09/05/2021
Why Higher Grades Are More Expensive?
Well, that is pretty much self-explanatory. Higher grades are much harder to achieve. So, they are rarer than the lower grades. Also, as higher grades have higher quality, there is more demand for them in the market.
Now, high demand and low supply: where does that put us?
Yes, higher price! That’s why higher grades are much more expensive than the lower ones. In fact, higher grades of red cherry shrimps are harder to find in shops too.
6 Types Of Grades For Red Cherry Shrimps
Before I start to describe each grade, let me share that the grading system is not uniformly recognized as 6 types throughout the whole world. You can find lower number of grades explained in another site.
I’ve tried to compile everything in this article. So, I didn’t want to leave any grading category behind. If you know all about these grades, then I believe you’ll have a complete idea of red cherry shrimp grading.
Now, let’s get into each of the gradings:
Low Grade
Appearance: This is the first step on the ladder. Low grade red cherry shrimps have a mostly transparent body. There are a few patches of reddish-pinkish patches on the body.
Availability: Low grade red cherry shrimps are mostly available in online and local fish stores. They are not hard to breed and extremely easy to care for. So, these shrimps are great for beginners. Also, if you want to just clean the aquarium from algae, this grade will be perfect.
Sakura Grade
Appearance: Compared to the previous grade, Sakura grade has a lot more redness on the body. Also, the body is more opaque compared to low grade cherry shrimps. However, there are still some blotches in the redness, especially around the bottom area. The legs are mostly transparent.
Availability: Available in most online aquarium shops. It might be a bit difficult to find them in the local fish stores, especially if their collection is poor. Mostly available among local breeders.
If you are looking for something to pop the color of your aquarium a bit, sakura grade shrimps can be a decent choice. However, there are much higher grades suitable for this purpose.
Higher Sakura Grade
In many other websites, the normal sakura grade and the higher sakura grade are merged into one category. However, this can make the category very large in variation. So, we like to divide the sakura grade into two distinct parts.
Appearance: Higher sakura grades have more intense red coloration. Also, the red color starts to get mostly solid with very few blotches. The normal Sakura grade has transparency in the legs, which is not the case for higher grade sakura.
If you want something vibrant red in the aquarium with a limited budget, higher grade sakura will be the perfect choice.
Fire Red
Appearance: Fire Red grade cherry shrimps have a mostly opaque body. The red coloration is quite eye-catching in them. The intensity is so strong that it can be difficult to spot the eggs and saddle in fire red shrimps.
There are no signs of blotches in the body. Even the legs are evenly colored. Fire Red shrimps are for serious shrimp keepers who want something special in their tank.
Painted Fire Red
Appearance: Do you know how the Painted Fire Red name came from? These shrimps are so red that it might look like someone has painted deep red color on their body.
The eggs and saddles are completely invisible under the strong opaque red body. However, you can spot them using a strong backlight. Needless to stay, there is not even a single transparent patch over the whole body. The color is significantly darker than all the previous grades.
Red Rili Shrimps
Rather than a grade, rel rili shrimps are more like a color morph of red cherry shrimps. This type was first developed around in 2010. Red rilis are extremely popular for their unique coloration.
Red rilis have both red and transparent colors over their body. There are intense red colored patches over their body with slightly whitish or transparent patches in between. The females show more intense color than the males.
Rather than a color grading, most shrimp keepers refer to Red Rilis as a pattern grading. I find that more accurate.
Though Red Rilis originated from the Red Cherry Shrimps, they are different in many physiological aspects. Still, Red Rilis are a popular choice as beginner-friendly shrimps.
https://acuariopets.com/red-cherry-shrimp-grades-explained/