How Long Do Cherry Shrimps Live?
Almost every shrimp keeper I know has asked me how long cherry shrimp live. I had the same question, too, so I did some research on my own and came up with some pretty interesting stuff.
So, how long do cherry shrimps live?
Cherry shrimp typically live for 1 to 2 years. Their lifespan can be influenced by factors such as water quality, temperature, diet, and overall tank conditions. Proper care can help maximize their lifespan.
The lifespan of cherry shrimp depends on many factors. You can’t just say the exact number of years your cherry shrimp will live. In the rest of the article, I’ll go over those factors in detail. So, stick around to learn about the factors that influence the lifespan of cherry shrimp.
How Long Do Cherry Shrimp Live In A Tank?
The lifespan of pet cherry shrimp depends on several factors. When you keep cherry shrimp in captivity, you must ensure all of their requirements.
Cherry shrimp typically live for 1 to 2 years. Their lifespan can be influenced by factors such as water quality, temperature, diet, and overall tank conditions. Proper care can help maximize their lifespan.
But, these shrimp do not live a long life in tanks usually. As these crustaceans are sensitive to fluctuations in environmental factors, pet cherry shrimp might survive up to only a few months. Hence, strict maintenance is needed to help your shrimp thrive in captivity.
How Long Do Red Cherry Shrimp Live For?
Red cherry shrimp are pretty easy to keep as pets. These hardy crustaceans can live long for 12-18 months. But, the tank parameters should remain stable if you want longer accompanied by your red cherry shrimp.
How Long Do Cherry Shrimp Live In A Fish Bowl?
Keeping cherry shrimp in a fish bowl is not a good idea at all. Since cherry shrimp produce lots of waste, they can’t thrive well in such little water. Yet, you can keep your cherry shrimp in a fish bowl.
If you manage to do proper maintenance, your cherry shrimp can survive 8-12 months in a fish bowl. Make sure to do regular water changes. If possible, you can add a filter to the bowl of your cherry shrimp.
Factors That Affect The Lifespan Of Cherry Shrimp
Many factors can actively affect the lifespan of a cherry shrimp. Shrimps are very delicate creatures and sensitive to their environment. Everything you put in the tank can directly or indirectly affect their lifespan.
The main factors that affect the lifespan of cherry shrimp are:
Water Quality:
One of the most crucial factors affecting the lifespan of cherry shrimp is the quality of the water in which they live. Parameters such as pH, temperature, hardness, and cleanliness must be maintained within specific ranges. Typically, cherry shrimp thrive in slightly acidic to neutral water (pH 6.5-7.5) with a temperature between 22 and 28 degrees Celsius (72-82 degrees Fahrenheit).
Diet:
Feeding cherry shrimp a balanced diet that includes a variety of foods can significantly affect their health and longevity. Foods rich in vitamins and minerals, such as algae, blanched vegetables, and commercially prepared shrimp foods, are essential.
Breeding Practices:
Overbreeding or breeding from a limited gene pool can lead to weaker offspring prone to diseases and shorter lifespans. Maintaining genetic diversity in the population is important for robust health.
Tank Mates:
Cherry shrimp are peaceful creatures, but they can be stressed or preyed upon by aggressive or much larger tank mates. Therefore, keeping them with other non-aggressive species that do not compete aggressively for food is ideal for their longevity.
Environmental Stress:
Sudden changes in their environment, such as fluctuations in temperature or pH, can stress cherry shrimp and shorten their lifespan. Consistency in their habitat is key to keeping them healthy.
Disease and Parasites:
Like all aquatic creatures, cherry shrimp are susceptible to diseases and parasites. Keeping the tank clean and quarantining new arrivals can help prevent the spread of diseases.
Now that we know the factors that directly influence the lifespan of cherry shrimp, let’s explore them in more detail.
How does Temperature influence lifespan?
