Which Type Of Shrimp?

[Dana C]

A friend suggested I get some shrimps for my tank to help get rid of some algae, I have never thought of getting shrimps before but they do look quite cool.

I have brown algae on my plants, some hair algae and something that looks like moss on the rocks. Would shrimps eat these types of algae?

In the local shop they can get cherry, amano, blue and tiger shrimp which one of these would be the best?

Would they be compatable with the fish I already have they are small tetras, corys, danios, harlequins and a platy. The full list is in my profile.

I was going to get otos for my algae but haven't been able to find any so I thought these may be a good alternative.

Thanks in advance for any comments and advice.

 

[rain-]

Amanos seem to be the best algae eaters, they also are large, so fish propably wont bother them. And they will propably munch some of the hair algae and that "moss on the rocks". They won't do much to the brown one (zebra nerite snails, Neritina natalensis, might be able to help with those).

 

[dwarfgourami]

I love my amanos- highly recommended. They have done a great cleaning job on my tank. Great fun to watch. They've got more character than most of my fish tbh. Happiest in groups. Only one thing- do keep the tank lid on! My husband found one of ours on the carpet this morning- it had crawled halfway across the room, but was still alive, and seems to have made a full recovery.

 

[Dana C]

Thanks for your replys,

I will make sure to keep the lid on, I think the dog would have them for a treat if they got out.

 

[Dana C]

I have been looking at alot of photos of different shrimp and reading about them on loads of websites and have decided I like the look of the cherry shrimp or the crystal red shrimp.

Are these good for eating algae? or should I stick with the amano

Will they be ok with my fish or become a snack?

This is going to be a stupid question but can these shrimps be aggressive at all? I just wanted to make sure they won't attack any of my fish like the corys because they will be in the same region of the tank with them or attack a small neon.

I read that some types can attack small fish and just like to check.

Thanks for any comments.

 

[BiffMalawi]

There are several species of shrimp that have long arms and small claws on the end. I think these are probably the only ones that might pose a threat. Amanos, ghost and bamboos are all safe. The biggest threat is that most large or even mildly aggressive fish will either eat them, nip them or cause them to hide. I keep my bamboo shrimp by in a tank by themselves and they are very active and I see them constantly.

 

[Scotty87]

Take a look at this website

http/www.shrimpcrabsandcrayfish.co.uk/

 

[Dana C]

Thanks for your comments,

I will be getting some shrimp now it isn't so hot, I was having overheating problems in my tank so thought I should wait before adding anything.