Baby shrimp care: how to raise cherry shrimp shrimplets
The first shrimplets are the moment a shrimp tank starts to feel like a colony. They are also easy to lose: they are small enough to be sucked into a filter, eaten by almost any fish and caught by pests most keepers never notice. The good news is that baby cherry shrimp need very little special care. Most of what helps is about the tank, not the shrimp.
What newborn shrimplets look like
Cherry shrimp (Neocaridina davidi) don't go through a floating larval stage the way many crustaceans do. UF/IFAS says the young emerge from the eggs as miniature versions of the adult, only about 1 to 2 mm long. They are usually nearly clear, so the first sign is often movement on moss, leaves or the glass rather than color. Color develops as they grow. If you have just seen a berried female's eggs disappear, look closely at moss and plant leaves near where she spends time; see berried shrimp care for the egg stage.
Shrimplets at a glance
| Need | What to do | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Food | Leave biofilm and algae in place; small pinches of powdered food if the tank is new | UF/IFAS describes cherry shrimp as detritivores and opportunistic feeders that also eat meiofauna (tiny bottom organisms) |
| Cover | Moss, fine-leaved plants, leaf litter | Grazing surface and hiding places in one |
| Filter | Sponge filter, or a pre-filter sponge on any intake | A 1 to 2 mm shrimp fits through intake slots |
| Water | Small, matched water changes; steady temperature, GH and KH | They grow by molting, often, and sudden changes are a common cited cause of failed molts |
| Tank mates | Shrimp and snails only, ideally | Most fish will eat shrimplets |
| Pests | Check for hydra and planaria | Both are commonly reported to take newborn shrimp |
What baby shrimp eat
In a tank that has been running for a few months, shrimplets mostly feed themselves. UF/IFAS describes cherry shrimp as detritivores and opportunistic feeders; it also notes they feed on meiofauna, the tiny organisms living on the bottom, and that in the wild they eat mostly leaf litter, citing a study that found alder and goat willow leaves preferred. That film of microbes, algae and decaying plant matter on every surface is what shrimplets graze from the day they hatch.
- Don't over-clean. Leave algae on the back glass and hardscape, keep moss, and let a few leaves break down. That is the nursery's pantry.
- Add fine food only if needed. In a newer or very clean tank, keepers commonly use powdered shrimp foods or biofilm boosters in tiny pinches. Our shrimp food guide compares the common options.
- Feed lightly. Leftovers foul a small tank quickly and feed pests. Feed what the colony clears in a few hours and remove the rest; see what shrimp eat and how much.
Keep them out of the filter
A newborn shrimp is small enough to be pulled through the slots of a hang-on-back or internal filter intake. A sponge filter is the simplest fix, because the whole surface is the intake and it doubles as a grazing surface. On any other filter, slide a pre-filter sponge (pre-filter sponge) over the intake. Our shrimp-safe filters guide covers both. Also check the bucket and the gravel vacuum after every water change: shrimplets are easy to siphon out without noticing.
Stable water while they molt
Like all arthropods, cherry shrimp grow by molting (UF/IFAS), and young shrimp grow fast, so they molt often. Sudden changes in temperature, hardness or TDS are a commonly cited cause of failed molts in shrimp of every age, which is why stability matters more than hitting a perfect number.
- Small, matched water changes. Match temperature and hardness and add new water slowly; see shrimp tank water changes.
- Steady GH and KH. Minerals in the water are what a new shell is built from; see GH and KH explained and shrimp dying after molting.
- Leave the old shells. UF/IFAS notes cherry shrimp eat their molted exoskeleton to reabsorb nutrients.
- Keep ammonia and nitrite at zero. UF/IFAS notes ammonia becomes more toxic as pH and temperature rise; small animals in a small tank have little margin. See ammonia and nitrite.
Predators and pests
Most shrimplet losses in a healthy tank are to something that eats them.
- Fish. Even small, peaceful fish commonly eat newborn shrimp. A shrimp-only tank raises the most babies; in a community tank, thick moss and plants give some cover. See cherry shrimp tank mates.
- Hydra. Tiny tentacled polyps on the glass; owner reports commonly describe them catching newborn shrimplets. See hydra in a shrimp tank.
