# can cherry shrimp and red crystal shrimp go together?



## papichancho

i have 8 red crystal shrimp in my 10 gallon tank (they are the only things in there unless you count the army of snails ).. im about to get about 20 cherry shrimp from a friend and i was wondering if they can be in the same tank..


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## Seattle_Aquarist

Hi papichancho,

If you are asking if they can live together, yes they are just different variations of the same species and therefore require the same environmental conditions. That said, because they are the same species they will inter-breed; and the offspring will not necessarily look good.


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## papichancho

meh.. im not too worried about that  just as long as there is no eating of other shrimp going on  haha thank you for your reply!


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## Rtifs

I’ve had them together before and they just go about their business. They won’t bother each other.


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## Rony1107

I kept them together and they get along fine. They do not interbreed.


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## Thorald

Hi,

I also keep Crystal Red and cherry shrimp together in the same aquarium. In that 8gallon I now have 40+ cherry shrimp and 10 CRS.

Cherry shrimp and CRS wont interbreed. CRS are from the caridina species and Cherries are from the Neocaridina species. Different varieties within the same species will interbreed (eg: yellow shrimp and cherry shrimp or crystal black with crystal red).


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## papichancho

ok thanks.. the cherry shrimp havent been in there more than a week and alot of them are already berried


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## Seattle_Aquarist

Hi papichancho,

Thorald is correct and I was wrong, the two are indeed different species and will not interbreed.


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## rich815

They will live together and not interbreed, however many people who raise both in my area swear that mixing them in the same tank they get much less offspring from either. Over a short time I noticed the same. If it's breeding and production you want in some experiences many feel it's best to keep them separate.


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## JohnPaul

They will not interbreed, as they are not only different species but they are each in a different genus; Red Cherry Shrimp (RCS) are _Neocaridina heteropoda var. red_ while Crystal Red Shrimp (CRS) are _Caridina cf. cantonensis_.

However, it is worth noting that RCS do best in water that is alkaline (pH over 7) and moderately hard. CRS, on the other hand, prefer the opposite--water that is acidic (pH under 7) and soft. So depending upon your tank conditions, either one or the other is going to be unhappy with your water and over time you will likely see the species that likes your water increasing in number while the other species slowly decreases.


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## spypet

crystals are more water sensitive than cherry's
so if your crystals start disappearing while your
cherry's thrive, it's not due to shrimp predation.


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