How Long Do Cherry Shrimp Live? (And How To Increase It)
Cherry shrimp are beautiful little crustaceans and top-notch scavengers, so adding them to your tank is a great way to keep things clean. That said, they do require a little care if you want to keep your shrimp healthy. So, how long do Cheery shrimp live, anyways?
Today we’ll address this question and we’ll also give you some tips in regards to the most common health issues which they can suffer, as well as what you can do to help minimize this. In the end, you should be well-prepared to add these useful crustaceans to your favorite tank.
Let’s talk about Cherry shrimp and what you can do to make them thrive!
How Long Do Cherry Shrimp Live?
Provided that they are being hosted at an ideal temperature of around 72 degrees and that their water is at a PH of 6.5 to 8.0, Cherry shrimp can live 1 to up to 2 years. This is pretty good for creatures that are so tiny, but there are still some factors you’ll need to be aware of if you want to host these shrimps properly.
What Can Shorten Your Cherry Shrimps Lifespan?
Cherry shrimp can potentially live up to 2 years, but there are still a number of things that can shorten their lifespans. We’ll tell you about the most common things that contribute to this so that you may prepare accordingly and keep your cherry shrimp happy and healthy for as long as possible.
Below you’ll find the most common culprits for short Cherry shrimp lifespans.
Failing To Acclimate Them To Your Tank
The most common cause of death with Cherry shrimp is failing to acclimate properly to the tank. This can cause them to quickly go into shock, or they may just start dying out in the next few days. Always be sure to acclimate your Cherry shrimp properly to your new tank to avoid this. We’ll talk a little more about what you can do shortly.
Poor Care From Retailers
Not all retailers are the same. Many are dealing with a large volume of shrimp; if they aren’t aware of or overly concerned with their care because they’ve simply got so many, then you might end up with some sickly shrimp at no fault of your own.
The good news is that they will generally improve when they are acclimated to a new and better environment, but if you notice that a lot of them are dying after careful introduction to the tank, consider trying another vendor.
White Ring
As your shrimp grows, they get too big for their shells, and then it’s molting time! Sometimes there can be an issue, however, called ‘White Ring’. This is named for the visible rings of flesh that show when the shell doesn’t break off properly due to diet or to improper kH, gH, or PH levels in the tank.
If you notice a number of shrimp with this, then it’s definitely time to start checking the water and your shrimp’s diet to get this under control quickly!
Environmental Factors In The Tank
A number of variables occur in your tank, and so we’ll go over some of the most common that can affect your Cherry shrimp. Some of them might surprise you. Let’s take a look, and this may help to narrow down the issue if your shrimp seem to be expiring well before their times.
Improperly Prepared Plants
Be careful where you purchase plants for your tank. Be sure to go with a reputable and knowledgeable retailer because on rare occasions, plants may be sold that have been treated with pesticides, and these can hurt your Cherry shrimp and other inhabitants of your tank.
Too Many pH Fluctuations
Ideally, you want between 6.2 and 8.0 when it comes to PH levels. Check this regularly so that you can see if the PH is fluctuating more than normal. Aside from the PH, Nitrates should also be below 20 ppm, and Nitrite and Ammonia should be at 0 ppm.
Weekly testing is ideal and should help you to avoid any problems.
Copper Or Chloramine From Tap Water
Tap water sometimes has chloramine levels that can have an impact on your Cherry shrimp. If you use warm water, you also occasionally end up with copper levels which your Cherry shrimp are quite sensitive to.
Fish Medicines
Watch out for fish medicines with high copper content, as these will help your fish but can make your Cherry shrimp ill or even prove fatal. Ask your local vendor if they can help or check the labels for the available fish medicine thoroughly before introducing it into the tank.
Fertilizer Contaminants
If you are introducing any fertilizer components to your tank to help your plants, then this is another area where you will want to look for copper. Many fertilizers will have copper, and some even contain lead! Careful examination of the labeling and online reviews from other aquarium enthusiasts can help you to find some better options.
How Can You Increase Your Cherry Shrimps Lifespan?
Now that you know some of the pitfalls, let’s talk about some of the ways in which you may increase their lifespans and help your shrimps to thrive.
Careful Acclimation Is Best
We addressed this in-brief in the previous section, but this deserves a little more focus. The best way to acclimate your Cherry shrimp to their new tank is a method called ‘the Drip method’. While this deserves an article all its own, you can do a search on YouTube and learn this technique much more quickly.
The Drip method is a very calculated introduction technique that is great to learn as it will save a lot of your fish from acclimation shock. Take a peek and take notes because this technique is a keeper!
Avoid Overfeeding
Avoid overfeeding both your fish and your Cherry shrimp. The shrimp don’t need much and they will also be snacking on algae, and for your fish, you want quantities that will easily be finished within a few minutes.
Supplement Their Diets
Speaking of Cherry shrimp diets, algae wafers and blanched vegetables should be included in your shrimps’ diet to make sure that they are getting all of their nutrients. Keep the amounts minimal, as we still want to avoid overfeeding, but make sure that they are getting these vital nutrients, and they should definitely live longer.
Weekly Water Testing
We said it once, and we’ll say it again. Weekly testing of your water is crucial to managing the mini-environment you’ve created in your tank. Watch the PH and the ammonia closely and try to keep your tank levels at the optimums we’ve recommended today.
How Do You Know If Your Cherry Shrimp Is Dead?
If your shrimp have disappeared, then don’t lose hope. Cherry shrimp like to hide, and due to their size, they’re pretty good at it. Unless it’s been eaten, if it’s dead, then you’ll just see it lying there, but if it’s missing, then check your plants.
Most commonly, you’ll find your shrimp hiding behind the plants, in moss, or occasionally even keeping a low profile inside your filter intake tubes! If you don’t find them, be patient because your Cherry shrimp is quite likely in there somewhere and will eventually pop out of their hidey-hole.
Today we’ve addressed the question ‘how long do Cherry shrimp live?’ and as you can see, it’s going to depend on a lot of factors. With proper acclimation, regular water checks, and attention to supplementing their diets, then your Cherry shrimp should do quite well in their new environments and stick around for 1 to 2 years.
So, just take good care of them, and they’ll take good care of your tank for a nice, long time!
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