# Other Aquarium Forums > Freshwater Fauna > Invertebrates >  Cherry shrimp tank mates

## FishSoup

Heya guys, i'm new to the keeping of shrimps, and just set up a cherry shrimp tank about 2 weeks ago.

The tank presently holds 12 adult cherry shrimp.

i had bought 3 tiny rasboras, supposedly Boraras brigittae, from polyart and put them in with the shrimp. However, after looking at photos from the internet the fish look more like Boraras merah to me. Several days after i saw the fish attack and try to eat a tiny tiny baby shrimp that was moving across the tank floor. I removed the rasboras, and after another few more days, there are several new baby shrimp swimming about again.

i was just wondering: how safe are the Boraras rasboras?  :Crying:  so heartbreaking to see the baby shrimp get attacked and killed..

Are there any other fish safe to keep with baby cherry shrimp? 

Are Oto cats and corydoras cats safe?

Any information from the experts here is much appreciated  :Smile:

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## DazzleDiscus

Otos are supposably plant-eaters. I haven't had a single problem with them eating my newborn fish. However I have found them snacking on the shrimp pellets that I put in the tank. Not sure on other fish... I'll check around, see what I can find...

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## DazzleDiscus

ah. the only thing I found on it was that otos make good tankmates, just be sure they aren't out-competing the shrimps for food. male endler livebearers and a few other fish were mentioned, but not for baby shrimps. The otos were the only thing I found that wouldn't eat the shrimplets.

On the cories I would be wary. I haven't had any shrimplets in my tank, so don't have a problem. However, they are like little vacuums and will suck up anything- especially large mosquito larvae. Since they will eat the mosquito larvae, I'm not very confident that they would leave the baby shrimps alone...
Hope that helped a little bit, I'm not sure about the Boraras rasboras. Have you considered moving the babies to a different grow-out tank?

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## uklau

If you are using a filter, the inlet is also not shrimp safe  :Grin: .

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## Quixotic

_Otocinclus_ are primarily herbivores, but don't eat your aquarium plants. Their main diet consists of algae and aufwuch, supplemented with vegetables, flakes and spirulina wafers but would welcome the occassional animal protein (e.g. bloodworm, tubifex). That said, they are one of the safest tankmates for shrimps and will leave them alone.

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## FishSoup

Hehe, yeah, read about the filter thing, so my tank uses only a sponge filter that's shrimp and fry safe.

Anyhow, i read about Otos liking bloodworm and tubifex.. was worried that shrimp fry might also be eaten  :Opps:  

Seems like they wont though  :Grin:  so that's one fish i can get! 

Thanks DazzleDiscus, you helped lots  :Smile:  so sad that i cant get cories, panda cories look so adorable, was hoping i could put a couple of them in with the shrimps  :Sad:

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## DazzleDiscus

Hehe! that just gives you another excuse to get another tank!  :Very Happy:  (unless you're like me- my mom won't let me get another tank... or at least a big tank. a bunch of nanos are fine so long as they are in my room!) Glad I could help!

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## derk

> Have you considered moving the babies to a different grow-out tank?


Hi guys, I've got a Cherry Shrimp tank too! and mine's having baby shrimp as well.. Anyways, with regards to your suggestion of moving them out to a "grow out" tank, would the shrimp fry die of shock of changing to a new environment? (i.e. temp/pH/etc change?)

I'm currently having a 2ft tank with 1 sponge filter and a 1 of those waterfall filter (with carbon cartridge), the suction inlet covered with sponge to make them fry-safe. Had *about* 18 Cherry shrimp in the beginning, but now left only 12, I think some died due to shock (silly me didn't condition them properly to new tank)

I'm going to get a smaller tank later today, was thinking of taking DazzleDiscus' suggestion to make a grow-out tank, But wanted to consult the more experienced members here 1st with regards to the "fry-shock"..  :Grin:

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## derk

Btw, here's a pic of a couple of my shrimp fry.. A bit blur though..

[EDIT]: They are *about* 3mm in length.. anyone knows how long they would take to grow to adult size? (btw, adult size is when it's >1cm?)

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## Madmax

I believed they will reach adulthood in 3 months.

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## Quixotic

Is there really a need for a grow-out tank? IMHO, the shrimplets will do a lot better in an established tank, where water parameters are much more stable, and there are lots more microscopic organisms in them that may be good source of food for them.

If I were to move some of them due to overloading the bioload, I would probably wait for them to grow to juveniles, and then move them or the adults to another tank. However, that's just my personal preference.

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## hammy

Hi all, I've recently gotten some cherries as well. Won't want to take the risk of having any single fries being eaten, so no fishes at all in the tank. 

My concern, however, is that having a tank without fishes at all might be "mosquitoes prone". So besides having water movement on the surface, any other advice from shrimp experts out there?  :Smile:

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## derk

> I believed they will reach adulthood in 3 months.



Alright.. thanks for the info.. I'll be looking forward to them growing up!

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## DazzleDiscus

> My concern, however, is that having a tank without fishes at all might be "mosquitoes prone". So besides having water movement on the surface, any other advice from shrimp experts out there?


not exactly sure about this, but I think the cherries would eat the mosquito larvae- at least my ghost shrimp do. When I first bought them, that was the only thing I could get them to eat for the first two days.

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