Ghost Shrimp Dilemma

[aaronmwolford]

Hello everyone,

I'm new to aquarium advice and this is my first post. I have a 5 gallon aquarium with a Male Halfmoon Tail Betta. Last week I bought 3 ghost shrimp for my aquarium and within the day the Betta ate one of them. I can proudly say that the other two are alive and well. The Betta has a tendency to chase them, but doesn't try to eat them.

My biggest mistake was the lack of hiding in my tank and I have since fixed that.
Currently I have:

Teapot - Betta territory
Silk Plant - Neutral (Shrimp seem to like it)
Large pebbles that Shrimp can get under and hide.
Shrimp cave that the betta cannot get in.

My question is whether or not I should try getting a few more shrimp, 5 max? Is it bad to not mind if the Betta eats a couple here and there(if he wants.) Is this good for the bettas diet? My thought is to buy a couple every few weeks if they die and if they don't then great. Yes or no?

Sorry for the large content. Thanks!

 

[Hholly]

Welcome to the forum! Pretty Betta! As far as the shrimp go, ive heard that ghost shrimp can get aggressive toward each other in close quarters. If you don't mind your Betta eating them,it's up to you. Many people use them as feeders for something.

 

[brennae]

My female betta which is my most aggressive betta ate all the ghost shrimp I put in with her. One of my males leaves them alone so far. I like to give the female something to do via ghost shrimp to hunt down but I just read a thread yesterday about ghost shrimp becoming aggressive and taking down fish while they were sleeping at the bottom of the tank, something which male bettas like to do. I personally don't think I will get anymore ghost shrimp after reading that but its up to you.

 

[tharge26]

What about Ghost shrimp with Cory Cats? I have 4 very small Cory that mostly sit at the bottom. Are they in danger from my Ghost shrimp?

 

[thomasina]

I have corys, and ottos with about 20 shrimp. The shrimp are thriiving! If you feed the cory and otos enough and there is enough algae, I don't see them being aggressive.

 

[bobbyj206]

IME my ghosties have left my bettas alone, with the exception of one baby betta that may have died from causes other than the shrimp. Also, on the reverse side, my bettas have always left my shrimp alone. The snails were another thing. I have seen them eat a few snails, well one betta in particular does. My gf however, has had a couple females binge on her ghosties and get all fat. The hiding places you've provided seem sufficient to keep at least a few shrimp alive. I have also read on here that the shrimp can get agressive/territorial around breeding time.