Petshrimp.com Discussion Forum

Hi i am going to start breeding cherry shrimp, i have never really had an aquarium before but my boyfreind has had many so he is going to be helping me out with all that stuff. Iam starting out with just a 10 gallon no fish just cherry shrimp.
and i have some questions
1. i was wondering if i could use clean sand as a substrate for cherries?
2. how many babies at a time can they have?
3.how can i tell when i female is pregnant?
4. if i have enough plants in the tank can i allow the mothers to have them in the tank or should i still seperate her?
5. how many can i keep in a 10 gallon?
6. how long does it take a cherry shrimp to reach adult size?

I really really want to do this right and keep them healthy. i plan on giving my boyfreind half of them to put into his fish tanks (he has 3 very well kept aquariums a 10 gallon,a 30 gallon and a 155 gallon) thank you all for the help

Hello xchairity_casex, yes you can use clean sand, but it's a pain to keep clean without a power filter. Power filters aren't very good for cherries. You'll know when you have a pregnant female when you see small round sand colored eggs being carried under her tail. She will carry them in her swimeretts and at that time is said to be "in berry". Numbers of eggs can vary from only a few to maybe (estimating here) 50. I leave the whole family in the tank as they don't seem to be cannibalistic. I don't know how many can be safely kept in a 10 gal, but I've had tanks that looked like they're infested if that helps.

xchairity_casex wrote:Hi i am going to start breeding cherry shrimp, i have never really had an aquarium before but my boyfreind has had many so he is going to be helping me out with all that stuff. Iam starting out with just a 10 gallon no fish just cherry shrimp.
and i have some questions
1. i was wondering if i could use clean sand as a substrate for cherries?
2. how many babies at a time can they have?
3.how can i tell when i female is pregnant?
4. if i have enough plants in the tank can i allow the mothers to have them in the tank or should i still seperate her?
5. how many can i keep in a 10 gallon?
6. how long does it take a cherry shrimp to reach adult size?

I really really want to do this right and keep them healthy. i plan on giving my boyfreind half of them to put into his fish tanks (he has 3 very well kept aquariums a 10 gallon,a 30 gallon and a 155 gallon) thank you all for the help

Avoid sand. It plugs up everything and destroys power filters.
30 at a time is a good average, but younger may only have 15-20.
You'll see eggs all over her tummy. You can't miss it.
No need to separate, they don't eat their own, but any fish well.
Maybe 100-200 in a 10 gallon if you keep up with the water changes. I do 50% weekly.
2-3 months is a good thumb rule for generation time.

May I suggest clicking on the Articles button on the left...Read the beginners FAQ. As well as the other articles there. Lots of good information. Most,if not all of your questions will be answered.

Mark

Thank you alot everyone for all the information i really appreciate it i am very excited! though i was never much into aquariums or fish but then i seen some shrimps and thought they were pretty cool! kinda sad how some people consider them pests i think their neat.

another question if sand isnt a good choice what would?
i want to be able to actually see them and not get them mixed up with the substrate ,that plants will root to well and wont ruin a filter? ne ideas?

thanksagain for everyones help!

As Mark already suggested, I strongly urge you to do your own research first before asking the really basic questions you are asking. Go read the rules first and you will discover that one of the rules is to perform research *first* before even writing anything in the forum. In addition to reading all the articles here and searching the forum you should also go research how to set up and maintain an aquarium. Shrimp are not just some "cool critters" that you can stick in some glass container and get instant entertainment. Keeping shrimp is generally more challenging than keeping fish. If you don't even know how to set up a fish tank, cycle it and maintain it, then you will *for sure* kill any shrimp you purchase.

I am closing this thread as you have already broken the rules with your first post and broke them again with your second, even after Mark (nwinverts) suggested that you should research the matter (which would take at least hours if not days).

xchairity_casex wrote:Thank you alot everyone for all the information i really appreciate it i am very excited! though i was never much into aquariums or fish but then i seen some shrimps and thought they were pretty cool! kinda sad how some people consider them pests i think their neat.

another question if sand isnt a good choice what would?
i want to be able to actually see them and not get them mixed up with the substrate ,that plants will root to well and wont ruin a filter? ne ideas?

thanksagain for everyones help!