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okay to add shrimp?

1K views 11 replies 6 participants last post by  PlantedTankLover 
#1 ·
So I found a new home for my angel fish, and want to try adding shrimp to my tank. I had shrimp a long time ago, but they all passed away after so problems. I have a tiny tank with ghost shrimp, but they have never reproduced (maybe because I dont have a heater?) What do you suggest for inexpensive shrimp? I would also like to add a male and female ram later on.
 
#3 ·
Ghost shrimp can be hit or miss for reproduction--quite a few on the market require brackish conditions for success and even the wholly freshwater ones face issues with the young finding enough to eat and NOT getting eaten themselves.

With enough cover and a good strong colony, you can probably get away with cherries reproducing faster than your other fish can eat them--but it really comes down to the fish in question. My angelfish was a very lax predator and baby shrimp could safely swim right up and land on his face if they wanted but my blue ram, a tenth his size, typically takes out every baby shrimp within days of hatching and has probably taken a few adults out along the way. If I was serious about wanting to up their numbers, a nice dense bit of moss would probably be all I needed--but my current 'scape lends itself to Mr. Eats Everything eating well... everything.
 
#4 ·
Thats part of why my Angel fish found a new home. He would eat any shrimp I put in the tank within a few hours, once i had to pull a shrimp out of his jaws because he was starting to have a hard time breathing. I think I'm going to try the cherries. How many would you suggest I start with to make sure I can get them to reproduce in my tank? Will rams eat them? At one time I had cherries and amano shrimp, but that was 3 years ago and they are all gone now (back before I found all of you great people).
 
#6 ·
Good to know. I already have a small 2 gallon shrimp tank, but I really want to have shrimp in my 46 gallon planted tank. Hmmmm. Any other ideas of what I could add to my tank that will not eat shrimp, fish.

Also, will Amano shrimp eat small cherries?
 
#7 ·
ghost shrimp can also be mean to other smaller shrimp. so keep an eye on them if you have both in the same tank. and yes a ram will eat shrimp. babies for sure and probably adults too. when it comes to the fish world rule of thumb is ... if it can fit in the mouth it will be food....
 
#8 ·
I currently have micro rasboras with some of my shrimp and they appear to be no problem, but I make no guarantees. Typically ottos are the only fish considered 100%shrimp safe. As far as how many to start with, 10 is what I consider a minimum, especially with fish in the tank, but thats probably where I'd start, this would allow you to see how your fish will react and make sure you dont run into other problems. Ten adults should provide a healthy population in a couple months.
 
#10 ·
Unless they're weak, no. They're just very adamant about eating when it comes to food in the tank. I.e. shrimp food feeding frenzy, amanos are gonna get the first round of food if you have enough of them. Cherries and such just eat later. Amanos usually get their fill of the food quickly anyway so there's plenty left over for the other shrimps unless you have a large colony.
 
#11 ·
Great thanks! Looks like my tank is going to become a tetra shrimp tank.
 
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