betta with Ghost shirimp
- Thread starter l3lhsl3
- Start date
This gets asked fairly frequently- and I think the answer is usually "it is hit or miss".
Depends entirely on your Betta.
Some will ignore the shrimp- some will massacre the shrimp- others will be fine with the shrimp for 6 months- and then suddenly decide that shrimp are food.
Having plants- especially Java Moss and lots of hiding spots will increase the chance of the shrimp surviving.
Ghost shrimp are bigger (and cheaper) so you may want to try a single ghost shrimp first to see how your Betta reacts to it.
It will almost definately eat any baby shrimplets in can find in the tank. You may be lucky and able to keep adults though.
Depends entirely on your Betta.
Some will ignore the shrimp- some will massacre the shrimp- others will be fine with the shrimp for 6 months- and then suddenly decide that shrimp are food.
Having plants- especially Java Moss and lots of hiding spots will increase the chance of the shrimp surviving.
Ghost shrimp are bigger (and cheaper) so you may want to try a single ghost shrimp first to see how your Betta reacts to it.
It will almost definately eat any baby shrimplets in can find in the tank. You may be lucky and able to keep adults though.
I have successfully kept ghost shrimp with 4 different male bettas and have never had any problems whatsoever. In a tank that size, if it has hiding spots and plants, odds are the betta will never even know they are there. Wycco is right as far as java moss is concerned. My ghost shrimp LOVE hiding in the java moss and other plants that are similar so I would definately put some in your tank. Good luck!
Your betta may decide to have them as lunch or he may not. Each betta has a different behavior. Before you add a bunch in the tank with him, do a small experiment first to see what he does to them. buy at least 4 and watch him for a few days to see if they all survive or they end up as Shrimp scampi on the betta menu. Good luck.
As everyone has already said, try it with some ghost shrimp and see... that's what I did, after a few weeks my betta had managed to hunt all 8 of them down (even with a lot of java moss for them to hid in) and eat them, but then he also did the same with half a dozen neons, I am convinced he is now destined to live alone.
I have a male betta in a planted 10 gal. I never lost a single ghost shrimps before I put the betta in, but ever since he joined the tank, I lost five cherry shrimps and five ghost shrimps. I put six more ghost shrimps last month, but now they are down to two. I am taking my betta out since he suddenly decided to harass all other inhabitants. He had been getting along with them (other than hunting down shrimps) for almost 4 months, but now he started chasing my neons and corys to death, so I really have no choice.
I tried putting yellow shrimp in a ten gallon tank with my female betta and she went after them immediately.
LiveMermaid07
Bloody Mary. As in, hand me one.
I have found that one shrimp with one betta, with only a few hiding places, will be eaten.
In the larger tank with several female bettas and several shrimp, and more hiding places, however, they might consider the shrimp, but wait till they die (of old age?) before eating them. In my experience anyway.
The baby betta did try to go after the larger shrimps. It was hilarious to watch her 'hunting' these creatures that were her size or bigger and trying to eat them. Once I saw her watch a shrimp, then hide under a shell along the path that the shrimp was walking. When it came by she 'jumped' out at it, LOL! (She did't eat it, just scared it, herself, and after amoment went another way.)
Fun to watch!
In the larger tank with several female bettas and several shrimp, and more hiding places, however, they might consider the shrimp, but wait till they die (of old age?) before eating them. In my experience anyway.
The baby betta did try to go after the larger shrimps. It was hilarious to watch her 'hunting' these creatures that were her size or bigger and trying to eat them. Once I saw her watch a shrimp, then hide under a shell along the path that the shrimp was walking. When it came by she 'jumped' out at it, LOL! (She did't eat it, just scared it, herself, and after amoment went another way.)
Fun to watch!i have my betta living peacefully with 5 ghosties in a 5 gallon tank. not only does it add flavor to your tank but gives your betta something to do. mine usually follows them around just lookin at them lol! but yeah give the shrimp some plants or rocks to hide in, they like having somoe territory for themselves!