# List of Shrimp Safe Fish



## John P.

IME with Cherry Shrimp:

Safe (safe for adult shrimp, unsure about juveniles/newly-hatched):
-Cardinal Tetras (all sizes)
-Harlequin Rasboras (large OK)
-Otocinclus

Unsafe:
-Silver Tip (Tipped) Tetra


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## BlueRam

In general shrimp are safe with things that have mouths smaller that the shrimp and so forth. There are exceptions, such as my blackskirt that once was able to only fit half a shrimp and things that eat snails like loaches that should be able to eat a soft shrimp. Lots of hiding spots go a long way if in doubt.


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## unirdna

Agreed with Blueram - the 'mouth-size' rule of thumb is the best litmus test. The list would get enormous if we all started telling our experience. "No loaches" was spot-on advice, and an exception to the rule. Mine can bust up a ramshorn snail like a cheese cracker. As a general rule, you'll want to stay away from any aggressive fish (use your judgement - and if you're unsure, you can always experiment with inexpensive ghost shrimp).


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## amanda huggenkiss

Also keep in mind that if you're hoping to breed them, pretty much _any_ fish would be happy to snap up the small fry.

Mouth size is definitely a good guideline, but based on that I wouldn't have suspected my apistos could eat my shrimp. Those fish had to really _work_ at getting those shrimp in.


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## Silent Running

Thanks for the input thus far. I'm bummed to see the silver tips on the unsafe list. I was hoping to keep a large school of them in my tank. Hmmm.... shrimp or silver tips, I'll have to think about that one. Keep 'em coming people, this is great info!

Are there any shrimp safe loaches, or will most of them ultimately take them down?


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## Urkevitz

One fish I would not recommend is rosy barbs. Mine has started to terrorize every shrimp in the tank, even full grown amanos. Now the shrimp only seem to come out at night, you could look at my tank for hours and never see a shrimp.


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## GreenTank

Unsafe fish

-Tilapias
-Oscars
-Convicts
-Jags

Basically most of the 2-3 inch plus Central American or South America Cichlids. Tilapias are East African and will eat them to. Some larger Characins will eat them as well. IF the fish is omnivorous to carnivorous or is just see it eat it type of fish, if it can fit it in its mouth...its gonna get eaten. I feed my fish frozen and freeze dried shrimp and krill daily. The red pigments axa'. really work well as colour enhancing fish food.


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## SueNH

Guppies, mollies are safe. Not sure if the fry are safe from the bigger shrimp though. Seems I loose a few to the ghosts now and then.


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## Piscesgirl

A guy on a site I moderate lost ghost shrimp to guppies, so I wouldn't consider them safe. I'm not one to mix any shrimp and fish, however.


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## Wasserpest

It does depend a little on which kinda shrimp though. My woodshrimp scares even grown people, while, like already mentioned, there are only few fishies that can resist a little cherry hatchling.

I have my African Butterflies together with Cherry Shrimp... safe combination, except for those surface-exploring adventurers... snap!


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## supaoopa

I have 

Bolivian rams
betta
otto
corydora
honey gold dwarf gourami's
Feeder guppies
bumblebee goby

in different tanks that all have amano shrimp mixed in. No problems (missing shrimp) or even the slightest interest from the fish in chasing the shrimp.


All my fish will stay small and peaceful tho, so it just depends on the type of fish.


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## Scissors

Dwarf gourami's are one of my favorite fish, they're so mellow. roud: 

I wouldn't be sure about the betta though, I've had my males snap at ghost shrimp as well as snails of all sizes.

Best thing to do is take some ghost shrimp and experiment.


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## pittiepride

What about giant danios? Any experience with those?? They seem to stay at the top of the tank so wouldn't think they would bother shrimp.

kara


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## wood

supaoopa said:


> I have
> 
> Bolivian rams
> betta
> otto
> corydora
> honey gold dwarf gourami's
> Feeder guppies
> bumblebee goby
> 
> in different tanks that all have amano shrimp mixed in. No problems (missing shrimp) or even the slightest interest from the fish in chasing the shrimp.
> 
> 
> All my fish will stay small and peaceful tho, so it just depends on the type of fish.


