[Magpie]

I'd really like to set up a shrimp-only tank, I have a few questions, so thanks in advance for helpful replies !

• Is it possible to keep several types of shrimp together without any being eaten ? For sale so far I've seen (for tropical freshwater tanks) cherry shrimp, freshwater prawns, bamboo shrimp, Yamatoa shrimp, etc., so quite a range of sizes.
• How many litres of water needed per shrimp approx ?
• Also would like some help in finding the right tank. I was thinking of something like the Fluval Edge, but would like to find it as cheap as possible. They had some nice designer-style tanks in Manchester last time I went, something quite small and decorative.
• Is it advisable to keep only shrimp in a tank, or would it be helpful to include some form of algae-eater as well, Hong Kong plec or something ? I don't really know which fish are likely to eat the prawns, I have an ancistrus in the main fish tank who is very efficient, maybe one of these ?
• And anything else important I should consider ?!

Thank you !

 

[Morgan Freeman]

You can keep them together but they can all breed together so you'll get hybrids.

 

[Magpie]

Apologies for my naivety but is that a problem ?

 

[Esfa]

Yes, it's possible to keep more than 1 species of shrimp together. However, those from the same genus will interbreed. For example the "dwarf shrimp" are Caridina sps. and Neocaridina sp. Any caridina shrimp (tiger, crystal red etc) will breed with each other, and any neocaridina (snowball, cherry) will breed with each other, both producing a dull, brown shrimp. So you need to limit the tank to 1 species of neocaridina and 1 species of caridina.

You can also keep any fan shrimp in with dwarf shrimp (bamboo shrimp, green lace shrimp, african filter shrimp). These wont breed at all as they need brachisk water for young to develop.

You also have amano shrimp, which are basically the same as dwarf shrimp, just not so dwarf. They wont breed with any of the other shrimp, as they also need brackish water for the young to develop.

As for liters of water, it depends what shrimp you're getting. Dwarf shrimp dont need a lot at all, a few litres at most. Filter shrimp need more, as they filter the water for their food, so need a large body of water to hold as much food as possible.

For the tank, the larger the better really. Larger tanks are much easier to take care of. A good 15 gallon looks nice as a shrimp tank. : victory:

Quite a few fish mix well with shrimp:

Otos, Pygmy corys, Ember tetras (look amazing in well planted tanks), larger Corys, Smaller plecs, Celestial Pearl Danios, Bumble bee gobies,
Smaller Livebearers, Kuhli Loach. All these are safe with adult fish, but some may eat the babies. But keep the tank well planted and the babies are amazing survivors. :2thumb:


(sorry for the essay)

 

[Magpie]

Ah no don't be sorry, the more info the better !
I love the bumblebee gobies, we had some for the main tank, but they all died quite quickly, don't think they did very well with it not being at all brackish in there. Would the same happen in this type of tank ?

 

[bigpig]

Depending on wether you would like the shrimp to breed or not, there are lots of fish that can be kept with shrimp.
While some are fine with adult shrimp they will eat the tiny shrimpletts.
I have micro rasboras in with some of my CRS and they are doing great, lots of babies.
However I have some CRS in with Zebra Ottos and there are no babies at all. I can only assume that the Ottos are eating them!
The adult shrimp are all fine.

 

[FeV]

I cant really advise on the shrimp, i have about 10 cherry shrimp in with danios, white clouds, mosquito rasborras and a bristle nose plec, and they are all doing fine.
but what i can tell you is that i have the fluval edge and have found it to be a fantastic nano tank. its really easy to look after, ive never had to clean the glass as there is no algae. everybody that comes round comments on how nice it is.
i couldnt reccomend the fluval edge more! great tank.

 

[Magpie]

I've previously had freshwater prawns, Yamatoa, and a bamboo shrimp in my tank but I think they were all eaten, this is what was left of the bamboo !

My bf keeps blaming the bumblebee cat but we actually have no idea, I suspect the Siamese fighter, he's tried eating everyone. This is why I'd like a shrimp-only tank, so long as they don't start eating each other ! Don't really mind either way if they breed.