Cherry Shrimp And Betta

Birdie

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Could a Betta share a 6g tank with some Cherry Shrimp? If not, who would eat who? The tank is planted, with hiding places. Water is pretty hard, pH 7.4 out the tap, and 7.6 in the tank. Ammonia and nitrites are 0, but nitrAtes are closer to 40 ( they are 20 out the tap) but I am hoping that the plants will help.

I really know next to nothing about shrimp - and when I try and google them, just keep getting recipes :blink: . Are there any that are good for a community tank? 20g, and as yet unstocked, but the likely candidates are a selection from (ie *not* all of :lol: )...cories, Bolivian Rams, pearl gourami, dwarf neon rainbow fish, guppies, cherry barbs. Are any or all of those absolute no-nos as far as shrimp are concerned? Am I right in thinking I should wait for 6 months or so anyway, to let the tank mature before adding shrimp?
 
It depends on the Betta and the size of the shrimp. Some Bettas will eat shrimp at every oppurtunity, others will ignore them totally. Shrimp won't harm a healthy Betta.

As for the community tank most of those fish will take a shrimp if the chance is there. Especially the larger ones like rams or Pearl Gouramies. If the shrimp are a fair bit larger than the fish's mouths it may be ok.
 
Yes, some Betta pay no attention to them at all while others hunt them down, I guess it depends on the personality of your Betta. Maybe you should drop in a few ghost shrimp first to see if he goes after them.
I am a bit concerned however about your NitrAtle levels, shrimp are very sensitive to water parameters and need NitrAte to be at 10 or lower ;)
Don't worry about Google I get the same thing lol But if you look in between the recipes you'll get some good sites ;)
As for the stock of the 20 gallon. Just about any fish that can fit the shrimp in its mouth will eat the shrimp ;) I have heard that the best best fish to keep with shrimp are dwarf cories and ottos ;)
 
Thank you both for your answers - looks like shrimp may be pretty much out for me then :sad: .

I too was concerned that the nitrates might be an issue - which was why I mentioned them. I don't know what I can do about that though, really, if the water company doesn't even manage to get them below 20 :angry: - other than do my best to establish nitrate-guzzling plants , and carry on searching the forum for any other plans (don't think the family budget will stretch to constantly buying in special water at the moment)
 

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