Orange & Red Cherry Shrimp?

[BigbruiserAl]

My LFS has some very nice orange shrimp in and my red are very red. what will happen if the cross breed am i looking at some nice colours or will weaken the colours of both do you think?

 

[Blubble37]

you might end up with yellow or pink shrimp!

 

[BigbruiserAl]

Lol i dont think the colours will mix like that

 

[three-fingers]

Depends which species they are obviously, but assuming the orange ones are Neocaridina heteropoda, you would get some red, some "wild type" babies (assorted colours).

I started off with just cherry shrimp and now have every colour from bright red to blue .

If the orange shrimp are a different species, then they either wont breed, or you will get hybrids that will have "wild" colours and intermediate anatomy.

 

[BigbruiserAl]

Thanks they look like normal cherry's but bright orange so i assume. I dont mind a mix of colours i worried about having brown murkey looking things from cross breeding....guess i just have to try

 

[three-fingers]

What colours you end up with long-term depends on the colour of your tanks decor and what fish you have. Red babies may stand out far more than brown or tan ones to fish like tetras, so over time natural selection takes place and if you have fish that eat the baby shrimps you probably will end up with shrimp that blend in with the tank. Without any predators it's not really an issue though .

You don't usually see orange Neocardina heteropoda, I've only seen blue, yellow, red, black, greenish and various shades of brown - the females usually have contrasting stripes down their back so still stand out quite a bit however .

The orange shrimp I'm familiar with are "orange sunkist shrimp" -, cant remember the species name but they are in the Caridina genus and have a larval stage requiring either marine or brackish conditions. They differ from cherry shrimp most obviously by appearing proportionally slightly longer and have a more pronounced "hump" on their back.

 

[BigbruiserAl]

thanks here a pic of one

Caridina cf. propinqua by the looks

 

[TheShrimpGirl]

thanks here a pic of one

Caridina cf. propinqua by the looks

The shrimp pictured looks like a Ghost Shrimp. I have had my GS turn this color and it is the same basic shape and it is a bit clearer than a Red cherry is.

What is the size of the orange ones?

 

[BigbruiserAl]

After some research they are Caridina cf. propinqua so will need brackish for the shrimp to mature

 

[three-fingers]

Yup, those are "orange sunkist shrimp" up here, nice shrimp to keep though .

 

[BigbruiserAl]

Yup, those are "orange sunkist shrimp" up here, nice shrimp to keep though .

I understand they can have shrimplets in fresh water they just mature. I assume they cant cross with cherrys so should be safe there