What Should You Feed Cherry Shrimp? A Complete Feeding Guide
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What Should You Feed Cherry Shrimp? A Complete Feeding Guide
One of the most common questions we receive from shrimp keepers is:
What should I feed my Cherry Shrimp?
The answer isn't simply "buy a good shrimp food."
Cherry Shrimp are natural grazers and eat many different things throughout the day. In a mature aquarium, you'll constantly see them picking at plants, moss, wood, rocks, substrate and even the aquarium glass.
At AUShrimpHome, we manage hundreds of shrimp breeding tanks, and one of the most important things we've learned is that we don't want our shrimp relying on one type of food every day.
Instead, we rotate different foods to provide a varied diet while allowing the shrimp to continue naturally grazing throughout the aquarium.
In this guide, we'll explain what Cherry Shrimp eat, how often we feed our colonies, what we feed them, and one of the biggest mistakes shrimp keepers make—feeding too much.
What Do Cherry Shrimp Naturally Eat?
Cherry Shrimp are omnivorous scavengers and grazers.
In an established aquarium, they spend much of their day feeding on naturally occurring materials such as:
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Biofilm
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Algae
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Microorganisms
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Decaying plant matter
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Organic debris
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Leftover food
This is why you may see your shrimp constantly moving their tiny front legs even when you haven't added food.
They're eating.
A mature shrimp aquarium can provide a surprising amount of natural food.
This is also one reason we prefer established tanks over completely new aquariums, especially when raising baby shrimp.
Biofilm Is One of the Most Important Foods in a Shrimp Tank
Biofilm is a thin layer of microorganisms that naturally develops on surfaces inside a mature aquarium.
It grows on:
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Moss
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Plants
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Driftwood
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Rocks
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Substrate
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Filter sponges
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Aquarium glass
Adult shrimp graze on it throughout the day, but we find it particularly valuable for baby shrimp.
Newly hatched shrimplets are tiny and don't travel around the aquarium as easily as adults. Having plenty of mature surfaces covered with microorganisms means food is available close to where they're hiding.
This is one reason we like moss and other complex surfaces in our breeding tanks.
They aren't just decorations—they create additional grazing areas.
Do Cherry Shrimp Need Commercial Food?
Do Cherry Shrimp Need Commercial Food?
Even though Cherry Shrimp can find a surprising amount of natural food in a mature aquarium, we still supplement our breeding colonies with specially formulated shrimp foods.
Why?
Because when we're maintaining breeding colonies, we're asking the shrimp to do much more than simply survive.
We want them to:
- Grow well
- Moult successfully
- Develop strong, vibrant colour
- Produce healthy eggs
- Breed consistently
- Produce strong, healthy shrimplets
Over the years, we found that relying on just one type of commercial food didn't give us the variety we wanted across our breeding colonies. Different stages of a shrimp's life—and different goals within a breeding program—can benefit from different nutritional profiles.
That's why we started researching, testing and developing different types of shrimp food for our own colonies.
Instead of trying to make one food do everything, we developed specialised foods such as:
- Protein Plus – to provide additional protein as part of a balanced feeding rotation
- Growth Boost – developed to support healthy growth and development
- Colour Enhance – designed to support the shrimp's natural colour and condition
- Magic Feed – a versatile food we use as part of our regular feeding rotation
- Snow – provides a different style of feeding and encourages natural grazing behaviour
- Shrimp Magnet – another nutritional option that adds variety to the weekly diet
- Mulberry – provides plant-based nutrition and a longer-lasting grazing food
These foods weren't created simply because we wanted a large product range. They were developed from what we observed and needed while managing our own shrimp breeding tanks.
Why We Don't Feed the Same Food Every Day
Why We Don't Feed the Same Food Every Day
At AUShrimpHome, we prefer food rotation rather than feeding the same food every day.
From our experience across our breeding tanks, when shrimp are offered the same food continuously, they can sometimes become less interested or less enthusiastic about eating it. Changing foods regularly helps stimulate their interest and encourages more active feeding.
You may notice this yourself: introduce a different food after feeding the same one for several days, and the shrimp may quickly gather around the new food.
This is another reason we developed and use a variety of foods, including:
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Snow
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Protein Plus
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Growth Boost
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Colour Enhance
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Shrimp Magnet
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Magic Feed
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Mulberry
Each food provides a different nutritional profile, texture, aroma and feeding experience.
By rotating one different food each day, we achieve two things:
1. Better nutritional variety
Our shrimp receive different sources of protein, plant matter, vitamins, minerals and other nutrients instead of relying on a single formula.
2. Better feeding interest
Changing foods helps keep shrimp interested in feeding rather than becoming accustomed to the same food every day.
Our feeding schedule isn't a strict formula that every shrimp keeper needs to follow. We adjust it depending on the colony size, age of the shrimp, breeding activity and amount of natural food available in the aquarium.
