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5 Best Foods For Red Cherry Shrimp in 2024 – Reviews & Top Picks

Lindsey Stanton Profile Picture

By Lindsey Stanton

red cherry shrimp

Red Cherry shrimp are some pretty cool creatures indeed. Their bright red color and neatly shaped bodies are always big attractions. Just like with any other pet you may have, Red Cherries need to eat, and they need to eat the right foods.

After all, they cannot feed themselves, so it is up to you to provide them with the proper diet. Let’s talk about the best food for Red Cherry shrimp (this is our top pick).

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A Quick Comparison of Our Favorites in 2024

Rating Image Product Details
Winner
Hikari Crab Cuisine Hikari Crab Cuisine
  • Promote shell development
  • Promotes desirable form and coloration
  • Won't dissolve nor cloud the water
  • Second place
    Shirakura Shrimp Food Shirakura Shrimp Food
  • High in amino acids
  • 100% seafood
  • Good mix of protein
  • Third place
    Omega One Shrimp Sinking Pellets Omega One Shrimp Sinking Pellets
  • Will not make water cloudy
  • Made with real shrimp
  • Sinking shrimp pellets
  • The 5 Best Foods for Cherry Shrimp

    Now that we know what exactly these red cherry shrimp eat, let’s take a look at what we think is the best food option.

    1. Hikari Crab Cuisine

    Hikari Crab Cuisine

    Check Price on Chewy

    These pellets are our top pick for red cherry shrimp. These are made with top quality crab meat that red cherry shrimp simply cannot resist.

    Hikari Crab Cuisine is specially formulated with color enhancing properties to ensure that your red cherry shrimp are as red as they can possibly be.

    This stuff is also enhanced with calcium and other essential nutrients for the development and maintenance of a strong and healthy shell.

    With all of the proteins and nutrients that your red cherry shrimp need to be happy, strong, and healthy, Hikari Crab Cuisine is definitely a good way to go.


    2. Shirakura Shrimp Food

    Shirakura EBI DAMA Shrimp Food

    Shirakura Shrimp Food is all plant based. Yes, shrimp do need meat as well, but they need lots of plant based food too. Like we said, red cherry shrimp like eating algae as well as seaweed, making this shrimp food a big hit.

    Most people boast about how their shrimp flock to this food and won’t stop eating until it is all gone. This is one of the bestselling shrimp foods on the market today.

    This stuffis made from 100% organic seaweed, making it very tasty and appealing to shrimp, plus it contains lots of vitamins and minerals too.

    It will keep your cherry shrimp full and it will help their shells stay strong too. This stuff is also made to not be crumbly, so it won’t cloud up the water.


    3. Omega One Shrimp Sinking Pellets

    Omega One Sinking Catfish Pellets

    Unlike the previous food we just looked at which was made totally out of seaweed, these pellets are made out of 100% seafood. It contains a good mix of various seafood, all of which shrimp love to eat in the wild.

    The fact that Omega One Shrimp Sinking Pellets are made with a mix of seafood is great because it provides your red cherry shrimp with a good mix of protein and other nutrients needed for energy and the development of a strong exoskeleton.

    These pellets are also full of natural fats and are low in ash, so they won’t cloud up the water at all.


    4. Hikari Tropical Algae Wafers

    Hikari Usa Inc AHK21328 tropical Algae Wafer

    Like we mentioned earlier on, red cherry shrimp love to eat algae. So, why not feed them these Hikari Tropical Algae Wafers? They have that great algae taste that shrimp love, plus they are packed with the nutrients that your shrimp need for a healthy and happy life.

    These algae wafers are the perfect food for bottom feeders like shrimp because they sink down to the bottom of the water. These things contain no substitutes, additives, or other harmful components.

    They are made out of algae and just algae, thus providing your little shrimps with a full belly and a hard outer shell.


    5. Freeze Dried Blood Worms

    Omega One Freeze Dried Blood Worms fish food

    This final option is another great one to go with. Shrimp do love to eat meat, with one of the favorite treats being blood worms.

