Crystal Red Shrimp

[Madam Macaw]

I am looking at getting my son some red crystal shrimp for his 20 gallon tank. How many can I get? What if I decide to get kuhli loaches or dwarf corys - are they compatible or should I just decide on one or the other?

 

[Shrimper]

I am looking at getting my son some red crystal shrimp for his 20 gallon tank. How many can I get? What if I decide to get kuhli loaches or dwarf corys - are they compatible or should I just decide on one or the other?

They will do better in a species tank, they will be eaten by any fish with a mouth big enough to fit them in.

There are some fish that are safe to keep with them. Ottos are 100% safe, You should be fine keeping them with Corys, mine didn't bother each other when i kept them together. I've seen Threadfin Rainbowfish suggested as a tank mate that wont eat the shrimp babies. I've got no idea about Kuhlii loaches as i've never kept them.

 

[Madam Macaw]

I am looking at getting my son some red crystal shrimp for his 20 gallon tank. How many can I get? What if I decide to get kuhli loaches or dwarf corys - are they compatible or should I just decide on one or the other?

They will do better in a species tank, they will be eaten by any fish with a mouth big enough to fit them in.

There are some fish that are safe to keep with them. Ottos are 100% safe, You should be fine keeping them with Corys, mine didn't bother each other when i kept them together. I've seen Threadfin Rainbowfish suggested as a tank mate that wont eat the shrimp babies. I've got no idea about Kuhlii loaches as i've never kept them.

So you think the tetras would bother them? They seem to be my most docile of all of the fish, hardly ever even going to the bottom - they pretty much stay in the middle.

I thought if I got them and then waited until they were full grown before putting anything else in - they would be fine.

He has black sand (his choice and it looks really good), so I wanted something to stand out a bit. He seemed fascinated with the shrimp and kinda eh on cories which is why I started thinking about it. His tank, but mom cleans. Teehee.

 

[Shrimper]

So you think the tetras would bother them? They seem to be my most docile of all of the fish, hardly ever even going to the bottom - they pretty much stay in the middle.

I thought if I got them and then waited until they were full grown before putting anything else in - they would be fine.

He has black sand (his choice and it looks really good), so I wanted something to stand out a bit. He seemed fascinated with the shrimp and kinda eh on cories which is why I started thinking about it. His tank, but mom cleans. Teehee.

The adult shrimp will be fine with the Tetras. Any babies the shrimp have will likely end up as lunch for them though.

 

[Madam Macaw]

So you think the tetras would bother them? They seem to be my most docile of all of the fish, hardly ever even going to the bottom - they pretty much stay in the middle.

I thought if I got them and then waited until they were full grown before putting anything else in - they would be fine.

He has black sand (his choice and it looks really good), so I wanted something to stand out a bit. He seemed fascinated with the shrimp and kinda eh on cories which is why I started thinking about it. His tank, but mom cleans. Teehee.

The adult shrimp will be fine with the Tetras. Any babies the shrimp have will likely end up as lunch for them though.

Thanks. That is good to know. How large should I get them in order to be safe with the tetras? I will probably look for them at the LFS's, but I know I can order them online at 1/2-1" size - would that be too small?

There is no rush, since I want to do this right. Also, how many would be a fair amount for his 20 gallon?

 

[Shrimper]

Thanks. That is good to know. How large should I get them in order to be safe with the tetras? I will probably look for them at the LFS's, but I know I can order them online at 1/2-1" size - would that be too small?

There is no rush, since I want to do this right. Also, how many would be a fair amount for his 20 gallon?

They don't get much longer than an inch in total, i would of thought 1/2 inch shrimp will be ok with the tetras. Its only when they are really young and small the tetra would be a risk. If you have lots of places for the shrimp to hide if they get scared then they will be fine. Java Moss is great for them to hide in, its easy to grow and means the fish can't get to them as easily. If you have somewhere for them to hide like moss there is a good chance some babys will make it to adulthood.

As for the number of shrimp, they don't really add much to the bio load so you can add loads if you wanted to. I would recomend a minimum of 5/6 as they are social and are less shy if they have some friends. If you wanted to breed them i would recomend a group of at least 10 as you have more chance of getting both males and females that way.

Before i moved mine into their own tank they were in my big tank with Corys, I had 10 in total at the time and they were quite active, and at least 1 or 2 of them would be visible at any time. It helps that they are red and easy to spot!

 

[Madam Macaw]

Great! Thanks very much for all of the wonderful information on them. My son will be so happy when I tell him.

 

[Shrimper]

Great! Thanks very much for all of the wonderful information on them. My son will be so happy when I tell him.

Good luck getting some, other shrimps to consider if you can't find any Crystal Reds are the Red Cherry Shrimp or Bee shrimps. Both are the same size and need the same conditions. Cherrys are plain red and Bee shrimp are black and white striped instead of red and white. Both will probably be cheaper than Crystal Reds too.

One other thing i've remembered is CRS don't like it too hot. I would keep the tank at 28 C as a maximum, although they would prefer it slightly colder.

 

[Madam Macaw]

That is also good to know. I will do a bit more research on them before I decide to purchase. Liveaquaria had the other ones you spoke of also.