Cherry Shrimp vs Amano Shrimp: which should you get?

The 30-second version. Cherry shrimp are small, colourful, and breed into a self-sustaining colony in ordinary freshwater — the fun, ornamental choice. Amano shrimp are bigger and the best algae-eaters in the hobby, but they can’t breed in freshwater, so they won’t overrun the tank (and you’ll re-buy them over time). Want colour and a colony? Cherries. Want serious algae control? Amanos. Many keepers happily keep both.

They’re the two beginner shrimp everyone weighs up, and they answer two different questions. Here’s the honest comparison, from our fact-checked care sheets.

At a glance

	Cherry shrimp 🦐	Amano shrimp 🦐
Difficulty	Beginner	Beginner–Intermediate
Adult size	Females ~4 cm / males ~2.5–3 cm	~4–5 cm (larger)
Colour	Bright red (and other grades)	Translucent grey-green
Algae control	Grazes algae & biofilm	The best algae-eater — hungry
Breeds in freshwater?	Yes — a self-sustaining colony	No — larvae need brackish/marine
Minimum tank	From a 2 gal nano; ~40 L ideal	~40 L / 10 gal
Temperature	16–28 °C (opt 22–24)	21–26 °C / 70–78 °F
pH	6.5–8.5	6.5–7.5
Lifespan	~1–2 years	~2–3 years

The verdict

Get cherry shrimp for colour and a living, breeding colony. They’re smaller and eat less, but they’re vivid, cheap, and in stable water they multiply into a self-sustaining group — a whole tiny ecosystem in a nano tank. For most people wanting shrimp as pets, cherries are the answer.

Get amano shrimp for genuine algae control. They’re bigger, hardier once settled, and the most effective algae-grazers you can add — but because they can’t breed in freshwater, they won’t take over the tank and you’ll replace them over the years. For most people wanting a cleanup crew, amanos are the answer.

And you don’t have to choose: they get along fine, so a mixed tank of colourful, breeding cherries plus a few working amanos is a popular combination.

What they share

Both are completely peaceful, copper-sensitive grazers that need stable water and enough minerals (GH) to moult properly. Both do best added to a mature, seasoned tank with biofilm to graze, and both are safe with peaceful fish (though many fish will eat baby shrimp). The care philosophy is identical: stability over everything.

One thing to never do

Never expose either to copper — check every medication and fertiliser label, and treat sick fish in a separate hospital tank. And don’t add shrimp to a brand-new, unstable tank: parameter swings, not predators, are what usually kill beginner shrimp.

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💚 It’s not really “which is better” — it’s “colony or cleanup?” Cherries give you colour and babies; amanos give you clean glass. Stable, copper-free water makes either one thrive.

Compare them side by side in the fish comparison tool, or read the full cherry shrimp and amano shrimp guides. New to inverts? See algae and how to beat it and pH, GH & KH explained.

Sources & further reading

• Cherry shrimp care guide and amano shrimp care guide — figures drawn from these, fact-checked against Aquarium Co-Op shrimp-care references.
• Aquarium algae · Water chemistry: pH, GH & KH · Sick or dying fish: what to do