Can I add Red Cherry Shrimp to my tank?

[SpyGuy]

Technically, it's my 5yo daughter's tank. Anyway, it's a 10g and it currently contains a Pleco, a Rainbow Shark, two adult Swordtails, two juvenile Swordtail offspring, and about 14 Swordtail fry... with more on the way. I'm exploring a way to sell/give away some of the fry. There are also some unknown snails that somehow made their way into the tank.

(Yes, i realize that the Pleco and Rainbow Shark will eventually outgrow this tank. At that time, I'll probably add a larger tank to my home office to move them into.)

I'd like to add some Red Cherry Shrimp and possibly some Blue Pearl Shrimp. The tank is fully cycled and established. Fish and plants are healthy. Chemicals and pH levels are good. Temp is an even 78 deg F. I do 50% water changes every 2 weeks.

Questions/concerns:

1. Would they be compatible with the Pleco and the Rainbow Shark?

2. The tank has an Aqueon medium power filter. I've read that the shrimp can be sucked into the intake of power filters, although the grill openings on this filter are pretty small. I'd rather not put a pantyhose "sock" over the intake because that would reduce the effectiveness of the filter (plus I imagine it would get clogged fairly quickly).

3. The substrate consists of fairly large pebbles (1.5 to 2 cm diameter) with some smaller gravel (about 5mm) mixed in. Will this be ok for the shrimp?

4. I read an article that said not to vacuum the substrate because the shrimp like to eat the waste. I think there will be enough food/waste for them, even if the bottom is vacuumed every two weeks. I think the tank would get filthy if I stopped vacuuming altogether. That said, how does one vacuum the bottom without injuring or sucking up the shrimp?

Anything else I need to consider?

As far as sources, I haven't looked at the LFS yet, but if they don't have these, any recommendations?

 

[BigJim]

You'd have to pick either RCS or BPS. They're just different color morphs of the same shrimp. If they crossbreed, the shrimplets will quickly revert back to their natural brown-clear coloring. I got some mutt BPS from my LFS and the new generations aren't blue at all.

1. I don't think the pleco would bother them, but I'm not sure about the shark.

2. I have my RCS in a 20L with an AC50 power filter. I just check for shrimp when I clean out the filter. There's usually one or two in the filter. I've only ever found one dead shrimp in the filter.

3. I don't think the shrimp will really care what substrate you have. I keep mine in tanks with a sand substrate. I've seen them kept in tanks with 3"-4" rock substrate.

4. The tank will get filthy. I don't see any fish waste in my 20L, but I sure see a lot of shrimp waste. It's tiny, but it looks bad against the white sand I've got. Some gravel vacs have a guard over the end to prevent shrimp and fish from being sucked up. I haven't had any troubles using a vac without a guard.

 

[siva]

Well your tank is overstocked....badly overstocked...so I wouldn't consider adding anything. None of the fish in your tank are appropriate for a 10 gal..they all get too large. A common pleco at it's mature size requires over 100 gals of water so I would think about rehoming it if you are not going to be getting a tank that big..and soon..they grow fast..and create a ton of waste. A rainbow shark should be in nothing smaller than a 29 gal at any size, but 55 is what's really recomended as some of them reach 6". That being said, my rainbow shark does not bother any shrimp, even the smallest shrimp. He is a rare one from what I've heard however, as most with eat anything they could fit in their mouths. If yours doesn't bother the fry, I think he would likely be find with the shrimp. I'm assuming (and hoping) he's a very small juvenile..he will most likely be getting more aggresive as he gets bigger. I would not try such small tankmates in a 10 gal tank. I keep 5 kinds of dwarf shrimp and haven't had probs with filters or gravel vacs. I did find one dead in the filter once. You could use a sponge filter instead if you want tomake sure no babies get sucked up. When gravel vac'ing you just have to be careful..they will generally stay away. Gravel vac should be done every week during your partial water change.