The important principle is simple:
Don't rely on one food for everything. A varied diet provides broader nutrition and helps keep your shrimp actively interested in feeding.
An Example of Our Shrimp Feeding Rotation
A feeding week might look something like this:
Monday — Snow
Tuesday — Protein Plus
Wednesday — Growth Boost
Thursday — Colour Enhance
Friday — Mulberry
Saturday — Shrimp Magnet
Sunday — Magic Feed
This isn't a strict schedule that every shrimp keeper needs to copy.
We change our feeding depending on the colony, number of shrimp, amount of natural food available and what we're trying to achieve in that particular tank.
The important principle is:
Variety instead of relying on one food every day.
How Often Should You Feed Cherry Shrimp?
There is no single feeding schedule that works for every aquarium.
A tank containing 10 shrimp shouldn't receive the same amount of food as a breeding colony containing hundreds.
You also need to consider how mature the aquarium is.
A well-established planted aquarium with lots of:
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Biofilm
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Algae
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Moss
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Leaf litter
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Wood
may naturally provide much more food than a newer, cleaner aquarium.
Instead of blindly following a feeding chart, observe your shrimp.
Let Your Shrimp Tell You
Shrimp behaviour is extremely useful.
When we add food to a healthy breeding colony, shrimp should gradually locate it and begin feeding.
If food disappears extremely quickly and the colony remains actively searching, the amount may be appropriate or could potentially be increased slightly.
If a large amount of food remains untouched for hours, you're probably feeding too much—or you should investigate why the shrimp aren't interested in eating.
Observation is often more useful than following an exact number printed on a packet.
Overfeeding Is More Dangerous Than Slightly Underfeeding
One of the biggest mistakes we see beginners make is worrying that their shrimp will starve.
They add some food.
The shrimp don't finish it.
Then they add more food the following day.
Eventually, uneaten food begins accumulating in the aquarium.
This can cause much bigger problems than simply wasting food.
Overfeeding Can Affect Water Quality
Uneaten food eventually begins to break down.
In excessive amounts, this increases the organic waste in your aquarium and can contribute to:
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Poor water quality
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Increased ammonia
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Bacterial growth
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Cloudy water
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Unwanted pests
In a small shrimp aquarium, water quality can deteriorate surprisingly quickly when too much food is continually added.
Remember:
The food you put into the tank doesn't disappear just because the shrimp don't eat it.
Overfeeding and Planaria
Another issue we pay particular attention to is planaria.
A few planaria may exist unnoticed in an aquarium, but consistently providing excess food can help their population increase.
This can become a serious problem in a shrimp breeding tank.
From our experience, the shrimp most vulnerable to planaria include:
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Newly hatched shrimplets
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Weak shrimp
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Stressed shrimp
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Freshly moulted shrimp
These shrimp are much less capable of escaping or defending themselves.
One frustrating thing about this problem is that you may not experience a dramatic mass death.
Instead, you might notice:
one shrimp today...
another shrimp tomorrow...
another a few days later...
The colony gradually declines.
When this happens, many keepers immediately blame GH, TDS, disease or the shrimp themselves.
But sometimes the underlying problem began with something as simple as too much food.
How Much Food Should You Give Cherry Shrimp?
We don't like giving an exact amount such as:
"Feed exactly X grams per 20 shrimp."
Every aquarium is different.
Instead, start with a small amount and observe what happens.
Ideally, most prepared food should be consumed within a reasonable period rather than sitting untouched in the aquarium for many hours.
If you're regularly finding significant leftovers, reduce the amount next time.
As your colony grows, gradually increase the amount.
Let the size and behaviour of your colony determine how much you feed.
What About Baby Shrimp?
Baby shrimp—or shrimplets—have slightly different needs from adults.
Because they're tiny, they benefit greatly from food being available throughout the aquarium rather than only in one large pellet.
This is where a mature aquarium becomes extremely valuable.
Biofilm provides a continuous natural food source.
We particularly like:
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Moss
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Mature sponge filters
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Driftwood
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Leaf litter
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Established plants
because these surfaces provide places for microorganisms and biofilm to develop.
Fine or powdered foods can also help distribute supplementary nutrition throughout the aquarium where tiny shrimplets can reach it.
Protein Is Important—but More Isn't Always Better
Protein plays an important role in:
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Growth
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Development
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Reproduction
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Egg production
This is one reason we include higher-protein foods such as Protein Plus in our rotation.
However, we don't believe shrimp need a very high-protein food at every feeding.
Again, we prefer balance.
Protein is one part of the diet, not the entire diet.
Feeding for Colour
Genetics is the foundation of shrimp colour.
Food cannot turn a genetically low-grade shrimp into a high-grade shrimp.
However, good nutrition can help shrimp display their natural colour and condition.
That's why colour-supporting foods are part of our rotation rather than the only thing we feed.
Think of colour as a combination of:
Genetics + Nutrition + Environment + Health
You need all of them working together.
