CichlidDan
Members
I bought 8 cherry shrimp back in May. 6 out of the 8 never colored up, they are clear. I do weekly water changes. What could be the cause of this?
Cherry shrimp
- Thread starter CichlidDan
- Start date
Becca
Members
Pictures?
I've never had this issue. Males are smaller and less colorful than females and have less solid coloring. Poor lighting can also cause a difference in appearance. I've noticed color differences between when they're under a good LED light and when I've moved them to a bag or spec cup. Lighting can make a world of difference. If you've got them under a plain white light, they might not look great.
It could also be an issue of water quality or diet. In most cherry shrimp all of the color is contained in the shell. If the shell is thin, you will see less color. This could be due to some nutritional issue caused by diet or poor water quality.
I've never had this issue. Males are smaller and less colorful than females and have less solid coloring. Poor lighting can also cause a difference in appearance. I've noticed color differences between when they're under a good LED light and when I've moved them to a bag or spec cup. Lighting can make a world of difference. If you've got them under a plain white light, they might not look great.
It could also be an issue of water quality or diet. In most cherry shrimp all of the color is contained in the shell. If the shell is thin, you will see less color. This could be due to some nutritional issue caused by diet or poor water quality.
CichlidDan
Members
Lighting is current USA led plus. I do weekly 30-40% water changes but I will test the water. Maybe it’s the diet, what do you feed your cherry shrimp? I’ll attach a couple pics but they aren’t the best pics, I’ll try and get better ones if needed.
Becca
Members
Any chance of getting better quality photos? How big are these. Frankly, I have never seen a cherry shrimp (or any neocaridina, even wild ones) look that clear.
Becca
Members
Are you sure you don't have another type of shrimp in there, too?
CichlidDan
Members
I will try to get better ones. About 1” to 1.25”
CichlidDan
Members
These 8 are the only shrimp I’ve ever had and got all 8 from the same person.
Becca
Members
Yeah, me. I've never seen them do this, though a quick Google search says it can happen on light substrate or when they're stressed. Try a vegetable based food with astaxanthin in it and increased shelter. I don't feed anything special, just a variety of stuff.
CichlidDan
Members
Oh ok I’ll try to look for a food with that. I do have some guppies and neon tetras with them. I’ve never seen the guppies go after them but maybe they are when I’m not around. I’ll try the food thing first if that doesn’t help then I’ll move the shrimp to a different tank with dark substrate by themselves and see what happens. Thanks for the help Becca really appreciate it.
Becca
Members
An example of variety:
Dried mulberry leaf, steamed broccoli, dried nettle powder, dried moringa powder, leftover fish food, random botanical stuff, and a few different prepared foods. I tend to have leaves, seed pods, wood, all of which grow biofilms for grazing, so any food is just supplemental to that.
I do have some on white sand in a tank where they were meant to be food, should my kid's newt or betta decide it's dinnertime, and they are all BRIGHT red.
Dried mulberry leaf, steamed broccoli, dried nettle powder, dried moringa powder, leftover fish food, random botanical stuff, and a few different prepared foods. I tend to have leaves, seed pods, wood, all of which grow biofilms for grazing, so any food is just supplemental to that.
I do have some on white sand in a tank where they were meant to be food, should my kid's newt or betta decide it's dinnertime, and they are all BRIGHT red.
mchambers
Former CCA member
In my experience, the coloration of red cherry shrimp can be quite variable, from tank to tank. I can have shrimp with the same genetics in two different tanks, with the same water supply and food, and have one tank with very red shrimp and the other with pale shrimp. It may be related to the amount of plants in the tank, with more plants leading to redder shrimp. At times, I've even thought that the shrimp that are darker red seem to be the ones with more of a predation threat from other inhabitants of the tank.
CichlidDan
Members
Thanks for the input. Tank is lightly planted maybe I’ll add some more plants.
