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Cherry Shrimp Feeding Guide (The Best & Worst Food Options)

Cherry Shrimp Feeding Guide (The Best & Worst Food Options)

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This post is written to the author's best knowledge and is not intended to be used in place of veterinary advice. In addition, this post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Cherry shrimp make for awesome pets in any aquarium. Their colors are stunning and they get along with almost all tank mates.

Not to mention, cherry shrimp are a breeze to care for. When it comes to diet, cherry shrimp are far from picky!

If you’re wondering “what do cherry shrimp eat?”, “what do cherry shrimp not eat?”, or “how long can cherry shrimp go without food?”, then you’re in the right place!

Today’s article is a cherry shrimp feeding guide that’ll answer all these questions and more, so keep reading for better knowledge of these fascinating crustaceans.

What Do Cherry Shrimp Eat?

Cherry shrimp are opportunistic omnivores, which means they’ll eat pretty much any food they find. This includes both plant and animal matter.

What’s more, cherry shrimp are scavengers.

In this feeding behavior, the cherry shrimp spend most of their time roaming around the bottom of the tank in search of any edible bits that found their way down to the substrate.

All these traits make cherry shrimp terrific tank cleaners. While they can’t replace a regular cleaning routine, they can help make it less frequent and more effective.

Here’s a closer look at each food category that cherry shrimp munch on:

Algae

As mentioned above, cherry shrimp are omnivores. Their main food source on the plant side of the spectrum is algae.

Cherry shrimp will feed on algae anywhere it exists throughout the tank as their bodies are tiny enough to let them reach every nook and cranny.

Cherry shrimp can also eat algae in awkward positions. For example, they attach themselves to the algae on the aquarium walls.

What types of algae do cherry shrimp eat?

Similar to other shrimp species, cherry shrimp can munch on a wide variety of algae.

However, they do prefer certain types and tend to avoid others. Knowing what algae your cherry shrimp likes helps you tailor their diet to keep them happy (and save money!).

Generally, cherry shrimp like to eat soft algae. These mainly include:

  • Brown algae: this type of algae is made up of microscopic animals known as diatoms. If your tank contains brown algae, it’s usually a sign of poor water quality.

Luckily, your cherry shrimp can help you clean up by eating it and you can simply rub off the rest.

  • Green algae: this type of algae is very common and grows very quickly. Your cherry shrimp can get the cleaning job done if the infestation isn’t too heavy.

But if the spread is out of control, the shrimp probably won’t be able to keep up and the green algae will make your aquarium look murky and gross.

  • Black beard algae: This type of algae grows in the form of tuft-like clumps, which is why some people compare its appearance to that of small shaving brushes.

While cherry shrimp are happy to eat black beard algae, the issue lies in the plant’s growth rate. Black beard algae can spread so rapidly that the shrimp struggle to keep up.

So, if you want to get rid of this algae, chances are you’ll need to help your shrimp using additional solutions for algae removal such as trimming plants and disinfecting decorations.

  • Hair algae: this type of algae grows in strings and tufts (similar to black beard algae). It’s also fast-spreading, which means it can quickly overwhelm your tanks if you don’t manage it in time.

Many aquarists report that their cherry shrimp can feed on hair algae without a problem. Others, however, say that cherry shrimp will only eat immature hair algae.

Biofilm

Cherry shrimp also feed on biofilm, which actually forms a staple part of the crustaceans’ diet. Biofilm is a mass of microorganisms where cells stick to each other as well as wet surfaces like tank walls.

The best part is that you don’t need to do anything to grow biofilm in your aquarium. It pretty much grows automatically as long as the light is on for about 6 to 8 hours a day.

Other food

Algae and biofilm don’t contain all the nutrients necessary to keep cherry shrimp healthy.

While they do make up the bulk of the shrimp diet, your cherry shrimp will suffer from protein and vitamin deficiencies if they only eat algae and biofilm.

As such, you need to provide your cherry shrimp with other food sources to ensure a balanced diet. Here’s a list of foods to give to your cherry shrimp to keep them healthy and thriving:

  • Bloodworms
  • Pellets (copper-free)
  • Kale
  • Algae wafers
  • Zucchini
  • Pears
  • Cucumbers
  • Lobster/crab bits

Cherry shrimp also eat dead shrimp, including cherry shrimp and brine shrimp.

They also eat shrimp exoskeletons resulting from mottling. These contain vitamins and minerals (such as calcium) that make up for the nutrients lost during molting, providing shrimp with an extra boost of strength for the new exoskeleton.

What to Feed Baby Red Cherry Shrimp

Baby cherry shrimps, also known as cherry shrimp fry, are a lot tinier than the already small adult cherry shrimp. As such, they can’t eat most of the foods that make up the regular diet of adult cherry shrimp.

During the first 2 months or so of life, the main sources of food for baby cherry shrimp are biofilm and algae. If you want to also give them commercial food, baby cherry shrimp can eat powdered spirulina algae.

You can also provide your baby shrimp with anacharis plant leaves (also known as waterweeds). These offer extra nutrients to promote growth.

Keep in mind that you need to keep your baby cherry shrimp in their own tank. Due to their tiny size, they can easily become food for larger fish.

How Often Should You Feed Cherry Shrimp?

