Cherry Vs. Amano

[Hebily]

I've heard that Cherry shrimp will eat algae, and I know that Amanos are often called 'algae eating shrimp'. I've yet to keep either species. I've also heard that ghost shrimp won't eat algae, but I've seen them eat it.

My questions are, "In your experience, Do Cherries eat algae? Do Cherries or Amanos eat more algae? Can Cherries and amanos be kept together? Can both species be kept with ghost shrimp? Is there a type of algae that either cherries or amanos won't eat, that the other will?

 

[Wycco]

I don't know that I've ever witnessed my cherries eating algae- although I really don't have much algae (the snails/shrimp/pleco must be doing their job and eating it all)

The only kind I have is the hair algae on some of my plants near the water surface.

I've not seen any of my shrimp eating this- although I've witnessed the ghosts investigating it- but presumedly deciding there are tastier things to eat.

Usually you read that Amanos are the algae eating champions- but I don't have any (yet) so I can't give a first hand account of that.

 

[jackiomy]

I don't know how you can tell who eats more. Mine never stop picking at everything. My amanos love greenbeans even better than algae. I have some really cute pics with an amano on one end of a bean and a pleco on the other. They are all eating machines. I worry about having enough algae for everyone.

 

[Hebily]

I don't know how you can tell who eats more. Mine never stop picking at everything. My amanos love greenbeans even better than algae. I have some really cute pics with an amano on one end of a bean and a pleco on the other. They are all eating machines. I worry about having enough algae for everyone.

So, in your experience, cherries do eat a significant amount of algae, and you can keep cherries and amanos together without problems?

 

[jackiomy]

I have cherries, ghost, bee, and amano all in my 55G community. The ghosts can get a little aggressive but the amanos stand up to them and they quickly get distracted and forget what they are doing. I also have tons of plants so I think they are all comfortable. I don't know how to tell if they eat algae. I have plecos and nerite snails too as well as mystery snails. I don't have too much of a problem with algae. LOL

 

[Hebily]

That's good to know... I've actually watched my ghost shrimp swim up and down the walls of the tank, picking off algae and eating it.

 

[theredchaser]

I think Amanos would eat more due to their size, but cherry's should eat more in the long run due to breeding. Either way they only eat soft types of algae since they need to be able to physically pick up chunks with their appendages.

 

[DarkDH]

I heard somewhere that if you offer Amanos better things to eat such as algae wafers, cucumber, etc. , then they are less willing to eat algae. I also heard that they are very useful for combating hair algae.

I sort of wish that I had hair algae than clado-algae... Can't get rid of that stuff.

 

[msjinkzd]

amanos are exceptional algae eaters. The thing they have going for them is that they are a larger shrimp so are capable of eating larger algaes. Size for size, cherries are nearly as good but because of their size they are unable to eat alot of the filamentous algaes. They are compatable and can easily be kept in the same tank. Cherries are wonderful for biofilm algaes, amanos too but they will also eat hair algae. Mine never stop picking at algae/substrate/plants.

As for ghost shrimp, they are scavengers so considered a more "agressive" dwarf shrimp. In a small tank, they have been known to predate on smaller shrimp (like cherry shrimp) and small "pest" snails. They are not so much algae eaters as opportunistic.

 

[Hebily]

Thanks, everyone, for all the great information.

What is the adult size of each, cherries and amanos?

MsJ - if there is plenty for ghost shrimp to eat that doesn't run away, are they still likely to hunt cherries? Would this be all of the cherries, or only young?