How Much Do Cherry Shrimps Cost?

how to control cherry shrimp population

Before getting into the hobby, many people often wonder how much do cherry shrimps actually cost. I decided to do some research and find out everything about the cost of cherry shrimps.

Cherry shrimps generally cost between $2.6 to $3 per piece. The price varies depending on the shop, breeder as well as shrimp grade and coloration.

The cost of cherry shrimps depends on many other factors as well. So, if you are determined to have a good grasp on how much these freshwater invertebrates cost, I’ll urge you to read the rest of the article.

red cherry shrimp overview and facts

Factors That Determine The Cost

The cost of a cherry shrimp can depend on many factors. Some of the major factors are:

  • types and grades of the shrimp
  • breeder
  • online or local fish store, etc.

We’ll take a deep look at each of the factors in detail.

Types Of Red Cherry Shrimp & Their Cost

Red cherry shrimps can be classified into 8 types depending on their grades. By grades, I mainly mean the depth of the coloration of the shrimp. Before getting into the details of the types, let us clear a few basics:

  • Redder is Better: When grading red cherry shrimp or almost any kind of shrimp, the deeper the coloration, the better quality it is. In case of red cherry shrimps, the redder and deeper the color is, the higher grade it occupies.
  • Higher Grade Has More Opaque Body Parts: If the shrimp is of higher grade, it will contain more opaque body parts. However, there won’t be any translucent splotches.
  • Male vs Female: Male and female cherry shrimps differ a lot in terms of their appearance. Female red cherry shrimps have deeper color and larger size than the male counterparts. So, a female can be identified as a higher grade whereas the male can fall into a lower grade.

Now that we’ve cleared our basics, it’s time to get into the classification:

  1. Ordinary Red Cherry Shrimp
  2. Sakura
  3. Higher Grade Sakura
  4. Red Fire
  5. Painted Fire Red
  6. Bloody Mary
  7. Kanoko

Let’s get into a bit details:

GradesCost (Per Piece)
Ordinary Red Cherry Shrimp$3.00
Sakura$3.00 to $3.5
Higher Grade Sakura$3.00 to $4.00
Red Fire$3.50 to $6.00
Painted Fire Red$5.00 to $8.00
Bloody Mary$7.00
Kanoko$8.00 to $9.00
* cost can vary from shop to shop/ breeder to breeder

Ordinary Red Cherry Shrimp

They are of the lowest grade. As you can guess, the red coloration will be very poor. There won’t be any solid red patches over the body. In most cases, the body remains mainly opaque or transparent with a few red dots.

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Sakura

sakura cherry shrimp

Sakura shrimps have a deeper red coloration than the ordinary red cherry shrimp. Though the color is denser, the body is not free from opaque patches.

Higher Grade Sakura

higher grade sakura shrimp

Higher coloration than the regular Sakura shrimps. Along with deep red coloration, there can be an orange tint to the body. At this grade level, the shrimp body is nearly completely red.

If you are looking for the Best Quality Higher Grade Sakura Red cherry Shrimps, check them out. I personally vet for them and think they are one of the best suppliers of shrimps currently in the States!

Red Fire

Red Fire Cherry Shrimp

Red fire shrimps have a completely red body. The red color has a more vibrant and intense variant. The females can be even redder than males. Red Fire shrimps have very good quality.

Painted Fire Red

Painted Fire Red shrimp

Painted fire reds are one of the highest grade cherry shrimps available in today’s market. They are rare too. Painted Fire Reds have such a vibrant red color that they stand out almost in any deep background, substrate or plants. They have absolutely no transparent patches on the body.

If you are looking for Fire Red Shrimps, check them out. I personally vet for them and think they are one of the best suppliers of shrimps currently in the States!

Bloody Mary

Bloody Mary shrimp

Bloody Mary is a very recent grade of cherry shrimp that has been introduced to the market from Taiwan. These shrimps have very dense red color in their tissue. But the feature that keeps them apart from other grades is, they have semi-transparent shells on their bodies.

Currently, Flip Aquatics is selling very high-grade Bloody Mary Shrimps on their site. They aren’t available all time. So, if you want some, ‘NOW’ is the right time to get them.

Kanoko

Kanoko shrimp

Kanoko means ‘baby deer’. Kanoko shrimps, similar to a baby deer, have black spots on their back. They have the darkest red coloration on their body. The spots are round and blackish. Kanoko shrimps are extremely rare and only a few breeders in the world have successfully bred them.