Because cherry shrimp are omnivorous scavengers, you don’t need to worry about giving them food every day.

Cherry shrimp eat plenty on their own as they roam around the aquarium, especially if your tank is well-aged.

Feeding your shrimps every day will make them less efficient in cleaning the tank since they’re not very hungry.

Not to mention, you’ll be putting them at risk of overfeeding. This can cause poor water quality and result in various infections and fungal diseases, leading to a shorter lifespan.

What Not to Feed Cherry Shrimp

Although cherry shrimp will munch on pretty much any type of food, there are some items they don’t eat.

For example, cherry shrimp will avoid certain types of algae such as green spot algae, green dust algae, green water algae, staghorn algae, and blue-green algae.

Additionally, cherry shrimp don’t eat fish poop, unlike what many people think.

Of course, you won’t actively give your pets fish poop, but you may be tempted to not clean the tank out and just let the shrimp deal with the poop.

Yes, cherry shrimps are opportunistic omnivores that scavenge for food and will happily feed on decaying plants, rotting organisms, and leftovers. But they won’t feed on feces.

Cherry shrimp would sift through fish waste to look for undigested food particles. They’ll eat those, not the poop itself.

Occasionally, you may notice your cherry shrimp nibbling on fish poop out of curiosity. However, they’ll back off once they realize it’s feces, spitting out whatever they swallowed.

Do You Need to Feed Cherry Shrimp?

Some beginner aquarists wonder if they need to feed their cherry shrimp if the tank has enough algae and biofilm.

The answer is yes because algae and biofilm don’t contain all the nutrients necessary to keep cherry shrimp healthy. Your pets will survive, but not thrive.

While algae and biofilm represent the bulk of their diet, your cherry shrimp will suffer from protein and vitamin deficiencies if they don’t eat anything else. They won’t be as vibrant, grow as big, or live as long.

This is why you need to provide your cherry shrimp with other food sources to ensure a balanced diet.

How Long Can Cherry Shrimp Go Without Food?

Cherry shrimp are scavengers that roam around the bottom of the aquarium searching for anything edible, so you don’t need to feed them very often.

As a rule of thumb, you should give food to your cherry shrimp every other day or 2 times per week.

If you don’t give your cherry shrimp any food, the length of their survival period will depend on the state of the aquarium as follows:

  • In a well-aged tank, there’s a higher chance there’ll be enough algae and biofilm to sustain your cherry shrimp for a while (more than a week).
  • In a new or bare tank, there won’t be enough build-up of algae and biofilm to sustain your cherry shrimp. In this case, your cherry shrimp probably won’t last longer than a few days.

Final Thoughts

There you have it, a detailed cherry shrimp feeding guide to help you provide the best care for your aquatic pets.

The diet of cherry shrimp primarily consists of algae and biofilm. To get all the nutrients they need, you should also give your cherry shrimp other foods like blood worms, kale, pears, spinach, cucumber, and crab bits.

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Randy Garrity

Saturday 22nd of June 2024

first off Id like to say your info on this shrimp is good stuff.What seems to be right to the point. Tells me that you have paid a lot of attention and time with your shrimp. I am new to any shrimp but not to aquariums. However despite all my decades with fish and tanks. Then taking a 20 year break to now come back.Things have changed a LOT! For all better and I feel like a newbie.Only now have a much better and healthier setup.That makes me feel bad for all I had in the past.But like the rest I didn't know any better.

Two things have changed the most.Being more frequent water changes and the right water and live plants.Plenty of them and injected co2. Would be just a few of all the changes that Ive made.Water test kits etc etc. As for red cherry shrimp which I have in the fire reds and amano.Both are a new comer to anything I know but learning fast and always. Unlike some who think they know it all.I never know enough. Which has brought me to you.And since the shrimp are not the only ones living in the main tank.I need and want all to be healthier and happy campers. As for plants sadly I don't have much of what you said they like best .I have mostly large amazon swords that grown from the bottom to out of the water for all tall.And a few big and small java ferns a few anubias and a large red plant I don't recall its name.But I also have plenty of java moss growing.I wasn't sure or thinking about plants for the shrimp when I bought all I did.However I feel whats in the tank no doubt will help for cover and with the large rock wall I built that takes up a good area of the tank.And made up of many rocks all silicon ed together. The tank looks like a deep forest and tall one.In the past I never had any good luck with live plants like I do now. With all of that what Id like to know.I assume the GH and KH reading is done by how many drops till the correct water color.In the test tube. Which if right was way high when first done.Since I have been using distilled blended with filterd tap water.To bring the high GH and KH down to where it need be.Now the KH reads spot on while the KH id still higher than what you recommend.But not what the shrimp farm said to be ok. I feel they say that do to selling the shrimp.And not scaring the buyer away.Then Im a older person with the typical poor memory so I could be wrong. What I am wanting to do is this.Move like 10 shrimp into a ten gallon setup by themselves.In hopes to breed and do better than those in the 29 gallon with many fish.That Ive no doubt have been feeding on many of the newly hatched out shrimp fry. When the only five adults had begun breeding.About 9 months ago.Now Ive got about 30 for which at least 20 are of adult breeding age.Proving the shrimp have done better from my efforts.But I want the ten gallon setup to be perfect for this task. What can you tell me.Any info is much appreciated. Randy