# Cherry shrimp redness and their environment.



## KeIgO86 (Jun 23, 2005)

I've noticed a pattern (or so i think it is) that the ratio solid red cherry shrimps in my main 2ft tank (with fish) is much higher than that in my shrimp breeding tank (only otos in there). In fact i'd consider myself lucky to be able to spot a solid red cherry in the breeding tank. The best pcs i see in there is usually fully orange. However, in the main tank, in which i have transferred roughly 30 shrimps big and small from my breeding tank into, I can easily spot solid red shrimps red till their legs. The 30 shrimps were randomly netted from the breeding tank.

Has anyone observed this in their tanks as well? I find it weird because I always thought shrimps in a less stressful environment should have brighter colours.

In my shrimp tank which is specially catered to them, no ferts have been added since the plants filled in about a month ago (equivalent 3x 50% water changes). Only tap water is used. It has a hang on filter for biological filtration and aeration. Also no fish to disturb them.

In my main tank, I have CO2, cardinal tetras, corydoras, 1x cigar fish and doses of micro and macro ferts regularly following water changes. Also, i have lights bright enough to make anubias pearl streams of oxygen bubbles. Yet some shrimps could be solid red.

I wonder what is it that made them so red in there?


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## eklikewhoa (Jul 24, 2006)

more micro stuff for them to eat probably?


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## milalic (Aug 26, 2005)

there are some foods that might affect coloration. If your cherries are looking too orange, I would suspect lighting or they are slowly reverting back to the wild form. Do you have pictures of the orange looking ones?

-Pedro


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## erijnal (Apr 5, 2006)

I believe the lighting intensity/duration has a lot to do with the coloration. More is supposed to be better, if I remember correctly


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## nevada (Apr 3, 2005)

from my experience, its not the lighting that makes them more red. Shrimp normally can't live too good in a soft water. Since CO2 causes the water to be soft, the colour of the shrimp will become less red. Basically if you can find a Coral chips that is a good solution to increase a little the hardness of the water. Just one to 3 chips about 4 cm will do. Another thing will be the food. try to provide algae waffle which i believe it is available in aquatic shops ...

Edwin


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## Neon Shrimp (Apr 26, 2006)

I also agree with nevada, water parameters are very important in influencing the shrimp mood and thus coloration.


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## ianiwane (May 6, 2005)

nevada said:


> from my experience, its not the lighting that makes them more red. Shrimp normally can't live too good in a soft water. Since CO2 causes the water to be soft, the colour of the shrimp will become less red. Basically if you can find a Coral chips that is a good solution to increase a little the hardness of the water. Just one to 3 chips about 4 cm will do. Another thing will be the food. try to provide algae waffle which i believe it is available in aquatic shops ...
> 
> Edwin


That is the exact opposite that the OP is noting though. In the main tank w/ co2 the OP is getting darker reds. How does co2 cause water to be soft. It causes the pH to lower but does not soften the water. Plus it has been noted many time that low pH does not really affect cherry shrimp. I myself keep cherries at about a pH of 6.2 with out any effects. There is no need to increase the hardness in your water to increase your pH.


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## nevada (Apr 3, 2005)

ianiwane,

sorry, i get it mixed up. Yes you are right, CO2 have nothing to do with water hardness. What i mean is that, sometimes in aquascaping, the choise of substrate like the ADAsoil and certain kind of wood causes the water to be soft. That are the things that makes the shrimp does not look so good. Basically with your current pH Level it should be fine. Did you check the hardness of your water? and have you tried giving them algae waffle?

Edwin


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## nevada (Apr 3, 2005)

anyway this is how i used to keep them ... algae waffle once a day for just about 1/4. 
The pH in this tank is about 6.7 and the gH if i dun remember wrongly is about 1 + but it is below 2 ... it was sometimes back.


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## Neon Shrimp (Apr 26, 2006)

Very nice looking tank and shrimp. You mentioned this is how you "used to" keep them, what have you changed?

Thanks for the pretty pictures.


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## GlitcH (Aug 21, 2006)

Ya I've got a community tank [92G] and a breeder tank [20G] too. I've noticed the shrimp in my breeder tank are much more pale.

Both tanks are planted.
92G has pressurized CO2, high light and I dose 3 times a week.
20G has med light no CO2 or ferts.


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## nevada (Apr 3, 2005)

Neon Shrimp said:


> Very nice looking tank and shrimp. You mentioned this is how you "used to" keep them, what have you changed?
> 
> Thanks for the pretty pictures.


THanks Neon Shrimp, Anyway it is just a very simple tank without much work to set it up. Yes, i used to keep my shrimp in that tank. Nothing changed, it just that the tank was setup few years before i continue my studies in US. The tank was setup in Singapore


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## nevada (Apr 3, 2005)

GlitcH said:


> Ya I've got a community tank [92G] and a breeder tank [20G] too. I've noticed the shrimp in my breeder tank are much more pale.
> 
> Both tanks are planted.
> 92G has pressurized CO2, high light and I dose 3 times a week.
> 20G has med light no CO2 or ferts.


