Shrimp-proofing Bettas

[Chrisinator]

Questions have always been asked on if people can keep bettas with shrimps such as RCS and Ghost Shrimps. Many say no because the betta will most likely kill and eat the shrimps. With that said, do you guys know any good "shrimp-proofing" ideas for a betta? Do you think females are less likely to become shrimpeal killers?

I'm thinking about getting a halfmoon betta for my 10G paludarium with about 4 gallons of water and it currently has Black Babaultis, RCS and Vampire Crabs. And I was wondering what sort of "shrimp-proofing" ideas people would have.

If anyone has any suggestions on a smaller fish that's possible to keep in a small tank, please let me know!

I've thought about Honey Gouramis , Sparkling Gourami and Scarlet Badis (Dario dario). Any input would be great!

 

[Taysius]

The thing I see with bettas is that they are very inquisitive and will search out food more than most schooling type fish. They even pick on Briggs by nibbling their tentacles.

I keep my betta with a large amano shrimp and they do ok together. Every once in awhile the betta gats in the face of the amano and flares but the shrimp never gets hurt. Same betta ate the last two of my cherry shrimp though.

 

[Juice]

I'm not sure what suggestions I could give for shrimp proofing but I have one betta that ignores mostly everything I've put in the tank with him, so I'm fighting the urge to throw a few rcs in there and see how he does. The combo, if it would work, would be awesome I think.

 

[gordonw]

I dont know that there is a solid "shrimp proofing" method, but the best way imo would be to have a piece of driftwood that has a fair bit of holes or crevices that shrimp can fit into, then surround that piece of wood with plants heavily enough to allow some shrimp to be basically completely out of sight until it leaves the wood/planted area. Other than that you may have more luck with a nano fish such as the dario you mentioned, or maybe CPD or chili rasboras.

 

[Chrisinator]

The thing I see with bettas is that they are very inquisitive and will search out food more than most schooling type fish. They even pick on Briggs by nibbling their tentacles.

I keep my betta with a large amano shrimp and they do ok together. Every once in awhile the betta gats in the face of the amano and flares but the shrimp never gets hurt. Same betta ate the last two of my cherry shrimp though.

I knew bettas probably weren't gonna work at all since they are very "curious" about things. Thanks for your input!

I'm not sure what suggestions I could give for shrimp proofing but I have one betta that ignores mostly everything I've put in the tank with him, so I'm fighting the urge to throw a few rcs in there and see how he does. The combo, if it would work, would be awesome I think.

Yeah, I really wish bettas were more calmer and not so "fighting fish".

I dont know that there is a solid "shrimp proofing" method, but the best way imo would be to have a piece of driftwood that has a fair bit of holes or crevices that shrimp can fit into, then surround that piece of wood with plants heavily enough to allow some shrimp to be basically completely out of sight until it leaves the wood/planted area. Other than that you may have more luck with a nano fish such as the dario you mentioned, or maybe CPD or chili rasboras.

After consulting with msjinkzd, I think I'm gonna end up getting 1-2 dario darios. That would probably maximized everything in the paludarium. I just hope my Vamps dont' kill the Darios!

Any more suggestions would be great as I'd like to keep this thread going for future references.

 

[user_name]

darios are great, but I love my honey gourami! Between him, my old JD and my weather loach, I can't think of a friendlier fish!

 

[Ianne]

bettas are so curious that if you stare at the water with the tank open they jump at you lol

 

[NeonJulie]

I have a large amano shrimp also that my betta seems fine with. (Although it's only been two weeks.) The funniest thing was when they were meeting and greeting, and the betta sat there while the shrimp worked his antennae all over the betta - it looked like he was getting a professional massage. Ha.

My cherry shrimp is currently living in an enclosed fry box. I hope he grows larger... I am not even sure driftwood and plants would keep a determined betta at bay. I thought my shrimp could hide in my plant roots in and small caves, but actually the betta moves roots, pebbles, and loves to see how many tiny spaces he can get himself through. (My shrimp saved himself by climbing into the HOB filter.)

