# Brightly Colored Centerpiece Fish That Are Dwarf Shrimp Safe?



## blink (Feb 22, 2012)

I am looking for a centerpiece fish and plantedtank, I ask you can you help me find a killie or something brightly colored and really showy that will work with my celestial pearl danios, white clouds and red cherry shrimp?

My fiancee and I saw some nothobranchius rachovii and fell slightly in love, until we found out they are an annual species. They are a beautiful fish but it would be so disheartening to know they're only going to live a year or thereabouts (unless my research lied to me?? Forum people suggest they will look old at around 12 months and probably not live longer than 15-18 months).

Many of the fish I've looked at will eat either the danios or the shrimp, if not both and honestly, I've run out of things to google based on seeing them in the LFS and going "oooo".

We have a way understocked 27 gallon column (20x18x20" lxdxh) to play with and we're looking for 2-4 colorful and hopefully lively/personable fish to bring my tank alive, something around 1-3" would be cool. 

At the risk of sounding like a douche, I'm not really interested in commonly seen fish like neons or cardinals, I've kept them before and while they can be rewarding and attractive they aren't what I'm looking for this time.


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## RandomMan (May 31, 2011)

Fish will eat what fits in their mouth. Most fish in the 1~3" size will leave adult shrimp alone, but EVERYTHING will eat baby shrimp. If you have enough plants for the babies to hide in, Neos will slowly grow in population, but it will be very slow.


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## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

Not everything will eat shrimplets. Otos won't.

Small Rasboras like the Boraras brigittae are brightly colored, flashy and show-y. While they definitely eat shrimplets, they're so small that they may not eat too many of them if they're well-fed. I keep them with Neos all the time.


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## DerekFF (May 24, 2011)

somewhatshocked said:


> Not everything will eat shrimplets. Otos wont


Is that proven? Dont be rediculous with the 1 off. Anything eats baby shrimplets. The best way to limit the number of eaten shimplets is limit the number of fish in the tank and keep them well fed



Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk 2


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## VivaDaWolf (Feb 5, 2012)

Threadfins or psuedomugils?


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## RandomMan (May 31, 2011)

Ottos aren't colorful and flashy, and appears to be the one fish that doesn't view baby shrimps the way a fat man views a free buffet.


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## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

Yeah, it is, if you're basing it on every person who keeps Otos with shrimp of any sort that have offspring.

From Liam to Rachel to me and hundreds in between.

Accusing someone of being ridiculous when you can very quickly search the forum for yourself to determine that Otos are essentially the only "safe" fish with shrimp is a stretch.

To another commenter: Yes, there are some colorful and "flashy" Otos - Zebras and Orange. They're definitely not fish like Rasboras that will be showy, however.



DerekFF said:


> Is that proven? Dont be rediculous with the 1 off. Anything eats baby shrimplets. The best way to limit the number of eaten shimplets is limit the number of fish in the tank and keep them well fed
> 
> 
> 
> Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk 2


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## Rhaethe (Jan 20, 2010)

Hell, even planetinverts proclaims Otos as being shrimp-safe.

http://planetinverts.com/safe_tankmates_for_shrimp.html


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## blink (Feb 22, 2012)

Ok, how about we expand it a little and ignore shrimplets 
If the fish are generally safe with adults I can built shrimplet forts for them lol


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## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

Adult shrimp-safe fish? Hoo, boy. Definitely any Rasbora that's small. 

Boraras brigittae/Chili Rasboras are typically smaller than adult Cherry Shrimp.

Kubotai are cool with them. Even some smaller Tetras.

While they may occasionally nip at adult shrimp, they typically get the clue that it's not going to work out for them and stop. Especially if they try nipping at a giant Amano Shrimp - I've seen Amanos jump on smaller fish when they nip and then it never happens again.


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## Miles (Sep 9, 2011)

German blue rams? I've kept them with ghost shrimp and they were fine. Also quite pretty


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