# Single Fish for 30 gallon



## ctaylor3737 (Nov 14, 2013)

Most any fish will eat shrimp....or the babies.


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## AnthonyW8822 (Feb 15, 2014)

ctaylor3737 said:


> Most any fish will eat shrimp....or the babies.


I'm not too concerned about the babies. I'll have them separated.


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## Careful (Mar 26, 2013)

Any fish that is big enough to look good as a centerpiece fish in a 30g is probably big enough to eat adult cherry shrimp too. What do you like in a fish? What fish do you find more interesting of others? How do you want your tanks to 'feel'? You can't know what type of fish to get unless you know what kind of fish you like.

With that said, I would forget the shrimp and do shell dwellers.


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## unionfishguy (Jan 15, 2014)

Angelfish that I have had eat shrimp, but maybe a nice big colorful beta? 


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## AnthonyW8822 (Feb 15, 2014)

Careful said:


> Any fish that is big enough to look good as a centerpiece fish in a 30g is probably big enough to eat adult cherry shrimp too. What do you like in a fish? What fish do you find more interesting of others? How do you want your tanks to 'feel'? You can't know what type of fish to get unless you know what kind of fish you like.
> 
> With that said, I would forget the shrimp and do shell dwellers.


Sadly I've turned into a shrimp fanatic. I love them. I'm even getting a dedicated shrimp tank.

I'm looking for this tank to have some color. Maybe not too flashy - but I want it to have some color... And shrimp.


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## Careful (Mar 26, 2013)

If the shrimp are more important than fish then tetras would actually be a good choice. I'm having trouble thinking of anything non 'small-and-schooling' (tetras rasboras danios etc) that won't go after cherry shrimp. Maybe someone else can think of something?


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## AnthonyW8822 (Feb 15, 2014)

Careful said:


> If the shrimp are more important than fish then tetras would actually be a good choice. I'm having trouble thinking of anything non 'small-and-schooling' (tetras rasboras danios etc) that won't go after cherry shrimp. Maybe someone else can think of something?


Are there any midlevel catfish? Maybe a pictus? I've seen them at mid level.


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## aquarist (Aug 29, 2012)

If it will fit in its mouth, almost all fish will eat shrimp. If you don't want a large center piece fish, but something with a lot of flash and color, you could always go with a Betta, they do not get big enough to do much to the shrimp population, but they will probably try and eat any shrimp small enough to fit in it's mouth.


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## du3ce (Jan 26, 2013)

I wouldnt put:an angel in a 30 gallon


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## RWaters (Nov 12, 2003)

What about a pair of longfin albino bristlenose plecos?


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## Diana (Jan 14, 2010)

Bristlenose Plecos get too big for a 30, and a pair is one too many. 

Already noted above: Just about all fish will eat shrimp. 

Mid-level cats: Glass cats. They have tiny mouths, and tend to hang out under the filter, in maximum water flow. MAYBE they won't go for the shrimp as much as some other fish???


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## RWaters (Nov 12, 2003)

Diana said:


> Bristlenose Plecos get too big for a 30, and a pair is one too many.
> 
> Already noted above: Just about all fish will eat shrimp.
> 
> Mid-level cats: Glass cats. They have tiny mouths, and tend to hang out under the filter, in maximum water flow. MAYBE they won't go for the shrimp as much as some other fish???


I have to disagree. A 30 gallon tank is not too small for bristlenose pleco's. I also doubt that a bristlenose will eat shrimp, whereas a glass catfish might. Besides, the op was looking for a larger (and apparently showcase) fish - transparent glass catfish won't fit the bill.


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## OVT (Nov 29, 2011)

+1 ^^
Just give him a decent piece of driftwood and decent flow and he will be happy for years.

v3


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## HUNTER (Sep 4, 2012)

I just put harlequin rasboras in my cherry tank with some newborn cherries and they don't even pay attention to them.


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## matt11390 (Apr 16, 2007)

What about a mating pair of pearl gourami's


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## Careful (Mar 26, 2013)

matt11390 said:


> What about a mating pair of pearl gourami's


Pearls are great but they will wreck cherry shrimp. I think mine even eat smaller ghost shrimp.


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## H2Ogal (Apr 27, 2010)

Betas can decimate shrimp (and snail) populations, whether or not they eat them. Just attack, kill and swim away. It's fast and pretty brutal.

Glass cats may be too large to keep with shrimp, but ghost cats (Kryptopterus minor) are smaller and can make a fantastic display in a tank. I fell in love with a school of them at an LFS one day and am considering setting up a species tank. They don't do particular well with other fish swimming around/through their school, but I think they'd be fine with cherries or similar shrimp. Unfortunately, they can be finicky eaters and are sensitive to swings in water params. 

Decent wikipedia article on ghost cats


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## Myla_2098 (Sep 14, 2021)

du3ce said:


> I wouldnt put:an angel in a 30 gallon


Oh why not?


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## Bootsy (Jul 4, 2021)

This post is 7 years old, so you may not get a response from the person who made that comment.

But I agree that angels get too big for a 30-gallon tank.


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## Aaronious (Oct 20, 2020)

Myla_2098 said:


> Oh why not?


for a full grown angel, a 30g is like a good sized jail cell. lol. It would be like being in a 15x10 room forever, even with stuff for entertainment you'll want to stretch your legs eventually. Might not be the best analogy, but you get it I'm sure. They just take up a lot of room in both directions so it's hard for them to explore much in a 30g once fully grown.


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