Compatibility Question

[SwampeastMike]

Any chance to include a few shrimp into a 160-gallon tank with 5 blood red parrots and 1 firemouth cichlid?

All of the cichlids are adults about 3 years old. To my amazement they are cohabitating perfectly with a bunch of fancy guppies that I put in expecting they would be "treats". They ignore even the fry. Their diet has always been very good cichlid pellets.

My sense tells me the shrimp will prove irresistible but I had the same idea about the guppies and particularly their spawn.

 

[charliebankston]

Do you already have the shrimp? I ask, because you could put a few in and wait a month and see. Those 2 cichlids aren't necessarily piscavores, but you know any thing that generally fits in a fish mouth is probably considered food. You've had good luck already tho, so it might work

 

[charliebankston]

I have lots of cichlids, different species, and those two generally aren't interested in live foods. Some of the ones in my African cichlid tank will, some won't. My oscars will eat a boot

 

[SwampeastMike]

I don't have the shrimp. The tank is fully cycled now and I'm getting ready to introduce some new residents.

 

[charliebankston]

Oh OK, well good luck. On a semi relevant side note, I also had a bunch of fry recently that I couldn't give away and no room for, so I thought I'd feed them to my cichlids (gasp!) Including my 7" blood parrot and 5" firemouth. And my African tank and red devil. I last week pulled 1 from the big south/ central American cichlid tank that they didn't bother eating, and one from my red devil tank that she didn't eat either. So who knows, your shrimp may be totally safe