    While these worms may have slightly less nutrients than their fresh counterparts, being freeze dried means that they are free of parasites and harmful bacteria which could make red cherry shrimp sick.

    These freeze dried blood worms are very healthy, they taste great, and are loaded full of nutrients that your shrimp need.

    They have lots of protein, have a good fat content, and lots of minerals for a strong shell and healthy life. These pellets are also designed to prevent the clouding up of water.

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    Frequently Asked Questions

    What Do Red Cherry Shrimp Eat?

    Feeding Red Cherry Shrimp is pretty simple and straightforward. These little guys are voracious eaters and they will eat mostly anything in their path that can fit into their mouths.

    They will eat things like;

    cherry shrimp in aquarium
    Image Credit: Piqsels

    These little guys are also known for eating brown and green algae, which is great for the cleanliness of the interior of your aquarium. Red cherry shrimp are also known to be scavengers and will eat debris from various uneaten food sources.

    In essence, as you can see, these guys eat mostly anything that they can digest, which is pretty convenient when it comes to feeding time. If you did not notice, we did list shrimp pellets above.

    Yes, most shrimp are cannibalistic and will eat other shrimp when given the chance, especially when they are already dead and come ready to eat in a nifty little pellet.

    Are red cherry shrimp good algae eaters?

    Yes, in fact, a large part of a cherry shrimp diet consists of algae. Sure, red cherry shrimp will eat a lot of different waste, uneaten food, and all sorts of things.

    However, one of their favorite snacks is indeed algae. Red cherry shrimp are fantastic algae eaters and will eat all sorts of algae, even hair algae, which most other creatures won’t go near. Red cherry shrimp are considered to be algae removal specialists.

    Do cherry shrimp eat brine shrimp?

    From time to time, red cherry shrimp have been known to eat brine shrimp, although it is somewhat rare. Red cherry shrimp may eat frozen brine shrimp yes, but usually not live ones.

    Live brine shrimp may be too quick and difficult for red cherry shrimp to catch. Although, if they can catch them, then yes, there is a good chance that red cherry shrimp will eat brine shrimp.

    red cherry shrimp and moss balls
    Image Credit: Ian Grainger, Shutterstock

    Will Cherry shrimp eat dead plants?

    Yes, and this is one of the reasons why feeding cherry shrimp is so easy. Red cherry shrimp will eat dead and decaying plant matter.

    Now, it’s not their favorite food of all, as they love meaty foods and algae the most, but yes, if they are hungry and the opportunity arises, red cherry shrimp will eat dead plants, or at least decaying ones.

    How often to feed cherry shrimp?

    Red cherry shrimp food varies wildly, and because they eat so much algae, plant matter, and uneaten fish food, it is not necessary to feed them on a daily basis.

    Most red cherry shrimp keepers, who keep them along with other fish in a planted tank, suggest only feeding them every other day.

    If you feed them only every other day, they will do a much better job at cleaning up algae and uneaten fish food, mainly because they are hungry.

    If you feed them every day, their proclivity for scavenging in the tank will decrease.

    cherry shrimp climbing on plants
    Image Credit: David Tadevosian, Shutterstock

    Do cherry shrimp eat snails?

    No, red cherry shrimp will not eat live snails. Now, they may eat the slimy coating that snails leave behind, and they may also feast on dead snails, but no, they will not eat live snails.

    Will red cherry shrimp eat fish eggs?

    This really depends on the specific red cherry shrimp in question and how hungry they are.

    Some red cherry shrimp are known for eating fish eggs, some are known for eating rotting fish eggs that will not hatch, and some will not eat fish eggs at all.

    It all depends on the specific shrimp and how hungry they are.

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    Conclusion

    At the end of the day, as long as you feed your red cherry shrimp a well-balanced diet, they will be just fine. They will eat mostly anything so this is really not all that difficult.

    When it comes to the best food for red cherry shrimp, we would recommend looking at any and all of the above options we just reviewed.


    Featured Image Credit: topimages, Shutterstock

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