I think if you bought a larger shrimp (have you seen those neat whisker ones! Wow), or a nearly full grown amano/algae eating shrimp, you could probably do it. Depends on the betta but I do think most of them find the larger shrimp boring?

 

[GoldLenny]

You can also add a little shrimp cave on the bottom so when the cherry shrimp are molting or hatch a new batch, they have a safe place to hide. Here's an example...

Appropriate Home
Ghost Shrimp can live in fish bowls and aquariums with and without an aquarium heater at a temperature between 65 and 82 degrees F. Every few months a Ghost Shrimp molts its exoskeleton. When this happens, it's soft body is exposed, and it's vulnerable to being eaten. You can protect your Ghost Shrimp by putting a piece of a broken flower pot on the bottom of your Ghost Shrimp's home to form a small hiding place for the Shrimp.

Put the piece of the broken flower pot with it's inside facing down on the bottom of your Shrimp's home, so there is a small cave for your Shrimp to crawl under. If this cave is not big enough for the Shrimps, prop the piece of the flower pot up with a small rock or piece of gravel, or another piece of the broken flower pot. The idea is to give the Ghost Shrimp a hiding place that is too small for the other animals. So the Shrimp will be safe while it molts.

 

[Chrisinator]

I have a large amano shrimp also that my betta seems fine with. (Although it's only been two weeks.) The funniest thing was when they were meeting and greeting, and the betta sat there while the shrimp worked his antennae all over the betta - it looked like he was getting a professional massage. Ha.

My cherry shrimp is currently living in an enclosed fry box. I hope he grows larger... I am not even sure driftwood and plants would keep a determined betta at bay. I thought my shrimp could hide in my plant roots in and small caves, but actually the betta moves roots, pebbles, and loves to see how many tiny spaces he can get himself through. (My shrimp saved himself by climbing into the HOB filter.)

I think if you bought a larger shrimp (have you seen those neat whisker ones! Wow), or a nearly full grown amano/algae eating shrimp, you could probably do it. Depends on the betta but I do think most of them find the larger shrimp boring?

I know Amanos would be fine in my setup with a betta. But, not sure if I wanna risk the smaller Cherries and my small Black Babaulti colony. A bamboo shrimp looks pretty neat and would probably be an awesome addition to my tank, but there's really no water flowing in the main area, just a filter in the back.

You can also add a little shrimp cave on the bottom so when the cherry shrimp are molting or hatch a new batch, they have a safe place to hide. Here's an example...

Appropriate Home
Ghost Shrimp can live in fish bowls and aquariums with and without an aquarium heater at a temperature between 65 and 82 degrees F. Every few months a Ghost Shrimp molts its exoskeleton. When this happens, it's soft body is exposed, and it's vulnerable to being eaten. You can protect your Ghost Shrimp by putting a piece of a broken flower pot on the bottom of your Ghost Shrimp's home to form a small hiding place for the Shrimp.

Put the piece of the broken flower pot with it's inside facing down on the bottom of your Shrimp's home, so there is a small cave for your Shrimp to crawl under. If this cave is not big enough for the Shrimps, prop the piece of the flower pot up with a small rock or piece of gravel, or another piece of the broken flower pot. The idea is to give the Ghost Shrimp a hiding place that is too small for the other animals. So the Shrimp will be safe while it molts.

Thanks for the idea! In my paludarium (link in my sig), there is a rock structurel blocking the sponge filter from view and what I might do is cover up the holes so only the shrimps can go in and not the betta!

Dario Dario:
Pros: Small, Low-bioload, Less likely to hunt for shirmp
Cons: Hard to feed

Betta: Perfect fit for the 4g of water, pretty
Cons: Will most likely attack shirmp

Thought I've seen a lot of microworms in my tank, and maybe the Darios would be able to hunt those. That would be really cool!