Feeding for Breeding
If your goal is breeding, don't simply increase the amount of food.
More food doesn't automatically mean more babies.
We focus instead on providing:
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A varied diet
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Appropriate protein
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Plant-based nutrition
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Minerals
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Mature biofilm
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Stable water
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Plenty of hiding places
Healthy females need enough nutrition to produce eggs, while newly hatched shrimplets need safe places containing readily available food.
The entire environment matters.
Natural Foods We Like in Shrimp Tanks
Prepared foods aren't the only things we use.
Natural materials can also provide food and grazing surfaces.
Depending on the aquarium, these may include:
Mulberry Leaves
Shrimp readily graze on softened leaves, and they can remain available for extended feeding.
Leaf Litter
Suitable dried leaves gradually develop biofilm as they break down.
Moss
Moss itself isn't necessarily the main food—the real value is the enormous surface area it provides for biofilm and microorganisms.
Driftwood
Older driftwood can become another excellent grazing surface in an established aquarium.
Should You Have a No-Feeding Day?
For many established shrimp tanks, having occasional days without prepared food is perfectly fine.
Remember that you're not necessarily giving your shrimp no food.
They're still grazing on:
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Biofilm
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Algae
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Microorganisms
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Leaves
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Other natural materials
A feeding break can also help prevent excessive food accumulation.
The appropriate frequency depends on your colony and aquarium.
Don't Compare a 10-Shrimp Tank With a 500-Shrimp Colony
This is important.
You may see a breeder putting what looks like a huge amount of food into an aquarium online.
That doesn't mean you should put the same amount into your tank.
A breeding tank containing hundreds of shrimp has completely different food requirements from a new aquarium containing 10 shrimp.
Always feed your colony, not somebody else's.
Signs You May Be Feeding Too Much
Look for:
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Food remaining for long periods
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Increasing planaria populations
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Large numbers of detritus worms
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Cloudy water
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Excessive organic waste
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Food accumulating in the substrate
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Shrimp consistently ignoring new food
If you see these signs, don't automatically add another product to fix the aquarium.
Start by reducing the amount of food entering the system.
Sometimes the simplest solution is the best one.
Signs Your Feeding Routine Is Working
Rather than judging success by how quickly shrimp attack a pellet, we look at the colony as a whole.
We want to see:
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Active grazing
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Healthy growth
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Successful moulting
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Strong colour
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Berried females
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Good shrimplet survival
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Consistent breeding
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Stable water quality
These are much better indicators of a successful feeding program.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I feed Cherry Shrimp every day?
You can, but it isn't always necessary. Mature aquariums contain natural food such as biofilm and algae. Feeding frequency should depend on colony size, tank maturity and how quickly food is consumed.
How long should shrimp food stay in the tank?
There isn't one exact rule for every food because some foods are designed to remain available longer than others. However, if large amounts of prepared food are regularly sitting untouched for many hours, reduce the amount you're feeding.
Can Cherry Shrimp survive on algae alone?
They can obtain significant nutrition from algae and biofilm, but for breeding colonies we prefer providing a varied supplementary diet to support growth, reproduction, moulting and overall condition.
What is the best food for baby Cherry Shrimp?
We consider mature biofilm extremely important for shrimplets because it provides food where they naturally hide and graze. Fine supplementary foods can also help distribute nutrition throughout the aquarium.
Do Cherry Shrimp need protein?
Yes. Protein is part of a balanced shrimp diet and supports growth and reproduction. However, we don't believe every meal needs to be high in protein.
Can overfeeding kill Cherry Shrimp?
Overfeeding can indirectly contribute to shrimp deaths by degrading water quality, increasing organic waste and encouraging unwanted organisms such as planaria.
Why aren't my shrimp eating?
Don't immediately assume they're sick. Shrimp may already have plenty of natural food available. However, if the entire colony suddenly stops grazing or behaves unusually, check the aquarium for water-quality or environmental problems.
Our Feeding Philosophy at AUShrimpHome
After managing hundreds of breeding tanks, our approach to feeding has become quite simple:
Feed variety. Feed according to colony size. Watch the shrimp. Don't overfeed.
We don't believe successful shrimp keeping requires making things unnecessarily complicated.
A mature aquarium already provides a natural buffet throughout the day. Prepared foods should complement that ecosystem rather than completely replace it.
Give your shrimp stable water, good nutrition, plenty of natural grazing surfaces and time to establish themselves.
When those pieces come together, you'll see the result where it matters most:
healthy shrimp, successful moults, berried females and lots of shrimplets.
About AUShrimpHome
At AUShrimpHome, we breed freshwater shrimp in Sydney and develop shrimp foods based on the needs we observe in our own breeding colonies.
The information in this guide comes from the feeding routines and observations we use across our own shrimp tanks rather than simply following a generic feeding chart.
Our goal is simple: make successful shrimp keeping easier for Australian hobbyists.