What to feed Red Cherry Shrimp?

A question I’ve been asked more times than I care to remember and the truth is, there is no specific single answer.

In the wild… Let’s stop right there. For these heavily selectively bred little critters there is no wild, in the wild they would likely perish due to the fluctuation on water parameters even for these hardened soles. They aren’t exactly discreet either, bright red and swimming in any clean water column. So let’s get “the wild” out of our heads here.

So what should we feel, well we look to ideals. We look to ensuring that they get the right balance and variety that they would in a wild environment, and that means not just one type of pellet.

If you’ve been lucky enough to purchase from us you would have got a free pouch of food, this would have likely contained a mixture of ingredients :-

  • Firstly the staple, Algae wafers with 25% protein, 5% oil, c2% fibre and a number of vitamin additives. The pellets are mostly made of krill meal and a little Spirulina, but not a lot due to cost so…
  • I then add additional pure dried Spirulina. This is shrimp caviar and ensures good health and fast breeding.
  • Finally a little dried red bloodworm. A big boost of protein and a great addition to help colour the little guys up.

Of course you can add more or less but the key here is variety and a range of important nutrients that the shrimp absolutely need. Mix up the staple wafers between manufacturers and see what works for your guys, especially if they seem to have lost their appetite. Sometimes they’ll tell you when they want a change.

Producing the best quality Shrimp

With a species like this, you have a lot of power to control just how good your breed will be.

Some breeders just let things run riot and allow everything to live and continue to breed. We do things differently.

  • For a start we breed Red Cherry Shrimp alone from 3 separate tanks, all from different blood lines. This allows us to routinely mix up the gene pool and ensure that the fellas don’t become too wildly incestuous.
  • We frequently add shrimp, selectively sought from third-parties to add to the the genetic line
  • We actively cull off poor quality shrimp don’t worry, they become active feeder shrimp for our Axolotls. Many go on to live for months / years however don’t breed in that enclosure due to temperatures.

Why are we telling you all this? Well, other breeders just may not care.

LFS rarely do anything other than let all their RCS and other variety of shrimp run riot and breed out of control. 2-3 in-bred generations later and the shrimp are already suffering.

They’re weaker, last for less time and usually have lighter colouration. If you buy from us, and want to breed yourself. Ensure that you freshen your genetic pool up every so often by buying from somebody else. Your stock will thank you for it.

Daz

image source: http://www.speedieaquatics.com/wp-content/gallery/supreme-red/img_8643.jpg