Pencilfish and shrimp

C

ciaong

AC Members
Apr 6, 2005
12
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0
Hi all.
I'm planning on getting a 5-6 gal aquarium and I have a couple of questions. (The tank is small I know, but I don't have much room in an apartment.) Once I get it cycled and planted, though, I'm thinking of adding pencilfish and cherry shrimp.
1) I've heard that pencilfish prefer soft water whereas cherry shrimp prefer hard water. Is this true? Will the cherry shrimp be unhappy in soft water (1-6 dH)?
2) I'm worried that the pencilfish might end up eating the shrimp. Some species, like the Beckford, can grow to 3". But would smaller species, such as the dwarf or two-lined be alright? They only grow to 1.5". (I'm hoping the 1" shrimp will be too big for them to eat.)
 
A 5-6 gallon aquarium will not be big enough for a school of pencil fish, they require more space then the average tetra and are quite nippy if not given a group of 5 or more. Beckford's pencilfish do NOT grow to 3", wherever you heard that is false.

Considering that a 10 gallon actually costs less than a 5-6 you're better off getting a 10g instead. Anything under 10 gallons costs the same in labour to build, so if you pay anything more than 10 dollars for a 5 gallon you're getting ripped off.
 
Thanks for answering, guys. Sorry for the late response. I guess I'll stick with just the shrimp for now then...
 
before u go buy that 5-6 gal, take this into consideration: our first tank 5.5 gal + filter + deco + etc.. 85 bucks.... yeah we didnt shop around hehe. our second tank: 20 gal + everything 65 bucks. So shop around first, petco and petsmart (as well as costco) have good deal on top fin starter kits, 60 bucks and youll most likely be able to find a full system for a 20 gal.
 
Thanks for the advice, Bob, but unfortunately I already went and got a tank. (Couldn't wait...)I'll keep that in mind though when I upgrade.
 
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