If you are using a canister or hang-on-back power filter in a fish tank that houses Red Cherry Shrimps, then there is a real possibility that your pet inverts will get sucked in at some point. If they managed to survive the travel, they will end up inside the filter.
To see how you can protect your Cherries from being caught up in the filtering process, you can take a look at this article from Aquarium Blueprints.
1. For the first potential solution, you can attach the pre-filter to the intake. If the intake is too big, then you can try removing the intake and then replacing it with a pre-filter instead.
When it comes to the pre-filter, most shrimp-keepers like to use a sponge as it eliminates any possibilities that the smallest shrimps will get sucked into the filter. With that said, pre-filter sponges may get clogged easily, which may end up causing damage to your canister or power filter if you don’t clean them in a timely manner.
A good alternative is a metal mesh pre-filter guard as it won’t get clogged as often as sponges. However, bigger debris can still block the water flow; therefore, you need to clean this type of pre-filter as well.
2. If you have a shrimp-only tank, or have an aquarium with very low bioload capacity, then you may want to consider switching over to sponge filter.
This type uses air flow from an air pump in order to trap free-floating debris in your tank water. Its lower water flow assures that your Red Cherry Shrimp won’t get overwhelm by the current. Not to mention that the sponge makes it virtually impossible for even the youngest shrimps will get caught up with the filtering process.
We used the AQUANEAT Aquarium Bio Sponge Filter in our shrimp-only tank and it has worked wonderfully so far. In fact, we often seen some of your pet inverts hanging out on the filter and picking at the sponge as they look for any food that may have been trapped.
3. If you don’t want to get a pre-filter or sponge filter, then you can try attaching a fish net to the intake of your current filter. If the netting is fine enough, then it should be able to prevent the smallest of Red Cherries from getting sucked in.
Recap
The best solution to preventing your Red Cherry Shrimps from getting sucked into your power or canister filter is to use a sponge filter instead.
If you would like to keep your current filter, then you need to add a pre-filter to the intake. You can either use a sponge, fine mesh metal or even make your own contraption. Keep in mind that you may risk clogging the water flow to your filter and, as a result, may end up damaging it if you don’t keep the pre-filter clean.