Shrimp cherry for the aquarium. What to feed shrimp cherries

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

With crustaceans that can be kept in aquariums, we met relatively recently, in the last fifteen years. Someone could argue, they say, even Zolotnitsky in the "Amateur's Aquarium" described shrimp from the distant Amazon, and in the 1970s another author, M. D. Makhlin, discussed their relatives that lived in Lake Khanka. But few have seen those crustaceans. And there was no need to talk about mass character. Who would have thought that such a tiny cherry shrimp exists? The most popular crustaceans of those times were only daphnia and cyclops.

First cherries

“The abysses of heaven opened up” two decades ago, when animals from Asia suddenly began to appear on Russian aquarium markets. With the fish familiar to us, there were creatures on sale that have never been seen before: newts, frogs, blue Cuban and red Florida crayfish. And behind them toaquarists "profited" and neocaridina shrimp and cherry shrimp, which caused a sensation hitherto unseen. That's the last one and we'll talk today.

Description

Cherry shrimp, also called “cherry” (Red Cherry, Fire Red), refers to dwarf shrimp. These unusual creatures came to us from Vietnam. Cherry shrimp are changeable. The color of crustaceans is affected by feeding, and age, and the power of light, and the presence of shelters, and temperature, and, of course, heredity. The color saturation is also greatly influenced by the color of the environment in which the cherry shrimp lives. If, for example, you plant some bright fish (for example, guppies) with it, it will definitely react with a change in color. Moreover, it can be both an increase in brightness and dimming. The crustacean is actually tiny, a maximum of 1.5 cm long (very rarely - more), with a massive cephalothorax and tiny pincers.

Gender differences

Actually, there are no difficulties here. Females are larger, with darker coloration. The underbelly is curved, while in the male shrimp it is elongated. Keep cherry shrimp in the aquarium for only a short time and it will not be difficult for you to distinguish between the sexes. Females have a "saddle" in which they carry maturing eggs. It is located at the very top of the shell (near the head). The saddles of many females are yellow. Some are green. This is due to heredity - in the natural (wild) conditions of Neocardina Heteropoda, they are almost emerald. The presence of a saddle indicates readiness for reproduction (fertilization).

Caviar in cherries is usually yellow, although a greenish tint is also acceptable. With a green saddle, the caviar will be green. The color of tiny embryos does not play a role. Male shrimp are more agile, smaller, lighter. On their backs - stripes, on the body and sides - specks.

Conditions of existence

These shrimp (aquarium cherries) are quite unpretentious and, without a doubt, can be recommended even to beginner, inexperienced aquarists. They are ready to be content with small amounts of provided housing. For example, they feel great and breed successfully even in twenty-liter aquariums. With a dense planting of plants, filtration is not necessary. Cherry shrimp especially loves Javanese moss and floating plants. Desired temperature +18…+25 °С, pH up to 7.5. Pretty sensitive to copper, ammonia, nitrites, nitrates. Cherry is able to tolerate short-term drops from 15 to 30 degrees. However, long-term maintenance under such conditions will lead to their inevitable death, so it is better to stick to average values. In fact, room temperature is fine for them.

Once a week, a third of the water change is desirable. A full upgrade is not desirable.

Feeding

What to feed shrimp cherries? They are omnivores. Shrimps will happily eat any food. Do not disdain the corpses of their relatives, snails and fish. In addition, cherries love to feast on detritus and algae. Aquariums with fish and live algaeShrimps can not be fed at all - they will feed on their own. How? By eating the same food that you will feed the fish. So-called flake foods are optimally suited, which are enriched with spirulina, contain carotenoids and astaxanthin. Tablets for catfish are also suitable. Overfeeding is not desirable.

It is believed that these crustaceans gradually destroy algae (thread, beards). The question is moot. I must say that if the cherry eats plantings, then not too willingly. True, the thread that had to be fought continuously will really disappear. But the cessation of the growth of this type of algae is explained, rather, by the lack of rest - the shrimps are quite active and constantly trample on the delicate greenery. They, like chickens and geese released into a vegetable garden with grass, will turn it into a field without a single blade of grass.

Due to a faster metabolism, cherries are often eaten, though not much. Of course, you do not have to wake up at night in order to feed them again. But here it is desirable to lower a piece of zucchini, a carrot or a slice of a pear tied to a fishing line. You can also feed them before bed with "living dust", which they adore. But dry food, perhaps, should be limited. Enriched with protein, in large quantities it can even harm. In addition to the bloodworm frozen the day before, daphnia and brine shrimp are quite suitable for feeding and such blanks from the freezer, such as, for example, pepper (Bulgarian), eggplant, parsley. True, before this, the vegetables are chopped as finely as possible with a knife. Willow, oak, maple leaves are also suitable. Truth,feed them after a week of drying and grinding (grinding).

Reproduction

Cherry shrimp farming is easy. The main rule is not to disturb her. To do this, you may have to remove the fish from the aquarium. First, the eggs are hatched under the shell (we already wrote about this a little higher). There is a light spot on the back. Over time, the eggs "move" under the tail, where they develop for another couple of weeks (sometimes longer). The female takes care of the eggs all this time, regularly shaking them.

The end of the term can be determined by the black peeking eyes of the kids. Childbirth is approaching… Shrimp are born tiny, about 3 mm, but already fully formed and able to eat like adult relatives. Under the right conditions (clean water, not too dense initial population), the reproduction rate of these crustaceans is impressive. Probably, cherry shrimp can be compared in this case with fruit flies, which from one pair can give thousands of offspring. At one time, a shrimp brings relatively few cubs (about a dozen on average), but the number of spawnings is impressive: discarded babies, which will become sexually mature in a couple of months, are almost immediately replaced by new caviar.

Neighbors shrimp cherries (compatible with fish and other crustaceans)

Cherry shrimp is quite peaceful. But if you plan to settle it in a common aquarium, then you should immediately think about neighbors and possible consequences. With whom can these crustaceans live? Everyone will be great neighbors.non-aggressive fish. It can be swordtails, and gourami, and guppies, and catfish, and barbs, and tayeria, and megalechis. Here can also be added: corridor (all types), serpentikobitis singulata, white-finned ornathus, dwarf botia, sapphire tetra, multicolor pecilia, pristella, afiocharax (all types), melanothenia, cherry melanothenia, erythrosonus, thorns, neon (all types), elanoteniya (all types) and others.

Shellfish can also be kept with more aggressive fish, but then shrimp will breed much less, since maintaining constant vigilance will take away the strength needed for reproduction. Cherries get along well with other shrimp. Although it is likely that the larger ones will take food away from the smaller ones. By the way, shrimp fight over food is a common thing. True, it does not come to tearing off the antennae and claws. Usually the "property division" ends with a joint meal.

Reproduction rate

The main plus (and at the same time a disadvantage) is in the speed of reproduction and vitality of these crustaceans. Six months later, the bottom of the aquarium will appear red and constantly moving. It is extremely difficult to catch cherry shrimp by hand. It is not always possible to do this after a complete restart of the aquarium. Aquarists say that even thorough washing of every shelter and every piece of algae does not always save. And after such measures, as it turns out, two or three pairs of crustaceans will still remain. And breeding will start again.

Color fastening

Cherrythe shrimp is known to be artificially bred, its ancestors were transparent. In aquariums, these crustaceans gradually return to the wild color. It turns out that in order to maintain brightness, strict control is necessary and the capture of poorly pigmented individuals (which, again, is extremely difficult) and constant renewal, i.e., the addition of "fresh blood".