The Gourami, Betta, and Ram's would devour Cherry Shrimp, especially the baby cherry shrimp. 

Amanos are large shrimp and do not breed in freshwater, so no babies. Therefore as adults only a larger fish can eat them.

-Ryan


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## bcreque

My dwarf gourami will eat ghost shrimp. I tried it out with 5, 3 of them were eaten the first couple days. I've had 2 left (the 2 largest) for a couple months now. So I would say it is risky with cherries.

Yes, I do have some cover... could be better though of course.


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## CampCreekTexas

I wouldn't bet on testing a fish with ghost shrimp and counting on it being okay with cherries. My old, laid back betta who was fine with ghost shrimp in a ten gallon tank for months (literally months ~ more than two) attacked a ramshorn snail in my RCS tank within minutes of me putting him in there for a "test run". He had been chasing a few cherries, but the cherries were too fast for him ~ they took off when he just looked at them and barely went towards them. Him even going towards the RCSes made me nervous, but I gave him the benefit of the doubt that maybe he was just curious, and I left him in there for a few more minutes. When he went after that 1/2" snail obviously and aggresively, I gave up and took him out. 

Just be careful and don't leave any fish in there unattended for long periods of time unless you've already watched for LONGER periods of time and you're sure that they don't try to eat your RCS.


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## Betowess

Well, contrary to Lynn's experience, in my tank Adult Rainbowfish leave my Amanos alone, sometimes they'll get too close and the smart shrimp will bugger off. (I'm talking about Lynn's notorious Kenny Bin Laden.

Other fish that are doing fine with Amanos... 
Medium large Clown loaches, a pair of Apisto Borellii and fone male and three female A. cacatoides. Hill stream loaches too - well thats a "duh"...

I wonder if one raises a fish from juvi size with Shrimp, that they are less likely to go after them, having been around them their whole life. I have heard that you can do that with Angel fish and Neon tetras. If you raise the Angel from a juvi always in the presence of a shoal of Neons, they will always leave them alone - with possible exceptions of a particularly aggressive fish.


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## kharma

So clown loaches will will more than likely make a snack of the shrimps?


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## Clare12345

I would think so for sure. Especially when they get to be bigger than baby size. I think I've heard they can grow to a foot. 

So far my dwarf rasboras have not eaten any baby shrimp. The newly hatched shrimp look as if they may fit in their mouths, the fish have a huge mouth for their size. But I've never seen one eat any. After a few days the shrimp are too big to be eaten.


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## kharma

Yea the loaches i have are pretty small still. I was just hoping i would be ok. In my experience they seem to have grown slower. I have a 180g with 3 of them that i have had for nearly a decade now and they are only around 9-10 inches.


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## Hobbes1911

I hope I'm not repeating what others have said too much.
I would say any corys should be alright. Ottos also will be fine. Smaller killi's like clown or lampeyes should also be fine, and due to location the african butterfly fish won't bother any bottom dwelling shrimp. That doesn't mean it won't eat a passing one, but it won't actively hunt them down. The Boraras and micro rasboras might try to catch a baby shrimp, but I've kept B. maculatus and RCS together a long time and the colony is increasing in size, so the effect of the BMs can't be too bad.

Any characidae (like tetras) I would be hesitant about, because they are active hunters for micro to macro organisms, depending on size. Even the small tetras won't shy away from a baby shrimp. 

I used to keep desert gobies, and other kinds of bottom dwelling hunters and those will make a quick meal out of any shrimp they find. Careful with those!

I think the rule shrimp should be bigger than the open mouth on the fish is a very good one to follow!!! I say open, because several fish can extend their mouths (like desert gobies) to be even bigger when open than they appear.

