Shrimp & Fish

[Bruce Leyland-Jones]

I'm wanting to hear from those of you who 'successfully' keep shrimp and fish in the same tank.
What do you have in the tank and what is your tank set-up?

Thinternet is full of mixed messages on this particular subject, so I thought I'd query the membership of this Forum, in a vain attempt for clarity.

By 'successful', I mean a non-reduction in the shrimp population and even a possible actual increase, due to surviving young.

 

[Avel1896]

The best (only?) way for non-reduction and possible increase is to make shrimps live alone. No fish.
You also need shrimps breed in freshwater : for example Caridina multidentata "Amano" is amphidromous so babies can't grow without salted water.

You can house shrimps and fishes, knowing that according to fish size and it mouth size you will risk a slight predation on larvas/nauplius/mysis stages (see that like a kind of.... birth control), or a full predation on juveniles and adults.

 

[Dajuyu]

I kept my Shrimp with Crawfish they are good tank mates. With even a small fish like rice fish or small Danios Shrimp will stay in hiding ... at the bottom of the tank and with alluding places ... so yeah you can't really enjoy seeing them swim around or grazing the substrate for food ...

Whats the point of keeping them if you can't see or enjoy seeing at least.

 

[Sgooosh]

could i keep them with guppies?
there's this one part where the cories live and it is really lush and the guppies usually dont go there

 

[bathsheba]

I have cherry shrimp with 8 glowlight tetras in a heavily planted 20G, and they all do fine. I suppose there are fewer shrimp than there otherwise would be, but there must be over 100 and that seems like plenty? They don't hide, they forage all over the tank and the fish don't bother them. I think the danger is only to babies that are small enough to eat whole.

I feel like tetras might be a good choice here because they feed in midwater and don't normally seek food at the bottom of the tank or among plants. It may also just be the culture of these particular tetras that they don't try to nip at adult shrimps. Before these I had flame tetras and they were fine too.

Anyway, there's one data point: with the right fish it can work.

 

[Avel1896]

could i keep them with guppies?

risk a slight predation on larvas/nauplius/mysis stages (see that like a kind of.... birth control), or a full predation on juveniles and adults especially females guppies.

 

[Sgooosh]

risk a slight predation on larvas/nauplius/mysis stages (see that like a kind of.... birth control), or a full predation on juveniles and adults especially females guppies.

the females are so aggressive, they eat mosquitolarva without a thought.... might be the same with shrimp... sadly i really really want to keep fire red shirmps

 

[Avel1896]

sadly i really really want to keep fire red shirmps

Dedicated shrimp tank or fish below 3 cm.

 

[Sgooosh]

Dedicated shrimp tank or fish below 3 cm.

oh yea can i put filter floss on the inlet of the filter to avoid baby shrimps getting sucked in?

 

[Avel1896]

Yes, filter floss or something funny but super effective a little piece of pantyhose or lady's Sheer Knee-High Stockings : very stretchy very thin, hold with elastic band

 

[Sgooosh]

Yes, filter floss or something funny but super effective a little piece of pantyhose : very stretchy very thin, hold with elastic band

smart! mini shrimp horizontal trampoline!

 

[bathsheba]

the females are so aggressive, they eat mosquitolarva without a thought.... might be the same with shrimp... sadly i really really want to keep fire red shirmps

Don't despair -- you can! Just choose your fish carefully and get a lot of plants. I have lots of pearlweed, susswassertang, Java fern windelov, etc.

 

[Avel1896]

the females are so aggressive, they eat mosquitolarva without a thought.... might be the same with shrimp... sadly i really really want to keep fire red shirmps

Females Guppy are a risk as well as Mollies, Platies, Swordtails.

 

[Myraan]

Some filter intakes will take a sponge meant for an air powered sponge filter - with the added bonus of a simple to clean mechanical filter and extra biological media

 

[Sgooosh]

Don't despair -- you can! Just choose your fish carefully and get a lot of plants. I have lots of pearlweed, susswassertang, Java fern windelov, etc.

all the java fern melts in my tank for some reason so ill get whatever comes first:
pearlweed, guppygrass, or suss