# Will Cherry Red shrimp eat fish eggs?



## DizzyD (Apr 24, 2013)

I have 6 CPDs in a 20 gallon tank with Cherry Shrimp. I hear the CPDs breed pretty easy but have not scene any Fry. I know the CPDs eat there own eggs but will cherry shrimp eat the eggs as well?


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## Yukiharu (May 3, 2014)

Cherry shrimp will only eat eggs that have died and started rotting.


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## MChambers (May 26, 2009)

I agree.


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## Solcielo lawrencia (Dec 30, 2013)

Yes, they will. They will tear them open.


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## DizzyD (Apr 24, 2013)

I guess if I want the CPDs to breed, I should move them to their own tank


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## trapperwolves (Nov 26, 2011)

It always makes it harder to breed any fish or inverts when there are other species in the same tank. I would recommend keeping the CPDs in their own tank.


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## DizzyD (Apr 24, 2013)

Yeah. That's is originally what I thought but I read that shrimp can be good keepers of eggs, cleaning them and turning them.


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## garfieldnfish (Sep 25, 2010)

You won't have to worry about the shrimp, but you will rarely get any fry to survive unless you trap the eggs and remove them to allow hatching and growing out in another tank as the parents will eat each and every one of the eggs or newly hatched fry they find and believe me they are good at it. Mine breed almost every day and only the eggs I trap and remove result in survivors. In the many years I raised CPDs I only found one fry that survived in the tank with the adults and made it.
Luckily trapping the eggs is easy. All you need is a small container with a screw on lid. Remove the inside of the lid and replace it with plastic craft canvas (sold at Walmart for less then one $ a sheet in the arts and crafts section). Cover the container with java moss. The CPDs will spawn over the moss and the eggs will fall right through the moss into the container as they are not sticky. You can use only java moss as well and exchange it for a new portion each day but many of the eggs will fall off as you are removing it. I prefer the container method. I let the eggs hatch in a clear cup with tank water. No air stone is needed. Once they hatch I put them into a 10 gal tank to allow them to grow until they are about 1/2 of the adult size before adding them to the main tank. Mine breed from September until May. They take a break during the hot summer months. Fry will eat powdered flakes or anything that is normally left at the bottom of empty fish food containers.
I have not been able to keep CPDs with shrimp as the CPDs ate the shrimp babies rather then the other way around.
I kept shrimp with hastatus and habrosus corys. They also breed constantly and do not eat their own eggs. The shrimp did not bother the eggs at all. But the shrimp numbers declined and I am positive the corys ate the shrimp babies so I moved the shrimp to their own tank. Fish and shrimp just don't mix well. You can keep shrimp with otos and some smaller herbivore and even omnivorous plecos but that is really it unless you don't mind loosing some of the shrimp to predation.


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## Couesfanatic (Sep 28, 2009)

Garfield is correct. The shrimp effect is nil compared to the CPD's. The issue is that the CPD's are eating their own eggs.


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## DizzyD (Apr 24, 2013)

Thanks for the great info guys. I'm wondering if I need more females as well (i only confirmed 1 in the tank of 6 cpds)but I can't find any in my area right now. I'll put up a WTB...


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