keeping shrimp with a betta?

[SidtheMonkey]

Hi. I'm thinking of getting some shrimp as tankmates for my betta, Metro.

The red cherry shrimp I saw in the store were small enough for him to eat...and $4 each.

I know they get bigger...do they get big enough not to get eaten? What other colorful shrimp would people recommend? Or is it a bad idea?

It's a heated, filtered, planted 5.5 ga. (lightly planted til plants take off tho). With a small piece of bog wood.

Thanks!

 

[AngeTheDude]

I have mine with ghost shrimp. They're way cheaper and provide a lot of entertainment.

Keeping shrimp with bettas depends on the betta. If he's chill and doesn't try to kill all living things in the tank, you might be okay.

 

[SidtheMonkey]

What kind of 'entertainment?' What do they do?

I've had amanos in the past...kinda boring.

 

[broschultz]

I tried it once. Shrimp didn't last 5 minutes.

 

[SidtheMonkey]

I tried it once. Shrimp didn't last 5 minutes.

heh. How big were the shrimp?

 

[Jspigs]

It really depends on the individual Betta, some will eat shrimp (or pester them to death), others won't.

But if you decide to get a shrimp I would go with a large ghost shrimp because they get bigger than cherry shrimp and then have a backup plan.

Also, it is my understanding that red cherry shrimp and ghost shrimp act a lot like amano shrimp.

 

[fishycat]

My "feeder" shrimp are fun to watch, especially when they helicoptor around the tank. They can jet away pretty fast when freaked. It sounds like your tank should have nice hidey spots for any shrimp you try, just in case.

 

[halfmoonplakat]

x2 ^

And also, to be safe, try removing your betta and adding the ghost shrimp before you add him/her to the tank- if they are emaciated, you did not just waste $4

 

[SidtheMonkey]

At $4/shrimp, Metro will end up eating better than me!

Thanks. Maybe I'll try the shrimp when the plants grow in more. I'd still love to hear more about shrimp tho..please keep the comments coming.

 

[sorberj]

I've got some "feeder" ghost shrimp in with a betta, every now and then he'll follow a shrimp around the tank (which is really funny to watch), but other than that, the shrimp are generally minding their own business. I've noticed the ghosts tend to herd up every now and then and head for food (or whatever), and mine literally lined up and started following the leader towards an algae wafer that I had put in there.