# Adding Shrimp



## llamas (Jun 29, 2009)

I am thinking about putting some sort of shrimp in my aquarium. I would loke too mainly because thye are really cool, small, they may clean a little and have a small bio-load. What kind of shrimp should I look into. I want some that wil be able to live with fish and will be tough! 

Are there any shrimp compatible with the following?

guppy
tetras (cardinal, rummy)
Khuli loaches
clown loach 
Hatchets
danios

Thanks!


----------



## OneFishTwoFish (Apr 16, 2009)

I have heard that the shrimp will make a yummy snack for the loaches if they are big enough.


----------



## llamas (Jun 29, 2009)

Ok. I don't think I will choose some shrimp over the comical khulis. Perhaps some larger one? I heard amano shrimp are very good with algae eating. They get about 2 inches big too. Would the khuli's be a threat to those? I will remove the clown loach when he grows bigger.


----------



## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

I have heard of keeping cherry shrimp in mixed tanks with lots of flat rocks for them to hide under. Some get eaten, but some survive and multiply. The same for ghost shrimp, except they don't multiply in freshwater. 

But shrimp are a favorite food of most loaches. They will dig into the substrate, squeeze into crevices and suck them up with those snouts. In your place, I wouldn't risk adding any shrimp I couldn't afford to be lunch.


----------



## betta0fish (Feb 16, 2009)

i thought khulis werent too much like the normal shaped loaches, and my opinion, the khulies mouth is tiny so wouldnt it have difficulty eating or catching the shrimp? i havent kept any before so you probably shouldnt trust my opinion

but your clown loach may be a threat to the shrimp


----------



## COM (Mar 15, 2008)

emc7 said:


> ghost shrimp, except they don't multiply in freshwater.


To quote Craig Ferguson, "Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?" I didn't know that they don't reproduce in FW!?!


----------



## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

I thought they were one of the shrimp that needed brackish water at some point in their life cycle. But I don't have a source, i may be mixing them up with another shrimp.


edit: now i'm reading that some 'ghost shrimp' are full freshwater like cherry shrimp and other species aren't.


----------



## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

khulis are neat. They look like eels to me. I'm sure a flat rock wouldn't be protection from them like it would from a danio.


----------



## llamas (Jun 29, 2009)

Ok. Thanks for the advice. I can buy a few cheaper shrimp, see how it goes from there. Or I can just start a small shrimp tank! If it gets too crowded I'll have a nice treat for my
loaches.


----------



## Phonemonkey (Oct 19, 2006)

emc7 said:


> I thought they were one of the shrimp that needed brackish water at some point in their life cycle. But I don't have a source, i may be mixing them up with another shrimp.
> .


I'm fairly sure you're thinking of Amano Shrimp... 

http://www.petshrimp.com/amanoshrimp.html

Incidentally, to the original poster, this is a pretty good resource for reading up on freshwater dwarf shrimp varieties and care:

http://www.petshrimp.com/shrimpspecies.html


----------



## Plecostomus (Jul 31, 2006)

I have had experience with shrimp and Kuhli Loaches and They do not eat shrimp. I don't know about the clown loaches though because they get a little bigger, but if any fish ate the shrimp it would be the clown loaches. Ghost shrimp are really cheap and funny, and algea eating(amano) shrimp are a little more sophisticed and actually hide in the plants and eat algea.


----------



## SouthernBelle23 (Mar 24, 2009)

Ghost shrimp do not require brackish to breed, but they do have a larval stage which apparently requires special foods not found in a fw tank (unless added) so its pretty unlikely you'll get any shrimplets unless you pursue breeding them seriously. But, they are cheap so you could buy a whole bunch of them for the same price as a few Amanos or a few Cherries. 

Here is a link: http://www.planetinverts.com/ghost_glass_grass_shrimp.html. Planet Inverts is another good source for shrimp info.


----------



## llamas (Jun 29, 2009)

Thanks for the advice guys!


----------



## Toshogu (Apr 24, 2009)

Woot, Ghost Shrimp FTW!! my LFS sells em 5 for $1 and at that price I buy about $5 dollars worth every month. They get eaten or die, but a 1 or 2 survive every time so I'm happy.


----------



## butters (Jul 13, 2009)

I like ghost shrimp, i get them 10 for a dollar but they usally put more in so it ends up being around 15


----------



## llamas (Jun 29, 2009)

I think my LFS sells them at 33 cents each. YIKES! I will definately look at some other places.


----------



## Toshogu (Apr 24, 2009)

+ I think they should call amano shrimp "ghost shrimp" for the longest time I thought they all died. but no all 6 are still alive, they just been hiding in the driftwood. Ghost shrimp on the other hand will litterally run out and fight the fish for food. well... more like snatch and run.


----------



## Sisyphus (Jul 29, 2009)

*Adding Shrimp to Tank*

Hi, 
Brand new here so not sure if I'm going about this the right way.

I've got a 30 gallon tank.
Live plants - hornwort , corkscrews, swords and (I think) some wisteria

Fish: pearlescent gourami (about 3 inches long - female), gold gourami (female about 1.5 inches), some neons, some penguins, 2 black skirts, 2 red tailed sharks (one about 5 inches one about 2 inches), and a pleiko.

I'd like to add some shrimp (maybe cherries) and am worried my pearl gourami (who is a bit aggressive at times) may eat them and I'll have wasted my money.

Anyone got any experience with gourami's and shrimp?

Thanks in advance.


----------



## pxexaxcxex (Jul 28, 2009)

Hey Sisyphus, I just bought some ghost shrimp today for 33 cents each (yes Llama pricey). I was watching my aquarium for hours to see the fish interacting and my dwarf gourami seemed scared of my shrimp. He would swim away when the shrimp was going his way. He was interested in them but eventually swam away quickly. So you never know, but I am not sure how the shrimp will do with the other fish in your tank.


----------

