Red Fire Prawn

The red fire shrimp ( Neocaridina heteropoda ) is becoming increasingly popular with aquarists around the world. In a varied aquarium, these peaceful animals are a very attractive complement and, above all, useful for fish.

Appearance

The red fire prawn is an animal of an intense red color that is usually female. The coloration of the males is much softer or even colorless.

After birth, the animals are transparent and hardly have a red coloration. Thus, they protect themselves from predators in nature, since their transparency makes them practically invisible to them. The red coloration increases as the red fire shrimp grow.

What does this type of shrimp eat?

Red fire shrimp eat detritus, algae, vegetables, leaves, and fish. However, the proportion of vegetable food should predominate. It is also advisable to give them beech and oak leaves. Also, these prawns like carrot, cucumber, and lettuce.

Vegetables and leaves should be blanched before feeding to kill harmful germs. The algae chips are very important for them to receive the food they eat in their natural habitat. This will keep their vitality and deep red color.

Ownership according to species

Even beginners can take good care of a red fire shrimp. A small aquarium of at least 15 liters is enough to have these peaceful and robust shrimp.

In addition, they do not present great demands concerning the values ​​of the water. Water can be anywhere from acidic (pH 6) to alkaline (pH 8). They are also not fussy about temperature, so there is no need to heat the aquarium. Of course, the temperature of the room must be between 18 and 25 degrees.

Also, make sure that these peaceful animals only share a habitat with fish of a similar size.

Aquarium Layout

When designing the aquarium, make sure to put abundant vegetation. Prawns are very fond of plants such as Java Moss, Moss Balls, Riccia fluitans, and Morguelina. They love to shelter in these fine-leaved plants. In addition, a shrimp tank must have other hiding places, such as pieces of clay, roots, or perforated stones.

aquarium substrate

For the aquarium substrate, it is preferable to use fine black sand or gravel. This substrate offers considerable advantages. The fiery red prawns stand out beautifully on the black gravel. Using dark lighting achieves a fantastic effect. The red fire shrimp adapts to the bottom. Thus, the color black positively influences the coloration of animals. For the substrate, it is preferable to use gravel.

If bits of food fall between the stones, the prawns can pick them up with their little feet and search for food. It is also recommended to install a biological sponge filter combined with an air lifter. In this way, the water receives enough oxygen.

Another advantage is that this type of filter cannot suck up the prawns. The Red Fire Shrimp loves to dig through the filter debris for bits of plants.

Breeding and reproduction

Under the skin of the neck, the female produces the eggs and, after molting, these are exposed. She then removes the 15-40 eggs from the back of her neck and sticks them under her tail. With her paws, she continuously supplies them with fresh water. Depending on the temperature of the water, the prawns will be fully developed and hatch three to four weeks after mating.

Health

Fortunately, it is relatively rare for shrimp to suffer from true diseases. The death of a shrimp is usually a consequence of incorrect ownership. Indeed, when prawns contract pathogenic germs, the cause is usually poor holding conditions. In general, improving tenure solves these problems.

What should I keep in mind when buying red fire shrimp?

If you have decided to buy these prawns, there are certain aspects that you should consider. Crossbreeds and discarded prawns are often sold on classified ad portals. If you are not an expert in aquatic animals, this is difficult to detect.

Although a long time passes, these animals do not acquire coloration and remain transparent. Therefore, it is better that you do not buy animals through these portals. Buy shrimp only from serious professional sellers. Thus, you will have the guarantee that you are buying quality animals with a beautiful red color.

The prawns must come from a hatchery where the animals are changed frequently. This is particularly important because a constant crossing of related animals causes an increase in the sensitivity of the shrimp. Animals easily get sick and, in the worst cases, die.

When buying shrimp online, you have to make sure that the transport is not very long. This is because long trips stress the shrimp and often cause them to lose their color. Feeding them with pepper or mosquito larvae, they recover their beautiful red color after a while. Keep these factors in mind if you buy red fire shrimp for your aquarium. Thus, you will enjoy them for a long time.

Origin of the red fire shrimp

The primal form of the red fire prawn is primarily native to Southeast Asia. These dwarf shrimp were widespread in many parts of China and the Hawaiian archipelago. According to other data, these animals come from Taiwan, but all the chromatic variants come from Asian selection breeding.