Friday, 2 September 2011
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English name: Red Cherry Shrimp
Scientific name:
Neocaridina heteropoda var. red
Origin: Taiwan
Size male/female: 0.8 inch / 1 in Water temperature: 64 - 82 °F
Water Parameters: pH 6.5 - 8.0
Breeding Rate: very high
Behaviour: non-agressive
Difficulty: very easy
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Red Cherry Shrimp | Neocaridina heterpoda var. red
Red Cherry Shrimp
Neocaridina Heteropoda var. Red
Overview
The Red Cherry Shrimp is undoubtedly the most popular shrimp in the hobby due to the relatively easy ability to breed as well as their ability to live in many different water parameters. Most shrimp hobbyists start out with this species because of it easy requirements and to also learn about dwarf shrimp in general. Once acquiring experience in the hobby through keeping the Red Cherry Shrimp most hobbyists move on to the more difficult species like Tiger Shrimp and Crystal Red Shrimp. Other names for this species is Cherry Shrimp, Cherry Red Shrimp and the acronym R.C.S. means simply Red Cherry Shrimp (RCS).
The Beginner Shrimp
I highly recommend that any newcomer to the freshwater aquarium shrimp hobby start off with the Red Cherry Shrimp. This shrimp will teach you a lot, and mistakes causing shrimp deaths can be overcome due to their ability to readily breed. You also don’t want to make a mistake with another more expensive species. Red Cherry Shrimp are the least expensive shrimp in the hobby.
Background
The Red Cherry Shrimp is a selectively bred species, meaning that the red coloration was slowly bred out from the wild variety. A breeder, who is unknown, slowly bred the red trait out of the wild Neocaridina Heteropoda to achieve the all red coloration. Many thanks to whomever it is that completed the tedious task of selectively breeding this species. For more information on the wild type please visit the species information page for the Neocaridina Heteropoda. In the photo below notice the tiny amount of red coloration in the wild type. You can barely see the red speckles. Also notice the green saddle.
Wild Neocaridina Heteropoda Female
Water Parameters
The Red Cherry Shrimp can be housed in many different water parameters. I have kept them in a pH range from 6.0 to 8.0, soft and hard water, temperatures from 72F to 84F and in many different soils like ADA Aquasoil and normal gravel. It is common knowledge that the Red Cherry Shrimp can live in almost any freshwater aquarium given that the tank is habitable and does not contain predators of course. Some have even reported putting them in ponds and in filterless tanks which I dont recommend however. In other words, the Red Cherry Shrimp is the hardiest shrimp in the freshwater aquarium shrimp hobby.
The Red Cherry Shrimp can be housed in many different water parameters. I have kept them in a pH range from 6.0 to 8.0, soft and hard water, temperatures from 72F to 84F and in many different soils like ADA Aquasoil and normal gravel. It is common knowledge that the Red Cherry Shrimp can live in almost any freshwater aquarium given that the tank is habitable and does not contain predators of course. Some have even reported putting them in ponds and in filterless tanks which I dont recommend however. In other words, the Red Cherry Shrimp is the hardiest shrimp in the freshwater aquarium shrimp hobby.
Feeding
Feeding the Red Cherry Shrimp is also easy as they accept virtually any kind of shrimp/fish food. They eat anything from blanched spinach, zucchini, algae wafers, shrimp pellets, fish flakes, bloodworms, and more. Red Cherry Shrimp are not picky eaters whatsoever. Feeding time is a good indicator of health and also if your Red Cherry Shrimp are breeding well. If a Red Cherry Shrimp colony is healthy then it will rush towards the food and jump all over each other in an attempt to grab a bite to eat, almost like ants. If they swarm the food that is a great sign, and of course if you see babies that is a sign that things are doing very well. Unenthusiastic feeding and constant hiding of the Red Cherry Shrimp is a good indicator that things are not good.
Feeding is best done once a day. Only feed an amount of food that the shrimp can finish within 2-3 hours maximum. It is not good to feed in excess and have food sitting for too long. Overfeeding is a known cause of death and can also cause water quality issues. Remember that shrimp are scavengers in the wild. They will eat whatever they find and are not used to a constant food source 24/7. Not feeding for one or two days is fine and will not harm this species at all. Sometimes I will not feed for a couple of days in order to let the shrimp cleanse their systems and keep the water clean at the same time.