Higher Temperature | Lower Temperature |
---|---|
Shorter lifespan | Longer lifespan |
Eats more often | Eats less |
Molts more frequently | Molts less frequently |
Breeds quicker | Breeds slowly |
Lower offspring quality | Higher offspring quality |
Let’s start with the most important one: Temperature. As I’ve said before, temperature can affect shrimps in many ways.
What happens at Higher temperatures?
With higher temperatures, shrimp eat more and molt more frequently. Molting is the process where the shrimp cast off their old exoskeleton and form a new one. With each molt, the shrimp get bigger and gain more weight.
Molting requires a lot of energy. If shrimp molt too often, they can’t reserve energy and are under constant stress, which lowers their quality of life.
Higher temperatures also lead to quicker breeding. However, the quality of the offspring can decrease as the shrimps don’t have as much reservoir energy.
Also, with higher temperatures, the lifespan will decrease too.
What happens at lower temperatures?
Now, the reverse will happen if we decrease the temperature of the water. With decreased temperature, the shrimps will not molt that often.
As a result, they’ll have a good reservoir of energy, which will not put them under any stress. Consequently, the shrimps will enjoy a better life quality and longer lifespan.
Also, at lower temperatures, shrimps breed slowly, and the offspring come out with much better quality.
The ideal temperature range for cherry shrimp is around 70 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit (or 21 to 24 degrees Celcius). You should try to aim for 72 degrees Fahrenheit (or 22 degrees Celcius). This is the best temperature for cherry shrimps.
However, cherry shrimps can still live within a wide temperature range: 57 to 86 degrees Fahrenheit (or 14 to 30 degrees Celcius).
Longer Lifespan Requires Ideal Water Parameters
Water parameters are extremely important for shrimps. It is essential to offer the right water parameters to your shrimp so that they can live a longer lifespan.
Without beating around the bush much, I am just laying it simple. Here are the water parameters you should give attention to, along with the ideal range for cherry shrimps:
Temperature | 70 to 75 Degrees Fahrenheit |
pH | 6.5 to 7.5 |
GH | 6-8 ppm |
KH | 1-4 ppm |
TDS | 150-250 ppm |
If you are not aware of these water parameters, then read below. I’ll shortly describe each of them:
pH
pH stands for Potential of Hydrogen. pH is measured on a scale from 0 to 14.
- 0 means the water is very acidic.
- 14 means the water is very Alkaline.
- 7 is the neutral range.
The ideal pH range for cherry shrimps is 6.5 to 7.5.
If you need a test kit for measuring the pH, I’ll recommend the API Master Test Kit. With this master test kit, you can measure ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, pH, and many other water parameters. It is certainly a worthwhile investment for any shrimp keeper!
GH
GH stands for General Hardness. It generally indicates the amount of Calcium and Magnesium in the water.
GH is measured in ppm (Parts Per Million). The ideal GH range for cherry shrimps is 6-8 ppm.
KH
KH stands for Carbonate Hardness. Like GH, it is also measured in ppm. Generally, KH refers to how quickly the pH of the aquarium water can go up or down.
The older the aquarium, the lower the KH value. The ideal KH range for cherry shrimp is 1-4 ppm.
With this GH & KH Test Kit, you can measure the GH and KH of your shrimp tank water. There is no need to buy two separate test kits. It is certainly a handy test kit that will help you a long way!
TDS
TDS stands for Total Dissolved Solids. It measures all the elements in the water except for the H20 molecules. For example, TDS includes minerals, nitrite, nitrate, chemicals, ammonia, etc. It is also measured in ppm.
Don’t get too high on the TDS. It is not as important as the other ones I mentioned earlier. I measure TDS to determine whether I need to perform a water change. A higher TDS means my tank needs a water change.
The ideal TDS range for cherry shrimps is 150-250 ppm. To measure TDS, you’ll need a TDS meter. I like this one as it offers the most accurate reading.
