cichlid and shrimp

dundadundun

dundadundun

;sup' dog? ;woof and a wwwoof!
Jan 21, 2009
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S.E. PA
i am thinking of just that. of course i'm not talking a regular cichlid. i know there are many types and cichlids in general go hand in hand with hunter. i also know however that there other types of cichlids that many say are pretty much harmless. i am curious to know to what point are they harmless. i have been seeing beautiful blues and yellows, angels and discus... all different kinds. i guess you can say i have a slight case of stricken by the bug type deal. i have inverts in both of my tanks and always am considering the possibilities of moving/stocking/restocking... yadda yadda.

i would think my shrimp are my most delicate species when it comes to the food chain. so i was wondering if anyone has considered, has an opinion based on experiences, has succesfully kept and so on when pertaining to cichlids of the friendly nature and shrimp housed together. now i have amanos in one tank and rcs in another at this moment (which could change in any direction, way or time) so i am interested in best/worst case scenarios (actual happenings for the most part) with anything in-between as i'd also like to add another shrimp species (more than likely red-nosed shrimp or crystal reds) as well as maybe a pair of small cichlids.

i would really like specifics (x-species gobbled y-species in my 30-planted) although a lot of detail (when i was 25... his name was killer for a reason...) is not necessary unless you feel it is.
 
Good luck on your quest- can't give you specifics... I did research on a few Cichlids that were classified as "possible community tank" cichlids such as blue rams when I was deciding on stocking.

Every single one I researched ended up as being non-shrimp safe. (that doesn't mean there isn't a shrimp-safe cichlid out there- and doesn't mean your fish won't go months before discovering how yummy shrimp are).

I suspect Amanos would be less likely eaten than CRS or RCS because of their size. Non-dwarf shrimp may be an even better option...

Overall though I don't think you'll find many people recommending shrimp with cichlids.

I think best case would be lots of hiding places... I would say plants, but Cichlids and plants arn't always a great combination depending on species- your shrimp may be able to hide enough to avoid becoming dinner.
 
been there also... that's why i'm asking. i have seen people suggest specific rams and i think kribs may work, but there seems to be some controversy. i don't want to get to the bottom of that controversy in my tanks the hard way you know.

i do do the hiding spaces and all my kiddies have their own niches, but i just want to make sure beforehand as i could just be tempted enough to find out for sure myself one day.

thank you for your response wycco. it's much appreciated!
 
do the numbers still keep rising? i mean has it stopped the increase in numbers of the rcs or do they keep going up in numbers? also what kind of rams please?
 
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I keep blue rams with cherry shrimp the shrimp have lots of babies they also have lots of rocks to hid in
 
so some extremely intertwined root wood, a good amount of rock making a dense wall structure, java moss across the entire bottom of a tank and i should be ok with a pair of blue rams... cool.

i was also wondering about the yellow ones... the name slips my mind at this point, but i hear they are less aggressive than the blue ones. any thoughts?

sorry... feeling rude now...utterdark and afrocichlid thank you guys very much for your responses!
 
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I have Blue rams. Which are supposed to be the most peaceful and community of the Cichlid family. I had shrimp in their. It took them 1 night to gobble up a half dozen of them. Their was cover for the shrimp too. Shrimp and Cichlids pretty much do not mix. Them and other fish do so far, them together not so much but it get's better over time. Mine have learned to chill out.
 
I kept Ghost shrimp with angels and they never looked at them twice. I haven't tried with other shrimp though. I keep my cherries with danios, rasboras, Killis & tetras without any casualties. I guess it would depend on the temperament of the specific fish that you're adding.
 
It's always going to be a toss up. My advice is to add the inverts first at adult size and let the tank grow in. My Rams are pretty young but have coexisted with the shrimp for 4 months now. They're generally more concerned with pestering each other to notice the shrimp. No cichlid be trusted completely with inverts, but if you keep them well fed I think they'll be fine. My Rams are wild btw, blues, I don't know if that makes any difference.
 
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