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No federal permit to keepCherry shrimp
Neocaridina davidi
Invertebrates › Freshwater shrimp (Decapoda) › Atyidae (Freshwater shrimp)
Neocaridina davidi, also known as the cherry shrimp, is a freshwater shrimp native to Taiwan, east of China, the Korean Peninsula, and Vietnam, that is sold globally in the aquatic pet trade.
Care at a glance
Species-specific values
Values researched for this exact species. Where they differ from the group guide below, follow these. Air, surface and water temperatures are listed separately, and each source is kept as published rather than averaged.
| Water temperature target | 72–76 degF Keeper preferred reproductive range; wider tolerated range 60–82°F is not the same target. | 357 |
| Water pH | 6.5–8.5 pH Keeper range; maintain stability and appropriate minerals. | 357 |
| Water gh minimum | 6 dGH Keeper lower bound, not a universal optimum. | 357 |
| Water kh minimum | 2 dKH Keeper lower bound; KH and GH are distinct. | 357 |
| Breeding tank volume recommended | 10 US gal or larger Keeper colony recommendation, not a one-animal minimum. | 357 |
Care guide
Freshwater shrimp
Applies to most species in this group. Habitat: Streams and ponds. Individual species can differ, so compare with the species numbers above and the linked sources.
Housing & setup
- Cycled, planted tanks with stable water; moss gives baby shrimp grazing surfaces.
Diet
- Biofilm, algae, blanched vegetables and shrimp pellets.
Health watch
- Avoid copper-based treatments and abrupt temperature, salinity or hardness changes. Maintain stable, species-appropriate mineral content; different freshwater shrimp do not share one water-chemistry recipe.
Understanding the animal
About this animal
About this animal
They are omnivores, and their natural habitat in these regions include inland water bodies such as lakes, ponds, rivers, and streams. N. davidi is also able to tolerate a wide range of environmental conditions, and as a result of this is also becoming invasive in thermally polluted waterways of Japan, the United States, Poland, and Germany.
Quoted from the Wikipedia article “Neocaridina davidi” (CC BY-SA 4.0) 174
Native climate (measured)
Native climate (measured)
| Warm-season highs | about 86°F (up to 89°F in the hottest sampled areas) |
| Cool-season lows | about 31°F (down to 14°F in the coldest sampled areas) |
| Average temperature | 53–70°F across sampled records |
| Relative humidity | 65–74% on average (driest month about 59%) |
| Rainfall | about 1553 mm a year |
| Winters | Cool to cold winters (lows around 31°F) in much of its native range. Seasonal slowdown may be relevant, but species-specific biology determines whether brumation or hibernation occurs. |
Measured at 53 wild occurrence records sampled against WorldClim 2.1 climate data (1970–2000 averages). Air conditions in the range are ecological context, not enclosure settings: microhabitats such as burrows, leaf litter or basking rocks can be cooler, warmer or more humid.
Data and studies
Researched care notes
Researched care notes
Findings checked against veterinary, zoo, welfare, keeper and peer-reviewed sources. Air, basking-surface and water temperatures are kept separate, and where sources disagree both are shown. “Study” notes report what a paper measured, not a universal rule.
Cherry Shrimp
- Aquarium Co-Op identifies cherry shrimp as Neocaridina davidi; do not apply their care values automatically to Caridina bee shrimp.1
- Use a mature aquarium with established grazing surfaces, and protect filter intakes with a sponge to prevent losses of shrimplets.1
- Aquarium Co-Op prefers water temperature 22–24°C while reporting a wider 16–28°C tolerance; distinguish preferred routine conditions from tolerance bounds.1
- The guide recommends pH 6.5–8.5, GH at least 6 dGH and KH at least 2 dKH; these are keeper recommendations, not universal molting guarantees.1
- Provide plant cover and shelters for newly molted shrimp, whose fresh exoskeleton is initially soft.1
- Supply appropriate shrimp food in addition to biofilm; fish tankmates can consume young shrimp even when adults appear compatible.1
Veterinary & husbandry research
Veterinary & husbandry research
- All Shades of Shrimp: Preferences of Colour Morphs of a Freshwater Shrimp Neocaridina davidi (Decapoda, Atyidae) for Substrata of Different Colouration Plichta Z et al., Animals: an open access journal from MDPI 2021
- A crustacean annotated transcriptome (CAT) database Nong W et al., BMC genomics 2020
- Epibiont Cohabitation in Freshwater Shrimp Neocaridina davidi with the Description of Two Species New to Science, Cladogonium kumaki sp. nov. and Monodiscus kumaki sp. nov., and Redescription of Scutariella japonica and Holtodrilus truncatus Maciaszek R et al., Animals: an open access journal from MDPI 2023
- Seasonal exchange of microsporidian parasites between native and non-native pet-traded freshwater crustaceans: Is parasite spillover favored over spillback? Prati S et al., Parasite (Paris, France) 2025
Peer-reviewed papers that mention this species alongside captivity, zoos, veterinary care or aquaculture. Some cover several species or mention it only in passing, so check the abstract. 170
Sources for this sheet
- Merck Veterinary Manual: Types and features of aquatic systems Zoo, university or veterinaryThe Merck Veterinary Manual: a standard veterinary reference written and reviewed by veterinary specialists.
- University of Florida IFAS: Use of Copper in Marine Aquaculture and Aquarium Systems Zoo, university or veterinaryAdded in the 2026 source-checked care-guide review.
- Aquarium Co-Op: Amano Shrimp Care Guide Experienced keeper or breederAdded in the 2026 source-checked care-guide review.
- Aquarium Co-Op: Cherry Shrimp—Tank Setup, Food, and Breeding Experienced keeper or breederAdded in the 2026 source-checked care-guide review.
- Okuno & Bruce 2010: Designation of Ancylomenes gen. nov. Peer-reviewed researchAdded in the 2026 source-checked care-guide review.
- WoRMS/DecaNet: Hymenocera picta Zoo, university or veterinaryAdded in the 2026 source-checked care-guide review.
- GBIF Backbone Taxonomy (Global Biodiversity Information Facility) Peer-reviewed researchInternational scientific taxonomy used here for classification.
- Wikipedia (species article) Community referenceFree encyclopedia; useful overviews with their own citations. Intro text is quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- PubMed (U.S. National Library of Medicine) Peer-reviewed researchIndex of peer-reviewed veterinary, zoo and husbandry research.
- iNaturalist (captive observations) Community referenceCommunity observation platform run by the California Academy of Sciences and National Geographic; observations marked captive show animals living in homes, zoos and aquariums.
