Starting a Cherry Shrimp colony in your aquarium can be very easy if you are keeping the right amount of the same species. So, how many shrimps do not need in order to start a colony?
You can find out in this article at Aquarium Blueprints.
When trying to start a Cherry Shrimp colony, you should consider the following factors:
1. Tank Size
A bigger tank size means more stable water parameters, which is crucial if you want your Cherry Shrimps to survive and reproduce. By having more space, you will also give you Shrimps plenty of room to move around the aquarium.
In general, you can safely have up to 10 shrimps per gallon of fish tank water. If you are starting out and planning to grow a colony, however, then you may want to start with a much lower amount.
2. Male to Female Ratio
If possible, we recommend getting more females than males Cherry Shrimps. This is because the males will often chase the mature females right after the females molt in order to breed. If you have more males than females, then you will cause your mature females to stress out.
Male Cheery Shrimps tend to be smaller, less colorful and have flatter stomachs than the females. If you are not sure, then we recommend picking up at least 10 shrimps. With 10, you will most likely get some males and females to start off.
3. Interbreeding Issues
When you buy a batch of Cheery Shrimps from the same source, it is likely that these inverts are already interbred.
For the uninformed, interbreeding is done to achieve the bold coloration of the Cherry Shrimps. However, this same process could end up causing health issues, including infertility.
To counter this issue, we recommend that you start your Cherry Shrimp colony by getting two batch of the inverts from different sources. By doing so, you will diversify the gene pool of your colony, which makes the upcoming generations less likely to suffer from any genetic issues.
4. It is also important to note that Cherry Shrimps are very fragile when compared to other aquatic pets. They can’t tolerate large swings in water parameters, which mean they could easily pass away if you aren’t careful when acclimating them to your tank water.
Not to mention that fish and other aggressive tank mates can easily eat and/or attack your shrimps.
Last but not least, Cherry Shrimps will live 1 to 2 years at most even in the most ideal conditions. If you bought adult-sized shrimps, then it is likely that they will only live for several months.
How many shrimps does it take to start a colony?
When taking the aforementioned factors into considerations, we recommend that you start your Cherry Shrimp colony with 10 to 20 shrimps. This is assuming that you have a big enough tank size, which is at least 2 gallons, to accommodate for the growing colony.
By doing so, you will most likely get a good number of males and females. By having at least 10 shrimps to start off, you should have a diverse gene pool that will help prevent any genetic issues, especially if you get your shrimps from multiple sources.
Not to mention that Cherry Shrimps are very fragile and can easily die, especially shortly after being added to your tank. By having a good number in your tank, some of your male and female shrimps should survive long enough to breed and buildup your colony.
