Last Updated on November 1, 2022.
Cherry shrimp can be fragile little creatures. In a large colony, it’s going to be impossible to keep track of any particular individual cherry shrimp, unless they have any particular markings that make them very obviously different from the rest. Knowing about the lifespan of a shrimp can help when diagnosing any particular issues with both individual and larger groups of shrimp.
How long do shrimp live?
Shrimp normally live between one to two years of age. This is their average shrimp life expectancy, even though it’s a bit varied. Within the shrimp lifecycle, they mature quite rapidly from birth and are fully mature between around four to six months.
What can harm your shrimp’s lifespan?
Firstly, one of the biggest things that can harm your shrimp’s lifespan is doing water changes with water that isn’t properly treated if you’re using tap water. This is because there are metals in the water that can be toxic to shrimp, such as concentrated amounts of copper.
Relating to this, using a treatment for shrimp or other fish in your tank that contains copper can also lead to an early death. Make sure that your treatment, food, and anything else you’d like to put in your tank that can mix with water is shrimp safe before you introduce it to them.
Pairing your shrimp with fish that love to eat shrimp is the fastest way to decrease your shrimp lifespan. It goes without saying, that you can never guarantee that a fish won’t want to eat shrimp in your tank. There are absolutely fish that make good tank mates for shrimp, but you can never say for sure that an individual fish’s own personality might be different from the average relaxed fish of its kind.
How to increase your shrimp’s lifespan
The best way to increase your shrimp’s lifespan is to monitor the bio-activity in the tank, as well as the water parameters. As scavengers, shrimp need algae and biofilm to cover the surrounding aquascape and tank glass, in order to have food to pick at. Of course, you should supplement their diet and feed your shrimp when they seem hungry or the tank looks a bit too clean. If your tank is lacking biofilm, the best thing to do is use a biofilm powder that will promote the growth of the essential biofilm layers that should cover a well-dressed shrimp tank.
Keeping on top of regular water parameter checks, and potentially regular water changes based on the results of those tests are going to increase the life of your shrimp exponentially. Just like most things in life, the more attention you pay to it, the higher the chance you can catch a potential problem and make changes before it gets out of control. There are several parameters in the water of a shrimp tank that can quickly change based on any number of factors. Some of these factors can even affect how big your shrimp can grow, so the more you keep an eye on things, the higher your chance of success within your colony.
Conclusion: How long do red cherry shrimps live for?
There are many different factors that can change how low a cherry shrimp will live. If you’re able to keep all potential issues in check, they should be able to thrive! Make sure a natural diet is as well met as possible and keep your water parameters well balanced. Monitor regularly and enjoy seeing their colony grow over the couple of years each one has.