Shrimp Compatibility

[eAts]

I've started looking at shrimp and there are some that have caught my eye, but I have Bolivians and a honey Gourami, but I wasn't sure if they would eat them. (I don't want to pay for shrimp to just be food, thats some expensive fish food) I am not trying to set up another tank only for shrimp since I'm still new to the one, but I think they would be a great addition to my tank.

44 Gal Pentagon
Current Stock:
2x Bolivian Rams
1x Honey Gourami
10x Cardinal Tetras

I am also planning on getting some Kerri tetras also and that will be it for fish, but I think the shrimp would add more color toward the bottom of the tank.
So far, I really like the red cherry shrimp, I love the yellow shrimp, and the blueberry or blackberry shrimp (not sure on the name of those last ones, but there a dark blue)

What are your thoughts on the compatibility of the shrimp and the fish? Also are their any recommendations on where to get the shrimp, I would be open to getting them from members here, but aqua bid is also an option.

Thanks, Kyle

 

[jcolon]

The Rams and Gourami are your biggest concern. Your best bet is to go with larger shrimp like Bamboo or Amano at first. You could first get a few ghost shrimp due to their inexpensive price as a test. If they manage to make it a week or two, then add a couple of Amano ... you'll want them to be about an inch.

To go with Red Cherry or Yellow you'll want a well planted tank with DW and Rocks to provide a lot of hiding place. RCS and Yellow would very quickly be hunted in a sparse tank by the Gourami and Rams. BTW RCS and Yellow are the same species so they would most likely cross breed and you'd lose their great colors. In the same tank it's one or the other.

Blackberry shrimp ... at least the one's discussed through this forum are very similar to Amano. As for where to get shrimp ... plenty of members are offering them. Maxwellag may still have a few RCS... maybe. Severum Mama and Jetajockey just to name others.

 

[eAts]

Alright, thank you for the help. I was planning on grabbing some ghost shrimp like you suggested anyways to see if they would survive with the rams and gourami. I'll give it a shot, and if it works it works, if not oh well. Then maybe that will be a reason to get a cheap 5 or 10 gal kit just from shrimp. Do they breed quickly in their own tank, and would I have to worry about inbreeding if I go that route?

 

[jcolon]

In their own tank, RCS or yellow will act differently. They'll be out more swimming about. In a tank with fish, you'd rarely see them.

Two 2.5 gallon tanks would work as well to keep RCS and Yellow shrimp separate to avoid cross breeding.

 

[bettaowner]

I'd add some cheap shrimp first to see how the fish react.