate notes: Nano fish only, chili rasbora, ember tetra, otocinclus. Plant safety: Yes.
Breeding: Very easy, colony breeds without intervention. In a stable colony of 10+ adults you will see berried females naturally once parameters and food are right.
Diet: omnivore / detritivore, Biofilm, algae, blanched veg, sinking pellets, calcium-rich food for shell. Algae-eating rating: 4/5.
Typical lifespan: 1.5 years.
A planted tank is a system. Pair this shrimp with one entry from each other pillar to plan the whole scape.
