# Do CRS and cherries require plants/rocks to breed?



## Brushy6 (Jun 12, 2007)

Aesthetics aside, do people think CRS and cherries would breed in a bare gravelled tank provided sufficient food was supplied? I guess what I'm asking is would they experience stress and the young not thrive or even die? Thanks!


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## starsunmoon (Apr 1, 2008)

bump, I would like to know this too ! as I am actually bidding ' on 10 red cherrys, and 10 cystal reds out of the same tank !!!


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## gibmaker (Jan 3, 2007)

I started out with about 35 cherry shrimp 3 months ago, and now have over 100. They were in a bare bottom 20 gal long with a clump of java moss and a anubias nana tied to a rock and a sponge filter, no substrate at all. I just recently moved them to there very own 75 gal with the exact same setup as the 20 gal long, The only difference is I added a few anubias barteri tied to rocks because I had more room. To tell you the truth it's probably my favorite tank right now, low maintenance. If I don't like the way something looks I pick up the rock that the plant is tied to and move it. Bare minimum I would add some java moss, I am sure there is a lot of food in the java moss that you or I can not see, it will also provide a spot for the babies to feel safe


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## tropism (Jul 21, 2006)

To add to that... A few months ago I had 13 baby snowball shrimp in a 2.5 gallon "temporary" holding tank with nothing but a sponge filter and some java moss. I now have more than 70 (only the originals are fully grown), with probably another 30 or so in a couple days. I do feed them daily, because there's not a whole lot to eat in there. 

and No, I'm not planning on keeping hundreds of shrimp in a 2.5 gallon bare bottom tank.  Most are (finally) being moved out to a 40 gallon in a day or two.


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## PMD (May 3, 2005)

Newborn shrimp babies do not feed like adult shrimp. They need lots of tiny microorganisms to feed on. Anything will a high surface area that can filter some decaying matter out of the water will work. (Ex. java moss, sponge filter, etc) Lots of bacteria and protists live all over this stuff.


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## Brushy6 (Jun 12, 2007)

Thanks everyone for your comments. I appreciate your help.


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## Halibass (Jan 28, 2007)

Cherry shrimp should breed in just about any tank if the water is relatively clean. CRS are much more difficult and the shrimplets are less hardy than RCS. It would be best if there were some plants, moss, and or driftwood for them to forage on as they grow.


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## praxis5624 (Apr 22, 2006)

Rocks and plants are important in a shrimp tank and could assist in providing additional food for your baby shrimplets. Although not to crucial to have for the Neocardinia sp. but the ever demanding Cardinia sp. need such items for a better chance for survival.


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