Have you tried feeding them? and did you use a different type of soil for the two tank? I think with or without fert is not a big deal. I don't have fert too for my shrimp tank (I mean base fert)


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## GlitcH (Aug 21, 2006)

nevada said:


> Have you tried feeding them? and did you use a different type of soil for the two tank? I think with or without fert is not a big deal. I don't have fert too for my shrimp tank (I mean base fert)


Actually, I only feed the shrimp in the breeding tank. The shrimp in the community tank are doing very well eating scraps and algae.

Yes I do have diff substrate.....community tank has eco complete and the breeder has pool sand. You may be on to something there.....it never occured to me but the diff color may be the cause.


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## snowhillbilly (Mar 29, 2006)

I have noticed and believe I have red that darker substrates help bring out the red in the shrimp. I thought it was just a joke becuase it only makes the shrimp more visible if you have a black substrate. I had my shrimp on a white substrate and when I changed it to dark brown sure enuff they became darker also, or a brighter red.


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## Neon Shrimp (Apr 26, 2006)

I too have noticed this snowhillbilly. It must be an innate camouflage behavior to help them blend in with their surroundings .


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## nevada (Apr 3, 2005)

Guys,

The reason why i asked what type of substrate did you guys use for you shrimp tank is not because of the colouration. The colouration of the sand will not work on the solid colour of the shrimp. If you are using a different types of substrate in your tank it may be the reason. Because certain type of substrate like the ADA Aquasoil do alter the pH and gH of the water. It makes the pH low and gH low too (Soft water). Which for certain fish like the apistoramma and tettras familly is good however it is not a good water condition for shrimps like Cherry, green neon shrimp, bee shrimps and mosquito shrimps. I don't know about the type of substrate you use. So you may check the water parameters and compare it ... Thats my opinion. 

Edwin


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## bjar (Apr 26, 2006)

Cherries need algae to develope good colouring,as long as the shrimp popularion is low they find enough algae in the tank, but in a breeder tank 
cherries will soon eat all the algaes there is in it. You can however feed spirulina to improve colouration in a high population tank with no natural 
algae growth.


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## KeIgO86 (Jun 23, 2005)

I have lapis gravel for both breeder and main tanks. So I guess it won't be a factor here. 

What bjar said has a point though. In my breeder tank I feed them hikari crab cruisine while in the main tank I just let them find their own algae/denitrus for food. However, I used to feed them algae waffers but with the same pale result.


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## bjar (Apr 26, 2006)

Algae waffer will not do any good ,there might be some great ones that actually contains a significant amount of algae but the two brand I have used does not contain any large amount of it.You need to use some thing that contain maybe 30 % spirulina or use a good colour food for aquarium fish .
You can also buy pure spirulina tablets in health food stores and feed it a few times a week.


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## GlitcH (Aug 21, 2006)

bjar said:


> Algae waffer will not do any good ,there might be some great ones that actually contains a significant amount of algae but the two brand I have used does not contain any large amount of it.You need to use some thing that contain maybe 30 % spirulina or use a good colour food for aquarium fish .
> You can also buy pure spirulina tablets in health food stores and feed it a few times a week.


Heading down to the health food store tonight.........I'll pick me up some of those tabs. Thx for that info bjar.


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## toddnbecka (Sep 20, 2006)

I keep my cherry shrimp in a heavily planted 10 gallon tank. There is hair algae available at all times, they are fed fish foods twice daily as well. I use veggie flakes (spirulina is the main ingredient), Omega One African Cichlid flakes, Tetra Color Bits, and occaisonally a dead water lily leaf from the backyard pond. I have some oak leaves soaking in a bowl of water that will be added to the menu soon. Color varies by age/size and sex, but the large females are very deep red. 
Then there's this one oddball I noticed recently, with no color in the tail at all.


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## duchessren (Sep 16, 2006)

Do you have many red plants in your main tank where they're redder? My bamboo shrimps are different colors depending on what types of driftwood I have in that tank...


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## Raul-7 (Feb 4, 2004)

I think it is due the substrate and lighting, the food is secondary. I have two tanks with Cherry shrimp, both with black sand substrate. However, one of the tank's has a mixed 8500K/6700K and the Cherry's (actually the fish in general) colors stand out much better than in the other tank which only has a 6700K bulb. Under the lone 6700K their colors are subdued and slightly paler.

I've also noticed that the mature females are much redder, it seems they develop a thicker and brighter exoskeleton as they grow older. The mature females actually look "shinier".

Here's a mature female under the 8500K/6700K-









Mind you my gH is 6 and kH is around 2, sometimes it drops as low as .3


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## nevada (Apr 3, 2005)

Raul-7 said:


> Mind you my gH is 6 and kH is around 2, sometimes it drops as low as .3


IMO, this is the right water parameter for shrimp ... thats why this shrimp colouration is superb ...
nice Raul!!!


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