# My HUGE cherry shrimp!



## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

Wow, he is a beauty! What are you feeding him, fish? Is he the only large shrimp you have or do you have others? I cannot confirm or deny he is a cherry shrimp, but he looks like one, just gigantic.


----------



## Amazonfish (Oct 20, 2009)

Thank you!

When I moved in August, I brought all 2 of my cherry shrimps to my LFS. As it turns out...there were THREE! George was the one that I thought had died. He was the largest though. I found him when I was emptying the tank, so I took him with me! He was a trooper throughout the 20 hour trip we took together 

I've tried feeding him lots of things, but he hides in the driftwood most of the time. I only see him on rare occasion. He must be eating leftover food, detritus, algae, microorganisms, etc. I do care for him and I've offered appropriate foods--he just doesn't eat them! Right now, he's the only cherry in the tank. For tankmates, there are 2 chocolate gouramis, 7 pygmy cories, and 1 Bolivian Ram male (his mate was very old and recently died--RIP "Mama fish").


----------



## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

That is an amazing story. Sounds like you and George are meant to be pals. The largest cherry shrimp I have had was about half his size, so I am impressed. He must be baking pizza in that driftwood. 

Sorry to here about Mama fish.

Are you planning on buying more shrimp?


----------



## Amazonfish (Oct 20, 2009)

I actually have about 20 or so cherry shrimp in another tank. I guess it would make sense for them to all be together, but whenever I actually consider it, George is nowhere to be found!

My other cherries are thriving as well. I started out with 10 about two months ago, and they've doubled in number (maybe more, but I wasn't counting)! There would be more survivors if it weren't for the darios :icon_roll The shrimp haven't stopped growing since I got them, so we'll see if they get as big as George! I know people say that cherry shrimp mature in 2 months, but George just kept growing...It took him almost a year to reach his current size.


----------



## XanAvaloni (Dec 18, 2009)

Amazonfish, George is a spectacular being indeed. Looking at your pic and measuring my own fingers, if our hands are the same size G would be about 2 inches long. Does that sound right? 

I just got my first shrimp all of 2 days ago so am in no position to claim expertise, but that does sound kinda large from what I read. (my recent aquisitions are about the size of one of George's bigger legs.  ) And you say that the shrimp you took to the LFS were also of remarkable size....hmm. 

Did you keep any other species of shrimp in the tank he lived in, and if so what sort? Were they also red? Is it possible for there to have been a crossbreeding? Sometimes hybrids are larger than either of the parent stock (I am thinking mules here.) Maybe you are the creator of a new strain, the Crystal Black-Cherry Shrimp. Who knows. You could get written up in scientific journals as a genius, oh and also become obscenely rich. 

Provide George with much female companionship. Play Barry White records near the tank. His kind should not be lost to the world when he goes to Shrimp Heaven.


----------



## nismo tetra (Oct 11, 2009)

lol at the barry white. Nice looking shrimp to. It is a lot darker than all my cherries.


----------



## Gobies et al (Jun 7, 2008)

Nice looking shrimp! I was thinking that "he" is actually a "she".


----------



## suebe333 (Feb 17, 2009)

WOW , Nice shrimp indeed ,, but I too would name her Georgia


----------



## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

Bring the shrimp to George. Can you find them more easily? You get them breeding, sell them on the swap and shop as super sour cherry red shrimp or something along those lines.

Wait, this is a girl? How can you guys tell this? I am curious.


----------



## Gobies et al (Jun 7, 2008)

There are a few clues I use in sexing Neocaridina heteropoda (including var. red):
- the plecopods (under the tail) are deeper 
- presence of saddle (ie. ovaries)
- only females get a light colored stripe on the back (and not all females)
- females get larger
- females frequently have more color

1st and 3rd points are visible in second photo


----------



## Amazonfish (Oct 20, 2009)

WOW! She's a Georgia! She definitely has that light stripe on her back. It's quite obvious, though not so obvious in the picture. I could put the other shrimp in with Georgia, but the other fish would surely eat the babies. I'll concentrate on catching Georgia  It would be amazing if I could breed her


----------



## RcScRs (Oct 22, 2009)

For some reason, I feel like this isn't Neocaridina, but Crystal Red grade D...

Cheers,
Justin


----------



## Amazonfish (Oct 20, 2009)

hmm. :icon_neut Well...even if she is, she's still super special :biggrin:

I caught her!! She's now in the same tank as the other cherries. We might eventually find out if is she's really a cherry then! I hope to see some babies from her


----------



## Steverd (Dec 6, 2009)

Gobies et al said:


> Nice looking shrimp! I was thinking that "he" is actually a "she".


 
YES, I would say that this is a female also!

Steve


----------



## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

It could be a rainbow shrimp. I forgot the exact name of them, but I had one that I bought as a blue mole shrimp. He turned brown, then red, then bright orange. For a while I thought it was a cherry shrimp until he changed to orange.


----------



## A Hill (Jul 25, 2005)

It looks to be a Neocaridina but if it is a cherry shrimp is debatable. 

It does look like one, and does look large though! I don't see why there couldn't have been a mutation or something that made them grow larger since there are genes that control that, and if they were messed up or something... either way its awesome. 

