How to Breed Freshwater Shrimp

Co-authored by Kyle Hall

Last Updated: August 26, 2021 References

Freshwater shrimp are colorful, fun to watch, and they can be a great addition to any aquarium. They can even act as natural scavengers to help keep your tank clean!^{[1]
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Research source} To properly care for your shrimp and to ensure breeding success, it’s important to have the right aquarium conditions. We’ve compiled answers to your questions on getting started breeding freshwater shrimp.

Question 1

Question 1 of 9:
What type of shrimp should I breed?

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Breed Cherry Shrimp (Neocaridina davidi) if you’re a hobbyist,^{[2]
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Research source} and breed giant freshwater prawns (Macrobrachium rosenbergii) if you want to farm prawns for food or profit.
- Cherry Shrimp (Neocaridina davidi) are one of the most hardy, tolerant species.^{[3]
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- The three most commonly kept types of shrimp are Neo-Caridina shrimp (the easiest to breed), Caridina shrimp (the most difficult), and Sulawesi shrimp (the most rare).^{[4]
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- If you want to breed giant freshwater prawns, you’ll need a commercial-scale operation. Giant freshwater prawns can’t be raised in tanks because they’re highly territorial. As a result, giant freshwater prawns need an aerated pond between 1/10th-5 acres.^{[5]
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Question 2

Question 2 of 9:
What type of tank set-up do I need?

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To breed most shrimp, you’ll need a minimum 5-gallon tank with a sponge filter, dense aquatic plants, and rocky substrate. Your tank size can vary, as long as you don’t overstock it. For Cherry Shrimp, a good stocking density to start breeding is 2-5 shrimp per gallon. However, you can keep up to 10 shrimp per gallon.^{[6]
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- Choose a sponge filter with 25-30 pores per inch (ppi) so the baby shrimp can’t get sucked in through the intake.^{[7]
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- If you have a stronger filter that may suck in shrimp, use pantyhose or stockings to cover the intake.^{[8]
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- You can plant Java moss, Cryptocurrency, hornwort and/or Anacharis as a good start for easy-to-grow aquatic plants.^{[9]
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- Plants provide food and shelter. Baby shrimp hide in plants, and plant debris and algae offer a secondary food source.^{[10]
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Question 3

Question 3 of 9:
What water temperature is best for breeding shrimp?

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For breeding Neo-Caridina shrimp (including Cherry Shrimp) and Caridina shrimp, set your water temperature between 70-75°F (21-24°C). For Sulawesi shrimp, use a water temperature of 79-84°F (26-29°C).^{[11]
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- To encourage faster breeding cycles for Neo-Caridina and Caridina shrimp, you can increase the temperature 77-81°F (25-27°C).^{[12]
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- With a higher temperature, you’ll trade faster breeding for a potential reduction in the quality of the offspring and shorter shrimp lifespans.^{[13]
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Question 4

Question 4 of 9:
What pH and water types are best for breeding shrimp?

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Neo-Caridina shrimp (including Cherry Shrimp) need an aquarium pH of 6.5 – 7.5.^{[14]
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Research source} Cherry Shrimp (and other Neo-Caridina shrimp) are pretty low-maintenance, so as long as you keep tank conditions stable, they can survive variance in pH parameters by a 0.2-0.3 points.^{[15]
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- Neo-Caridina shrimp do fine with tap water or well water.^{[16]
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- Use water with a higher mineral content (hard water) and a flowing current to mimic Neo-Caridina shrimp’s natural river and pond environment.^{[17]
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The more difficult Caridina shrimp require a pH of 6-7, and rarer Sulawesi shrimp need a pH between 7.5-8.5.^{[18]
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- Caridina shrimp require tap or well-water filtered through reverse osmosis (RO).
- With RO water, you’ll need to supplement the water with calcium and magnesium mineral “salts” (bought at your local aquarium supply store).^{[19]
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Question 5

Question 5 of 9:
What should I feed the shrimp?

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Your shrimp will eat algae from the tank, but you should also give them fish pellets, flakes, or specialized shrimp food.^{[20]
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Research source} How often to feed the shrimp depends on the tank size and available plant debris/algae, but most people feed their shrimp processed pellets or flakes between every day and every two-three days.^{[21]
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- Occasionally add boiled and blanched organic vegetables such as spinach, carrots, and zucchini to vary your shrimp’s diet.^{[22]
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- Remove any food that hasn’t been eaten in 2 hours to avoid polluting your tank and messing up your water parameters.^{[23]
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Question 6

Question 6 of 9:
What other fish can I keep in the tank with shrimp?

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Cherry Shrimp are non-aggressive and do best with similarly peaceful varieties of shrimp, Nano fish, and freshwater snails.
- Compatible shrimp varieties include Amano Shrimp, small Ghost Shrimp, Bamboo/Wood Shrimp, and Vampire Shrimp.^{[24]
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- Compatible freshwater snail varieties include Nerite Snails, Gold Inca Snails, and Ramshorn Snails.^{[25]
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- You can keep nano fish like Otocinclus, small Rasboras, guppies, Kubotai, endlers, and small tetras if you’re planning on keeping shrimp and not breeding. However, these nano fish are not suitable for breeding tanks because the fish will eat the baby shrimp.^{[26]
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Question 7

Question 7 of 9:
What ratio of female-to-male shrimp do I need for breeding?

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Cherry Shrimp breed easily, so you don’t need to worry about a specific female-to-male ratio. Still, it’s a good idea to have more females than males to encourage breeding.^{[27]
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Question 8

Question 8 of 9:
How long does it take to breed shrimp?

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On average, mature shrimp (4-6 months old) start breeding 3-5 months after arriving in the aquarium. Once shrimp have mated, eggs take 30 days to hatch.^{[28]
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- You’ll be able to see the eggs under the tale of a “berried” female (the term for a shrimp carrying eggs). She will also fan her tail to oxygenate the eggs.^{[29]
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Question 9

Question 9 of 9:
Why aren’t my shrimp breeding?

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If your shrimp aren’t breeding, try raising the water temperature to 81°F (27°C) or increasing the calcium and mineral content of the water. Increasing the water temperature for Neo-Caridina shrimp mimics summer, the natural breeding season. Calcium and mineral content helps the eggs to mature.^{[30]
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- If you see berried females and eggs but no hatched offspring after 30 days, make sure your filter intake is covered with a nylon stocking to prevent baby shrimp from being taken into the filter.^{[31]
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