Tank mates question. I'm finding mixed answers online.

[chrono1081]

Hi guys,

I had a question about tank mates and I am finding mixed answers online.

I have a small aquarium (8 gallon) and thought of getting these:

1 ghost shrimp
1 fiddler crab
3 green barbs or 3 guppies.

I understand there is a 1 inch of fish per gallon guideline so < 5 inches of fish in an 8 gallon seemed good to me.

Obviously I wouldn't introduce them all at once but I wanted to get some input if that seemed like an OK setup for a tank.

[Jill]

You could have a lot more ghost shrimp....they have a tiny bioload. I think I've heard you can have up to 30 per gallon?? I'm sure someone else can correct me if I'm wrong on that.

[BHead707]

Originally Posted by Jill

You could have a lot more ghost shrimp....they have a tiny bioload. I think I've heard you can have up to 30 per gallon?? I'm sure someone else can correct me if I'm wrong on that.

ive heard this as well, however green barbs wont work well in a 8 gallon, they get to big and need alot more swimming room that that tank can afford

[rreekers]

Originally Posted by BHead707

ive heard this as well, however green barbs wont work well in a 8 gallon, they get to big and need alot more swimming room that that tank can afford

I don't thing green barbs or guppies would be a good choice

you could have a lot of ghost shrimp at least 20...

I don't know about the crab.. do they need a spot that is above water?

[stingrays4]

Hi i would leave the crab out,shrimps as a;ready been said you can add quite a few certainly more than one! Ember tetra's would be better in my opnion.

[Ejpicard]

the fiddler crab would probably eat the ghost shrimp so that is not the best choice. the guppies would go good with the ghost shrimp though. the barbs would not work because they need a lot of surface area because they are strong swimmers. you should make sure that the shrimp have lots of algae to graze on. they are a great cleanup crew. you could also go with a few neon tetras as they are sharp looking fast swimmers that do not need a lot of room. danios are a good starter fish for a small tank too as well as honey or dwarf gouramis.. i also will add that 1 inch per gallon is not the best rule because an 8 inch fish cant live in 8 gallons. i hope the info helped

[noobaquarists]

i would go for a betta and alot of ghost shrimp

[rreekers]

I have an 8 gallon tank with a betta, 8 neon tetras, 4 algea eater shrimp and toms and tons of plants.

do you have plants in the tank?
what about a heater and filter?

[chrono1081]

Thanks guys for all of the suggestions

I have plants in the tank, some real and some fake (I never had real plants so I'm seeing how things go before I replace all the fake ones. I don't want to take away hiding spots )

I also have a heater and a filter. The heater keeps the water at 78 degrees.

Here is a picture of the tank (not the best pic but I didn't feel like setting up a tripod and such)

The bubble wand is temporary while the aquarium is cycling.

[noobaquarists]

nice looking tank

[chrono1081]

Originally Posted by noobaquarists

nice looking tank

Thanks

I was afraid I overdid it with the plants but in person it doesn't look too bad. I'd rather give too many hiding spots to fish than not enough.

[noobaquarists]

yea too much is better than not eneough

[dlongbeach]

Originally Posted by chrono1081

Hi guys,

I had a question about tank mates and I am finding mixed answers online.

I have a small aquarium (8 gallon) and thought of getting these:

1 ghost shrimp
1 fiddler crab
3 green barbs or 3 guppies.

I understand there is a 1 inch of fish per gallon guideline so < 5 inches of fish in an 8 gallon seemed good to me.

Obviously I wouldn't introduce them all at once but I wanted to get some input if that seemed like an OK setup for a tank.

That is a cute tank. The fiddler crab will eat the shrimp and be one happy camper. The fiddler crab needs land to crawl on. They are kind misunderstood at the pet store because they are fully submerged in water. they need brackish water, and half part land, and nice little cave. They are major movers. Don't be surprised if he moves everything around as he sees fit!

[chrono1081]

I think I'll hold off on the crab for now I'll wait to get a regular tank for them where I can give them some land.

[Davies97]

3 Guppies (all male if you dont want to breed, but 1 male 2 females if you do), 1 Pleco, 5 Neon Tetra and Dwarf Cherry Shrimp

[KaylNeko]

Fiddler crabs are brackish, not freshwater, and need specific tank specs (namely, a decent sized beach along with water). Barbs aren't great for a ten gallon. Guppys would be good. No plecos, unless you go for pitbull plecos.

You can get more than one ghost shrimp, too. I got ten, and they settled into the population they felt they could sustain (5, I think).

[Alyxx]

Originally Posted by Davies97

3 Guppies (all male if you dont want to breed, but 1 male 2 females if you do), 1 Pleco, 5 Neon Tetra and Dwarf Cherry Shrimp

This is for an 8 gallon tank, so it is way too small for any kind of pleco.

I would go with the trio of guppies and some more colorful shrimp like red cherry or crystal shrimp. As for neon tetras, you could probably do a small group, but they can be active little fish that need a good bit of swimming room so personally, I wouldn't do it. If you could find one of the smaller varieties like green neon tetras that would probably work well. Just remember, if you get them you need to get at least 5 or 6.

[chrono1081]

I'd really like the blue tiger shrimp, but they're a bit pricey and I wouldn't want to risk it for a new tank.

Sadly they don't have those around here, or even the shrimp you mentioned. All we have are ghost shrimp : / (I like them too but I'd like some different colored shrimp as well).

[KaylNeko]

You can find cherry shrimp pretty easy on ebay, and I suspect they have them up on aquabid.

[Jill]

Look in the classifieds here for Red Cherry Shrimp if you don't mind having them shipped.