Also, could you have actually gotten some of the dyed amano shrimp? I would say it looks to be about the size of an amano but not nothing else is right looking... 



Gobies et al said:


> There are a few clues I use in sexing Neocaridina heteropoda (including var. red):
> - the plecopods (under the tail) are deeper
> - presence of saddle (ie. ovaries)
> *- only females get a light colored stripe on the back (and not all females)
> ...


Your third point is actually kinda incorrect. Males also can have a white line down their backs. It is not as thick as most female's but it can happen. 

-Andrew


----------



## Gobies et al (Jun 7, 2008)

A Hill said:


> Also, could you have actually gotten some of the dyed amano shrimp? I would say it looks to be about the size of an amano but not nothing else is right looking...
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I apologize for the misinformation. It was something I had read and I haven't had males with the stripe. I'll watch for it though.

How long will the dye job last? Is it just the shell that takes the dye or is it actually into the muscle? After a year shouldn't the color have faded out?


----------



## max23 (Feb 27, 2008)

i don't think it a cherry shrimp,


----------



## dj2005 (Apr 23, 2009)

She has red antennae. RCS have white/clear, don't they?


----------



## JennaH (Sep 28, 2009)

my guess would be a malaysian rainbow shrimp


----------



## Aqua'd (Dec 20, 2009)

I just found a link on another thread, (actually provided by JennaH at the time I believe) 

http://www.azgardens.com/p-210-algae-eating-shrimp-malaysian-rainbow.aspx

It looks like what you've got to me


----------



## Amazonfish (Oct 20, 2009)

Wow, that really does look like Georgia. Too bad I only have one though!


----------



## cjp999 (Nov 18, 2008)

Aqua'd said:


> I just found a link on another thread, (actually provided by JennaH at the time I believe)
> 
> http://www.azgardens.com/p-210-algae-eating-shrimp-malaysian-rainbow.aspx
> 
> It looks like what you've got to me


Even if this is what he has, it's still a giant. It's only suppose to grow to 3/4".


----------



## Amazonfish (Oct 20, 2009)

I'm a she :icon_mrgr

I thought the same thing when I saw the average length of 3/4". Mine is more than double that!


----------



## Gobies et al (Jun 7, 2008)

A few minutes Googling revealed there are at least 3 species sold as "Rainbow shrimp", one being Caridina babaulti (http://www.piranha-info.com/default.php?lang=en&id=c_babaulti). Another being Atyopsis moluccensis (http://www.thekrib.com/Fish/Shrimp/)! There also seems to be a wide variation in sizes suggested including females 4 cm (1.5 ") as at this site: http://www.crusta-fauna.org/shrimp-index/caridina-cf-babaulti/

It would be so much easier if the shrimp were sold using the scientific names. Even that would be confusing as many haven't be properly identified yet.


----------



## adrianng1996 (Dec 1, 2009)

i dont think its a cherry shrimp...i think its a malaysian rainbow shrimp....in its brownish red colour


----------



## Zelth (Apr 22, 2011)

*Hi ive got one too*

Hi ive got an abnormal huge one too yes they apear to get that big(I´ve never got any rainbows since they are no sold in Mexico!) and in fac she was born in one of my tanks








she is not red but she turns dark green some times


----------



## Plantedshrimptank (Jan 18, 2011)

Georgina sounds better. I also think its a Malaysian Rainbow shrimp from my very limited shrimping experience so just disreguard my opinion.


----------



## g33tar (Jan 8, 2010)

I've eaten cocktail shrimp smaller than that.


----------



## jasonpatterson (Apr 15, 2011)

You might do well to bring the male shrimp to her. You could breed a line of giants if she does turn out to be RCS.


----------



## 10gallonplanted (Oct 31, 2010)

I was tihnking the same thing, you could make some good money off of making giant RCS. I would buy some.


----------



## Zelth (Apr 22, 2011)

myne in deed are getting bigger since the aparition of that green lady the might be her offspring because only in that tank they get so big, males there are as abig as comon sized females


----------



## Kitty_Kitsch (Apr 27, 2011)

Those are gimongo! my shrimp think they're tough but they would shake in fear at the sight of those!


----------



## Zelth (Apr 22, 2011)

what is gimongo?


----------



## larams67 (Jan 24, 2006)

g33tar said:


> I've eaten cocktail shrimp smaller than that.


:icon_lol:


----------



## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

Zelth said:


> what is gimongo?


I think this is a made up word for ginormous and humongous combined. That shrimp you have is beautiful. What are the size of the parents in your tank?


----------



## Kitty_Kitsch (Apr 27, 2011)

sewingalot said:


> I think this is a made up word for ginormous and humongous combined. That shrimp you have is beautiful. What are the size of the parents in your tank?


Ahaha that's right! I guess it's a valley thing :flick:
But seriously those are sweet shrimp! Make more!!!


----------



## Zelth (Apr 22, 2011)

lol nice to know what gimgongo is lol, largest female is almost 4 cm long, and most are over 3 cm males are 2.5+, some red females are almost purple or blue in some parts of the body, some males have no color at all


----------