Breeding
The Red Cherry Shrimp is extremely prolific, meaning that they breed readily and virtually around the clock. A healthy colony will quickly multiply and females will be constantly pregnant. It is typically 30-45 days from pregnancy to hatching. The best way to tell if a female is close to hatching her eggs is by the appearance of a set of eyes inside each egg. This is easy to spot and will let you know that hatching is literally days away. Another way to tell is by the emergence of a new saddle when the female still has eggs. The emergence of the saddle is the indication that the female is prepared to have a new set of eggs and that the current eggs are close to hatching. Please look at the photo below to see Red Cherry Shrimp Eggs with eyes.
Eggs with eyes
Red Cherry Shrimp Baby
Sexing
Sexing the Red Cherry Shrimp is very easy. Females are easy to identify as they are larger than the males, have a much darker red coloration, and also have a curved underbelly. In the photo below you can see how the male is smaller, has very little red coloration and the "under belly" is a straight line with no curved shape. After keeping the Red Cherry Shrimp for a little amount of time you will be able to sex this species without a problem.
Male and Female Red Cherry Shrimp next to each other:
Females will also have a "saddle" which is the common name for eggs which are still in the ovaries, located behind the head on the top of the bottom. It is called a Saddle due to the close appearance to the saddle you would find on a horse. Most "saddles" are yellow in color, however they can also be green. "Saddles" are a sign of sexual maturity as well as soon to come eggs. The theory on why the saddle is green is based on the fact that the wild Neocardina Heteropoda has a green saddle. It is thought that the green saddle re-emerges due to the wild type genetics.
The eggs of the Red Cherry Shrimp are mostly yellow but can be green as well. If the saddle is green then the eggs will be green and vice versa. There is no difference between having yellow eggs or green eggs. One is not better than the other and it is also not a health indicator. Please see the photos below for the different colorations of saddles and eggs on the Red Cherry Shrimp. A photo of this shrimp with yellow eggs can be found at the top of the page.
Female with yellow Saddle
Female with green Saddle
Female with green eggs
Related Pages
Thursday, 1 September 2011
Yayyyy esok raya. Selamat hari raya aidilfitri semua!!!=)
Dikesempatan ini aku nak mintak maaf kalau ada yang terasa hati dengan entri aku, penulisan aku, gambar aku, video aku dan apa apa lah yang aku buat. yang aku pernah terlaser di blog,twitter, or facebook ke. Pulak pulak time aku tengah hangin kan, semua kemain sedap je aku sembur. ayat tah pape yang bedal keluar. Dah tak ada filter dah time tu. Harap diampunkan.Mulut aku ni kadang kadang tak ada insurans sikit. Bukan kadang-kadang lah tak ada insurans. selalu jek laser macam tu. huahuahua
Yang nak balek kampung malam-malam raya ni. Sila pandu dengan berhemah. harap anda semua sampai ke destinasi yang mahu ditujukan. Pandu cermat jiwa selamat. Ingat lah orang-orang tersayang (bajet iklan raya Petronas)
Bagi budak budak hingusan macam aku, selamat kutip duit raya dengan jayanya pada tahun ini. Semoga duit raya tahun ini lebih banyak daripada tahun tahun lepas
Btw, Selamat Hari Raya Aildil Fitri Maaf Zahir dan Batin. Mintak maaf banyak banyak kalau tersalah cakap, tersilap buat, terlaser sana sini , tergurau kasar, terpekik terlolong harap diampunkan. =)
Selamat Hari Raya!!!! yayyyyyyyyyyyyyy esok raya!!!!!!! kepada abang-abang kacak dan kakak-kakak cantik yang baca entri ini sila pos duit raya dekat budak gonjeng ini. sekian terima kasih
ok bye!
kicing...no to eat..to buy
So Kawaii–Jewellery Good Enough to Eat
As my regular readers will remember I recently posted about my night at the launch of Amelias Compendium of Fashion Illustration where I spoke about meeting a jewellery designer called Maxine Johnston who designs super cute Japanese style jewellery for her online store Little Miss Delicious. I was immediately captivated by her blue hair and awesome jewellery and she was super nice too despite my bumbling manner lol.Well let me introduce you to her super kawaii (cute) jewellery. As soon as I saw her items I was delighted as they are so japanese flavored. She makes all the jewellery herself and its reasonably priced. She also makes felt accessories and lovely floor cushions.
Here’s just a small selection of her jewellery:
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