See also  Is Cherry Shrimp Safe For Live Feeding?

Where Can You Buy Cherry Shrimps?

There are mainly 2 sources to buy cherry shrimps. They are: online and local fish stores. We’ll take a look at both of these sources and compare their pros and cons.

Local Fish Store

Almost all local fish stores in the United Staes should have some grades of cherry shrimps. If you have bigger fish stores in your area, you can find higher grades too like fire red or painted fire red.

There are also some big retail stores that have many grades of cherry shrimps available. Some of these retail stores are: Petco, Petsmart, and other national or international pet chain shops.

If you are lucky enough, the one in your area can have the grade you are looking for. However, if you can’t find the grade you want, they can definitely get some from their sister branches.

Pros

  • You can examine the shrimps yourself before buying
  • Higher chances of getting better quality shrimp
  • Higher survival rate

Cons

  • lack of available options or grades
  • the grade can be lower compared to a professional breeder

Online Fish Stores

These days, most people buy their shrimps online. This is mainly because of the large available collections you can get.

Also, with online shopping, there is no hassle for you to get the shrimps yourself. Just sit on your bed and order the shrimps you want wearing pajamas. The website will ship the shrimps at your doorstep.

There are many online stores that sell live cherry shrimps such as Amazon, eBay, Flip Aquatics, The Shrimp Farm, etc. Personally, I won’t recommend Amazon or eBay as the collection is not that rich.

For shrimps, the best online sources will be Flip Aquatics and The Shrimp Farm.

Flip Aquatics:

Flip Aquatics started its journey in 2010. The founder is Robert Lupton. Robert started his hobby with shrimps. Soon, he turned his hobby into a business. Today, Flip Aquatics is one of the largest and most reliable online shrimp stores in the United States.

They have a very rich collection of shrimps which they breed themselves. They also have earned a very good reputation for their higher quality shrimps.

Click here to know more about them

There is also a Flip Aquatics YouTube Channel.

The Shrimp Farm:

The Shrimp Farm is another reliable name in the freshwater shrimp keeping world. They have shrimps for both beginner and advanced shrimp breeders.

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The Shrimp Farm started its journey back in 2005. They offer a Guaranteed Live Arrival on all their shipping in the United States. They have also recently opened an outlet in Canada.

Not only shrimps, The Shrimp Farm sells everything you’ll need to keep and breed shrimps professionally. Check Out their site for more information.

Online shipping has both pros and cons too:

Pros

  • Large collection of cherry shrimp grades
  • No hassle
  • No need for bringing the shrimp yourself
  • Directly shipped at your doorstep

Cons

  • Lower survival rate if the shipping duration is long
  • You won’t be able to examine the shrimps before buying
  • Can take a long time for the shipping, especially if you are ordering internationally.

Things To Look For When Buying Cherry Shrimps

When buying shrimps, there are several things you need to look for. Let’s learn about them in details:

While Buying Offline

  • Check if the shrimps are healthy and active. If they seem to be lethargic, then something might be wrong with the shrimp
  • Are the shrimps free from diseases? Is there any tank mate in the shrimp tank that seems to be sick? If yes, don’t buy any shrimps from that tank.
  • Are the shrimps sitting idle on just one place or grazing around the tank? Healthy shrimps often move around the tank and graze on algae.
  • Don’t buy just one or a couple of shrimps. Cherry shrimps are social animal and they thrive best on groups. I’ll recommend to get at least 10 shrimps for a new tank. It will ensure there is enough male and female for breeding.

While Buying Online

  • Check if the online store/website is reliable and trustworthy or not. This is not hard to do these days. Just look for reviews on Google and you’ll see for yourself.
  • Before ordering, check what previous buyers have said about that shrimp. Most reliable online shrimp sites should have a feedback section for all their products. Check the feedback section before ordering anything. Only order if you find most of the feedback positive and assuring.
  • Check the shipping period. If the period is too long, then most of the shrimps might not make it. So, look for a site that provides a shorter shipping period.
  • These days, reliable online stores offer Guaranteed Live Arrival. Also, some may ship 20% more on the total order you made. This is to make up for any lost shrimp during the shipping. Both of these are great signs of a reliable brand.

Conclusion

I hope by now, you have a pretty good idea of how much do cherry shrimps cost and from where to buy them. I hope your shrimp keeping journey blasts off with an awesome start!

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Muntaseer Rahman

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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