Also the level of planting in the tank, and hiding spaces make a huge difference. I used to have a 30 gal with golden rams, cardinal tetras, danios and RCS and a huge plant covered piece of DW. I introduced around 5 RCS at the beginning of the tank and when I broke it down there were around 80-100. After lights out, they would come out and feed, but during the day they were so well hidden that one might see one or two at most, but never would I have dreamed that there were this many in the tank. The fish in that tank definitely cannot be described shrimp safe, but other factors like the level of planting and general hiding spaces provided a shrimp safe environment.


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## Fahnell

imo only microrasboras ember tetras and CPD


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## tamsin

I give my parents spare cherry shrimps from about 1/2" up and they also have amano and Pinocchio Shrimp and they have a community tank with...

Cardinals, harlequins, peal gourami, kuhli, an upside down cat, chain botia, ghost cat, banjo, and two quite large fish with a black stripe along their lateral line that someone gave us and I fished out a 3-4" decorous that was growing on the other day too.

I've seen a couple of babies on occasions but they don't really breed successfully in there but the adults do okay.


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## Lifeblood

I have not had any issues with the Black kuhli loach. Black kuhli only, as they are generally the smallest and least aggressive. I do have a rather large tank that is heavily planted.


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## Overboard

I have noticed that some bettas are OK with shrimp, depends on the individual. They all want to eat them, but some don't seem to see as well when something is right in front of their face, they have to turn 45 degrees to get a look, then they lunge at it. I have one now like that, and he has about twelve shrimp tankmates. I think he might get some babies, but the shrimp population is increasing. The other betta I have can attack straight forward... no shrimp in that tank.


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## 6ft3inAlex

I have four Long Finned Zebra Danio and three of them almost immediately attacked one of the ghost shrimp, instantly killing it, slowly eating it over the next few hours. The remaining five ghost shrimp have been in hiding since.


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## schnebbles

I put 30 small RCS in my 40b that is pretty heavily planted and I don't think many made it. I saw one yesterday and put them in Monday. I have

Bolivian Rams (they are a bit on the shy side, but no doubt they would eat one)
Emperor tetra - saw one with one in it's mouth
SAE's (not sure about them although it wouldn't surprise me)
Serpae tetras
Guppy
Female betta

The only ones who might not eat them IMO are the serpaes and if it was small enough, they would too. I feed frozen bloodworms and they go crazy for those so I think shrimp would be a nice treat.


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## windelov

I've kept RCS with harlequin rasboras with no problem and neon/cardinal tetras no problem. I've kept them with assorted south american dwarf apistos, some problems. I've kept them with angelfish, knowing full well what would happen, and it did lol. 

In general the smaller the mouth the better, but imho any fish in there will reduce the reproductive success of the shrimp, so if you really want a colony they should be by themselves. Or with like otos or plecs etc. 

As stated before, there are few fish that could resist a newly hatched RCS shrimplet


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## Something'sFishy

List of 100% Shrimp Safe Fish:
Ottos

That's just about it on fish that won't harass shrimp at all


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## theatermusic87

I'm going to add white clouds... Tiny mouths, top dwellers, never seen one have any interest in the cherry shrimp regardless of size.

The same can not be said of cardinal or rummy nose tetra. They will actively hunt baby cherry shrimp.


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## Betta132

Hatchetfish are usually safe with shrimp if you don't mind losing any that venture up to the surface. Assuming your cherries are smart enough to avoid the hatchets, losses should be minimal. 
Cherry/mosquito/phoenix rasboras are probably your best non-oto bet for shrimp-safe fish. Adult neos are larger than those tiny little fish.


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## Chookies

I've happily kept ghost shrimp and guppies without any loss. The shrimp have even bred....


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## JJ09

The cherry barbs and kuhli loaches (black and striped ones) in my tank don't bother shrimp. But then, my amano shrimps are nearly as big as the cherry barbs, and I don't have any baby shrimp...

I would not trust my betta with shrimp at all.


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