Stress Can Negatively Affect Cherry Shrimps
Stress also plays a big role in determining the lifespan of a cherry shrimp. Shrimps, in general, do not do well under constant pressure or stress. As a result, their lifespan decreases significantly.
In this section, we’ll take a closer look at the things that can stress your cherry shrimps the most:
Overfeeding
Overfeeding is one of the worst practices that shrimp keepers do. We love our shrimps so much that we don’t know when to stop feeding.
Shrimps in general require very little feeding. Overfeeding them can cause many problems, such as:
- Overfeeding results in poor water quality. The uneaten foods quickly deteriorate and decompose. It results in a larger quantity of TDS. Also, overfeeding tips off the other water parameters. As a result, the cherry shrimps suffer a shorter lifespan.
- Overfeeding can also cause various diseases in cherry shrimps. Some of the common diseases are infection and fungus.
So, it is best to avoid overfeeding. Here are some of the good practices when feeding cherry shrimps:
- You don’t have to feed every day. It is a good practice to feed your cherry shrimps every other day. This way, the cherry shrimps can munch on the algae of your aquarium.
- If you are not comfortable with the first practice, then do this. Do not offer your cherry shrimp anything once a week. This should improve the water quality a bit.
- Also, it is better to put the food in a food bowl. This way, the food doesn’t get scattered all over the aquarium, and you’ll have an easy time cleaning up the uneaten food.
Bad Tank Location
Do not place your shrimp tank near a constant source of noise. This can negatively impact your cherry shrimp.
Some bad locations to set up a shrimp tank are: TV room, Living Room, Kitchen or someplace where people gather and chat around all the time.
Unsuitable Tank Mates
Unsuitable tank mates can also be a major issue for your cherry shrimps. Before thinking of any tank mates for your cherry shrimps, research and find out if the new tank mate can be a potential danger for your cherry shrimps or not.
In general, most fish will try to eat your shrimp. If it fits in their mouth, they’ll try to eat it. Even the most gentle Otto fish can try to hunt your shrimps. So, be very careful when introducing a new tank mate to your cherry shrimp tank.
If you choose the wrong tank mate, your cherry shrimp will be under constant stress, which will drastically decrease their lifespan.
Here is a list of the good and bad tank mates for cherry shrimp:
How Do You Know If Your Cherry Shrimp Is Dying?
Sometimes, the cherry shrimp owners do not understand when their cherry shrimp are dying. If you know the signs beforehand, you can save your sick cherry shrimp. Let’s see what a dead cherry shrimp looks like.
1. Change In Color
The most prominent sign of dying shrimp is their color change. The inside body of a dying shrimp will turn into a light pinkish color. Your cherry shrimp may look fleshy.
Sometimes, the dying cherry shrimp turns cloudy, white, or pale. This usually happens when the shrimp has a few days left to die due to old age. However, these shrimp may become pale because they are stressed.
2. Lethargy
Generally, cherry shrimp are active and playful. You can often see them swim a lot. But, if your cherry shrimp is about to die, it will become idle and lethargic. These dying shrimp tend to hide.
3. Swimming Sideways
If you notice your shrimp swimming sideways, your shrimp may get stuck during its molting. No wonder it’s a terrible sign. Your cherry shrimp might die when they can’t get out of their old exoskeleton.
4. Loss Of Appetite
When you start keeping cherry shrimp as pets, you might notice their voracious appetite. But, it’ll be a matter of concern if your cherry shrimp do not show interest in food suddenly.
How Do You Save A Dying Cherry Shrimp?
To save a dying cherry shrimp, you need to recognize the symptoms as soon as possible. Then, you can take proper steps to save your dying cherry shrimp.
1. Isolate Dying Cherry Shrimp
The first step is to isolate your dying cherry shrimp. If your sick shrimp suffers from contagious diseases, keeping them with other tank mates will be risky. After isolating your dying cherry shrimp, you can examine them closely.