- Planaria. Flat worms with a triangular head, commonly reported to prey on shrimplets and eggs. See planaria in a shrimp tank.
- Snails. Common pest snails don't hunt shrimp, but assassin snails are sometimes reported to eat weak shrimp; see pest snails in a shrimp tank.
Do you need a separate nursery tank?
Usually not. In a mature shrimp-only tank, babies grow up alongside the adults, which don't eat healthy shrimplets. A separate tank only helps when the main tank has fish, or when you are selectively breeding and want to keep a line apart. Moving a berried female to a new tank is a common reason eggs are dropped, so if you want a nursery, set it up and let it mature first.
How fast baby shrimp grow
Growth depends on temperature and food. UF/IFAS puts sexual maturity at around 30 days; hobby sources more commonly report females first carrying eggs at about three to five months in a home tank. Warmer water speeds things up: a 2017 study that kept red cherry shrimp at 20, 23 and 26°C (68, 73 and 79°F) reported higher survival and more eggs at 26°C, though it also found far fewer females among the offspring at that temperature (about 18%, against about 80% at 20°C). A stable temperature in the low to mid 70s °F, within the usual range for cherry shrimp, is a sensible middle ground; see shrimp tank temperature.
Why baby shrimp die
| What you notice | Likely cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Shrimplets seen once, then never again | Fish, filter intake or pests | Remove fish, add a pre-filter sponge, look for hydra and planaria at night with a flashlight |
| Babies dying after a water change | A sudden change in temperature or hardness | Smaller changes, matched water, added slowly |
| Dead babies stuck half out of a molt | Unstable or unsuitable GH/KH | Test GH and KH; see the molting guide |
| Babies thin and slow to grow in a new tank | Too little biofilm | Powdered food in tiny pinches, leaves and moss; let the tank mature |
| Adults dying too | A water-quality problem affecting the whole tank | Test ammonia, nitrite and nitrate; see why are my shrimp dying |
Track it
Note when you first see shrimplets, water changes and test results on the free Maintenance Schedule printable or the Water Parameter Log. After a couple of clutches you'll know what your tank's nursery needs.
Frequently asked questions
How big are baby cherry shrimp?
About 1 to 2 mm long when they hatch, according to UF/IFAS. They look like tiny, nearly clear adults, since cherry shrimp have no larval stage.
What do baby shrimp eat?
Mostly biofilm, algae and tiny organisms on surfaces in a mature tank. In a new or very clean tank, add tiny pinches of powdered shrimp food.
Do adult cherry shrimp eat their babies?
Healthy adults are not known to hunt shrimplets, and babies are normally raised in the same tank. Fish, hydra and planaria are the usual predators.
Will my filter suck up baby shrimp?
It can. Use a sponge filter or slide a pre-filter sponge over the intake of any other filter.
How long until baby shrimp are grown?
UF/IFAS puts sexual maturity at around 30 days. Hobby keepers more commonly see females carry their first eggs at about three to five months.
Should I move baby shrimp to a separate tank?
Usually not. A mature shrimp-only tank is the best nursery. A separate tank helps only if the main tank has fish.
Why are my baby shrimp disappearing?
Usually fish, the filter intake or pests such as hydra and planaria. Shrimplets also hide in moss, so they can be there even when you can't see them.
Sources: Cherry Shrimp Neocaridina davidi (UF/IFAS EDIS IN1301) (no larval stage; young emerge as miniature adults about 1 to 2 mm long; growth by molting; molts eaten to reabsorb nutrients; sexual maturity around 30 days; detritivores and opportunistic feeders; meiofauna; leaf litter with alder and goat willow preferred, citing Schoolman and Arndt 2017); UF/IFAS, Ammonia in Aquatic Systems (FA16) (ammonia toxicity rises with pH and temperature); Tuzcu et al., temperature and sex ratio in red cherry shrimp, Fresenius Environmental Bulletin 26(12), 2017 (abstract) (20, 23 and 26°C; higher survival and more eggs at 26°C; female offspring about 80% at 20°C, 50% at 23°C and 18% at 26°C); hobby references and recurring owner reports for feeding, filter guards and pests; Shrimp Tank Hub's breeding and berried shrimp guides.