Betta and Shrimp?

Not an expert but it sounds like it depends on your Betta. I researched them a little whilst deciding on my tank. What I found was this discussed on several forums... many Betta will ignore shrimp- others will eat them. Most will ignore them for a while until they decide the shrimp are "food" - once they discover that they'll start picking them off one-by-one.

There were people who had kept shrimp and Betta together fine for years though.



Google "Betta and RCS" or something like that- you'll find people discussing keeping them together. That's what I did with all my fish before deciding!

... and after all that I still don't have any RCS... (YET)

It depends on the betta and on the cover you give your shrimp. I have my betta in with snowball shrimp and am sure he occasionally gets a baby shrimp for a snack, but the bottom of the tank has a good 1 1/2" layer of java moss on it. It is just kind of floating about 1/2" off the bottom. I didn't attach it to anything. The shrimp are all over it until my betta gets close. Then they scramble down below where they are much quicker than he is. He tries to get them, but I have never seen him actually catch one. Out in the open water though, bettas can strike pretty quickly if they choose to.

Crystal red shrimp? That would be a pricey snack for a betta.
Red Cherry Shrimp, would still be a snack.

I had a crowntail betta who would eat RCS.

I think I've posted about this before, but yeah, Wycco's post pretty much sums up my personal experience with bettas and shrimp.

My betta devoured all the rcs that I introduced into her tank.....quite an expensive meal for her....