RCS and tetra compatibility?

[Salski]

I really want to upgrade to a larger shrimp tank, but don't have the space/funds right now.

My bf has a 80L community tank with a male guppy, two female balloon mollies, a sucking cat and a black widow tetra. Does anybody know if shrimp could survive with these tank mates?

The tetra is the one I'm most worried about, he has been in the tank longest and can get very nippy.

Does anyone have any experience with shrimp and tetras?

 

[ejaramillo01]

I really want to upgrade to a larger shrimp tank, but don't have the space/funds right now.

My bf has a 80L community tank with a male guppy, two female balloon mollies, a sucking cat and a black widow tetra. Does anybody know if shrimp could survive with these tank mates?

The tetra is the one I'm most worried about, he has been in the tank longest and can get very nippy.

Does anyone have any experience with shrimp and tetras?

The shrimp won't survive with the mollies, the cat, and the tetras, unless your tank is heavy planted, with some foreground plants, like dwarf grass, dwarf Val's, or baby tears. I have cardinal tetras, or micro rasboras with RCS, with no issues, but any "decent side" tetra will try to snack on the baby shrimps

 

[bud29]

The shrimp won't survive with the mollies, the cat, and the tetras, unless your tank is heavy planted, with some foreground plants, like dwarf grass, dwarf Val's, or baby tears. I have cardinal tetras, or micro rasboras with RCS, with no issues, but any "decent side" tetra will try to snack on the baby shrimps

+1 to this, I'm not even convinced that nano fish like CPD's and neons leave baby shrimp alone, being that they will eat small creatures such as daphnia and brine shrimp. If your intention is to breed shrimp, they really need to be in a tank with no fish.

 

[Salski]

Thanks for the advice guys!

I was hoping to use the smaller tank to breed, and then to transfer some matured shrimp into the community tank when the numbers in the breeding tank grew too large. Might have to rethink that plan!

My lfs keeps a breed of guppy with its RCS, if I was to upgrade to a larger shrimp tank, would small guppies be ok with them? What other fish, aside from the ones already mentioned, are compatible with RCS?

 

[bud29]

Well, as stated before, even the smallest of fish probably could not resist eating a baby shrimp, So if your intention is to breed them, there really should be no fish in the tank. Adult RCS can live with fish and not be eaten, but the babies would most likely not survive. The lfs keeps shrimp with fish mainly because it is a temporary home and they are not trying to breed them.

 

[ejaramillo01]

Well, as stated before, even the smallest of fish probably could not resist eating a baby shrimp, So if your intention is to breed them, there really should be no fish in the tank. Adult RCS can live with fish and not be eaten, but the babies would most likely not survive. The lfs keeps shrimp with fish mainly because it is a temporary home and they are not trying to breed them.

Unless you add enough plants as the ones that I mentioned above. I have a lot dwarf swords and Java Moss in the front of my 100G tank, and I have RCS breeding in the tank. The tank has Angels, Rainbows, etc, but they can not eat all the baby shrimps , the majority hide really good in the plants .

 

[jcolon]

As bud29 mentioned, if your looking to breed RCS, a shrimp only tank's the way to go. Yes it can be done in a tank with fish, but it requires a bunch of plants, DW, leaf litter and or rocks to provide hiding spaces for the babies. Baby RCS are not the sharpest tool in the shed and you can expect the dull ones to be fish food.

For comparison, I started an RCS tank at the end of Sept with 14 RCS, I'm now easily up to 100. I can't even keep count.

 

[Autumnsky]

One of my tanks 16G heavily planted, has White Cloud Mountain Minnows with them. They could eat them due to the size of their mouth only when they are tiny, but mostly the WCMM stay around the top and the shrimp more middle to lower. I get many babies.

My other shrimp tank is 6.6G Edge has Boraras Brigittae Rasbora Chilis, they are really tiny and I doubt they could eat them. I feed them Hikari Micro Bites and still rub the tiny bits together to make them smaller for their tiny mouths.

 

[Salski]

Unless you add enough plants as the ones that I mentioned above. I have a lot dwarf swords and Java Moss in the front of my 100G tank, and I have RCS breeding in the tank. The tank has Angels, Rainbows, etc, but they can not eat all the baby shrimps , the majority hide really good in the plants .

Your tank looks awesome, I would love to do something like that one day. How long have you had RCS in there for?

 

[Salski]

As bud29 mentioned, if your looking to breed RCS, a shrimp only tank's the way to go. Yes it can be done in a tank with fish, but it requires a bunch of plants, DW, leaf litter and or rocks to provide hiding spaces for the babies. Baby RCS are not the sharpest tool in the shed and you can expect the dull ones to be fish food.

For comparison, I started an RCS tank at the end of Sept with 14 RCS, I'm now easily up to 100. I can't even keep count.

I love how bold my little shrimplets have come since the guppy fry have been moved into the community tank. So I want to keep a breeding tank so I can watch them, having 100 would be sweet.

. What do you do with your shrimp when you have too many? Is there such a thing as too many?

 

[Salski]

One of my tanks 16G heavily planted, has White Cloud Mountain Minnows with them. They could eat them due to the size of their mouth only when they are tiny, but mostly the WCMM stay around the top and the shrimp more middle to lower. I get many babies.

My other shrimp tank is 6.6G Edge has Boraras Brigittae Rasbora Chilis, they are really tiny and I doubt they could eat them. I feed them Hikari Micro Bites and still rub the tiny bits together to make them smaller for their tiny mouths.

I had never heard of the Chilis, but from google they look really cool. How tiny are they? They look shrimp sized! Now I want some...

I have never seen them anywhere here though, might have to do some research.

 

[ejaramillo01]

Your tank looks awesome, I would love to do something like that one day. How long have you had RCS in there for?

Thanks.
I started 5 months ago adding like 20 shrimps in the tank, now when the lights go on, I can count minimum like 50 running around going back to hide. I'm sure there are like 100 now there.

 

[jcolon]

I love how bold my little shrimplets have come since the guppy fry have been moved into the community tank. So I want to keep a breeding tank so I can watch them, having 100 would be sweet.

. What do you do with your shrimp when you have too many? Is there such a thing as too many?

Yep, my baby shrimp swim throughout the tank. In a few more months I'll be at the point where I'll probably look to sell some (If they'll buy) to trusted LFS's.
A bunch will ultimately go into my 75gal, I have an RCS colony in there, I've counted up to 8 at a time.