# Keeping Betta with Cherry shrimp



## BonesCJ (Jan 13, 2003)

I have a 2.5 planted tank on my desk at work that I will be getting 10+ Cherries for next week. It has an established java ferm plus I just added several pieces of flagstone covered in java moss to the tank. Current tank inhabitants are 1 nerite, 3 Malaysian trumpet snails and 1 Crowntail betta, so far the betta has never picked on any of my other critters but I am concerned that he will eat/bully/pick on the cherries and any new offspring. Does anybody have any suggestions/experience that they could help me with?


----------



## MoeBetta (Feb 5, 2011)

I had Ghost Shrimp with my betta for a while.

When they first went in, as with anything, he was all over them, he went after them but they were fast enough to get away for the most part. After he figured out he couldn't catch them he just seemed to accept them.

Not the same thing, just FWIW.


----------



## Newman (Jul 3, 2010)

you must provide very dense vegitation to where the shrimp can escape from the betta, if you do not then even the adult cherries will be killed if not eaten. babies are out of the question all together, the betta will effectively eat any ones that fit into its mouth. 
in a 2.5 gal it may be tough to plant so densely as to save the shrimp. I have had these shrimp coexist with bettas and even goldfish in larger tanks with lots of dense plants. plants are really key to their survival. unless you can enmesh driftwood together so tightly that bettas cannot pass and shrimp can lol, then you can decorate your tank with DW instead.


----------



## Ash Fairless (Mar 31, 2011)

BonesCJ said:


> I have a 2.5 planted tank on my desk at work that I will be getting 10+ Cherries for next week. It has an established java ferm plus I just added several pieces of flagstone covered in java moss to the tank. Current tank inhabitants are 1 nerite, 3 Malaysian trumpet snails and 1 Crowntail betta, so far the betta has never picked on any of my other critters but I am concerned that he will eat/bully/pick on the cherries and any new offspring. Does anybody have any suggestions/experience that they could help me with?


I have a betta with RCS in a 4gal cube. He's the aggressive betta out of the ones I have and the key to him not eating the cherries is the amount of hiding spots I have for them. I have moss covered driftwood, some slate, and a piece of PVC (my cheap way of having one of those ceramic logs for shrimp) that they all hide under and in. Also I've noticed his aggression has died down since they've been in there for 2 weeks now. When they swim up into his space he snaps, but other than that he now tends to leave them alone.

So my advice? Hiding spaces. Lots of them.


----------



## reignOfFred (Jun 7, 2010)

Its the size of tye aquarium that makes it moat limiting - I would not do it in such a small tank even though I have kept them together in larger without an issue.


----------



## BonesCJ (Jan 13, 2003)

Ok, well there is a 20 gallon work tank here as well with no fish currently, probably move him over there and let the shrimp have the tank


----------



## ValMM (Feb 22, 2011)

He will love that. The bigger the tank, the happier the Betta.


----------



## MoeBetta (Feb 5, 2011)

Truth. I remember the day I moved mine from the bowl to the ten, you could tell he liked it, now in the 20 he's doing great. 10 to 20 is a great betta size.


----------



## Java Moss (Jan 17, 2011)

Originally had my betta in one of those 2.5 Aqueon things. It seemed okay, but it sure did buzz around the tank quite a bit. Undoubtedly if I stuck something live in there, it would be on. Hiding places probably wouldn't have meant anything - he'd simply wait them out. 

Later put him in a 20-long picked up at a garage sale - immediate difference. Now he shares the tank with a number of mates and he couldn't care less. Just lounges around in anubias while a BN pleco does it's work and 3 platies do their thing. Saw him swim with the platies a few times without a shred of aggressiveness, but usually he's just hanging in his corner with the plants or flaring at his reflection in the glass.


----------



## Ash Fairless (Mar 31, 2011)

Java Moss said:


> Originally had my betta in one of those 2.5 Aqueon things. It seemed okay, but it sure did buzz around the tank quite a bit. Undoubtedly if I stuck something live in there, it would be on. Hiding places probably wouldn't have meant anything - he'd simply wait them out.
> 
> Later put him in a 20-long picked up at a garage sale - immediate difference. Now he shares the tank with a number of mates and he couldn't care less. Just lounges around in anubias while a BN pleco does it's work and 3 platies do their thing. Saw him swim with the platies a few times without a shred of aggressiveness, but usually he's just hanging in his corner with the plants or flaring at his reflection in the glass.


I had a similar experience with one of my Bettas, he started in and 2.5 and went to a 5.5, he chilled considerably. Now he's in a 12 gallon with rcs, amanos, endlers and endler fry.He ignores everyone and just enjoys his floating plants while begging for food. Kinda reminds me of my cat.


----------



## Guest (Apr 30, 2014)

I have a betta in a 1.77 gallon tank is that OK? Its a female and she's small I also want to add some cherry shrimp is that OK?


----------

