Petshrimp.com Discussion Forum

Hi everyone,

Its been awhile! I have bought a 5.5g tank just waiting for the filter and heater to arrive. They were delayed due to weather conditions. I know for sure that I am getting a betta for the tank but I was wanting to know from you guys if adding either some ghost or cherry shrimp would be ok to do with this tank size? I was thinking of a small group of six of them. Opinions on which might be better to go with ghosts or cherries? I'm also considering adding an african dwarf frog and a mystery snail but am asking about those on two other forums dedicated to them. Here is the tank so far!

The tank size would be fine, however, your betta will almost certainly eat ghost or cherry shrimp. Please don't house them together. Shrimp are best kept by themselves or with snails.

Thanks Jenny, I won't be adding any then.

I don't see how any betta would have a mouth big enough to eat an adult ghost shrimp (they are over twice the size of cherry shrimp). Do they grab and tear the shrimp apart?

they do tear them apart varanus. ive even seen guppies tear shrimp apart and vice versa. had a gang of ghost shrimp tear apart a guppy.

Yes, they tear them up and eat them bit by bit.

I keep ghost and cherry shrimp with danios and white clouds and otocinclus and halfbeaks and they do OK. The baby shrimp only pop out at feeding time, otherwise I never see them but the adults are always running around and they get ignored completely by the fish.

But to mix them kind of requires a larger tank because shrimp are sensitive to pollution and especially to bounces in levels, probably at least 30 gallons to be safe. Feeding the fish in a ten gallon is going to cause too many pollution jumps even if you have quite a few plants in there to help absorb them.

You probably won't have much luck with any other kind of fish unless they are 1 inch or under and peaceful AND you have plants and rocks and such for the shrimp to hide in.