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Hi Pete, I recently got my hands on red cherry shrimp (Neocaridina davidi) and I’ve been setting up a separate planted freshwater tank to enjoy their antics and bright colors. The friend who handed them to me informed me that they would likely breed readily in the future to the point where the small tank will be overrun by shrimp, and that I would soon become a victim to the chain of having to offload overabundant excess shrimp onto others or finding ways to cull them.
Since Neocaridina culls are often used as feeders for other fish, I was wondering if these would be a suitable occasional treat for my seahorses to supplement their usual staple diets of frozen mysis. I already occasionally gut load smaller ghost shrimp for them, which they love as a treat, but as you’ve mentioned before. ghost shrimp are very expensive.
To my knowledge, Neocaridina cannot survive in saltwater so I would be using tongs to offer them one by one to my seahorses to ensure that they are eaten immediately instead instead of throwing them in indefinitely and risking them dying in the tank (I already do this with the ghost shrimp as I have no idea if the variants I buy are brackish or freshwater, because I buy smaller likely male specimens to feed). They’re no opae’ula, but they are also bright red and diminutively bite-sized so I believe seahorses would immediately be attracted to them.
Red cherry shrimp
Dear M:
Yes, indeed, the red cherry shrimp (Neocaridina davidi) are freshwater cousins of the opae’ula or Hawaiian volcano shrimp (Halocaridina rubra), which seahorses find absolutely irresistible. In fact, the Halocaridina rubra are so nourishing they are often used to condition seahorses for breeding.
I have no doubt that seahorses will eagerly eat any culls of your prolific red cherry shrimp that you care to offer to them. The ponies will relish such live treats and that would be a good way to diversify their diet and improve their nutritional balance.
I suspect that the red cherry shrimp or (Neocaridina davidi) may survive in saltwater longer than you think is they are anything like Halocaridina rubra, which can adapt to a wide range of salinities, including everything from freshwater to brackish water to full strength saltwater. The red cherry shrimp may persist in saltwater long enough for the seahorses to hunt them down and slurp them up, which they will do greedily as soon as the live shrimp hit the water. But if not, the seahorses should also gladly accept them if you offer them to the ponies individually.
Best wishes with all your fishes!
Happy Trails!
Pete Giwojna, Ocean Rider Tech Support
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