If you want to know about cherry shrimp diseases, you can check out this article to get the solutions too.
2. Find Out The Reason
By observing the signs, you need to find out the potential reasons behind your shrimp sickness. Check out the tank water parameters, temperature range, and other environmental factors. You should examine where these shrimp’s survival conditions have gone wrong.
3. Take Proper Actions
After determining the causes, you should take proper steps. For example, if your cherry shrimp are dying due to wrong water parameters, you should change the water.
Sometimes, cherry shrimp may die due to stress caused by temperature fluctuations. In such a case, you should keep a constant temperature range.
Moreover, you should provide proper treatments if your cherry shrimp are dying because of bacterial or fungal infections. So, you are required to take appropriate actions depending on the reasons for your cherry shrimp distress.
To determine the problems of your shrimp, you might take help from this write-up, including 14 reasons for cherry shrimp dying.
Cherry Shrimp Diseases & Prevention
Want to get a printable version of this infographic? Click here! [If you want to use this infographic on your website, please link back to this post as the source!]
Why Are My Cherry Shrimp Dying After Molting?
Molting is a vulnerable phase for any species of shrimp. Your cherry shrimp may die during molting.
In several common cases, cherry shrimp face white rings of death during molting. As a result, their old shell or exoskeleton gets separated into two parts.
Moreover, cherry shrimp may struggle to remove their old skin. In failed molting, cherry shrimp get stuck in the middle of shedding their exoskeleton, which leads to their death.
Besides, your cherry shrimp may die during the post-molting period. Generally, they take 12-48 hours to recuperate. After molting, the shrimp’s body remains soft and delicate as it does not have any protection from the shell. In addition, its new exoskeleton does not remain hard in the beginning.
In this phase of post-molting, shrimp can easily be attacked by their tank mates. They can also be stressed due to fluctuations in water parameters, temperatures, noise, etc. For all of these reasons, your cherry shrimp may die while molting and after molting.
If you want to help your cherry shrimp in this vulnerable stage, you should go through this article: cherry shrimp molting problems.
Can Cherry Shrimp Survive In A New Tank?
You should not introduce your cherry shrimp to a new tank. If the tank has not matured properly, your cherry shrimp won’t survive long in it.
In an empty tank, your cherry shrimp won’t get any biofilm, algae, or beneficial bacteria. Hence, it becomes hard for these shrimp to survive in a new tank. For this reason, you should let the shrimp tank mature for 4-6 weeks before adding shrimp.
If you are a beginner, you can check this article regarding the cherry shrimp care guide.
How Long Can Cherry Shrimp Survive Without Feeding?
As cherry shrimp are scavengers like other shrimp, they do not require much feeding. Generally, the experts suggest feeding your cherry shrimp 1-2 times a week.
Without eating anything, the survival days of cherry shrimp depend upon the condition of the tank. If it is a bare tank, your cherry shrimp won’t survive more than a week.
You’ve to keep your cherry shrimp in a well-aged tank if you want to leave these shrimp without feeding. When the cherry shrimp tank contains a good amount of biofilm and algae, these shrimp may survive.
What Does A Dead Cherry Shrimp Look Like?
The very first thing to notice is the motionless behavior of your dead cherry shrimp. Although the exoskeleton may look normal, their inner body looks fleshy. Besides, you might see other shrimp or snails eating the outer shells of your dead cherry shrimp.
However, when you find your cherry shrimp dead, you should remove it as early as possible. Otherwise, the tank water will become foul when the dead shrimp starts decomposing.
Final Words
So, I hope by now you have a pretty good idea of how long cherry shrimps live. Try to provide your cherry shrimps with the ideal living conditions they deserve. And they will live to their fullest.
About Author
Hello, I’m Muntaseer Rahman, the owner of AcuarioPets.com. I’m passionate about aquarium pets like shrimps, snails, crabs, and crayfish. I’ve created this website to share my expertise and help you provide better care for these amazing pets.
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