Flower Shrimp with Male Betta?

[missnikki]

Does anyone know if a Flower Shrimp would be okay to add into a 6 gal with a Betta? If the shrimp gets too big I can add him into my 55g ....

 

[FreshyFresh]

My make betta doesn't bug the 4 ghost shrimp in the 10gal with him and 5 blood-fin tetras.

 

[Thyra]

I don't know anything about flower shrimp, but I think I recently read a thread here where a shrimp of some type killed their betta. Bettas as you know have fins that claws could get ahold of and bettas use all layers of the tank.

 

[big54bob]

I don't know anything about flower shrimp, but I think I recently read a thread here where a shrimp of some type killed their betta. Bettas as you know have fins that claws could get ahold of and bettas use all layers of the tank.

Flower Shrimp don't have claws, they have fans.

As for OP its a hit or mess, I would personally not do it since it is such a small tank.

 

[Thyra]

Well, I did say I know nothing about shrimp - so now I learned something. lol

 

[OrangeCones]

Flower shrimp are very sensitive to water quality and can be difficult to feed properly. I personally wouldn't put one in so small a tank either.

If the betta bothers it or not, as others have said, is hit or miss.

Thyra: Check out this video on youtube. They are fascinating critters! Amazing Singapore Flower Shrimp - YouTube

 

[Thyra]

Thanks OC, You're right - they are fasinating. In the process of viewing that, I found this, but what are they?? Red shock! - YouTube

Also this business about a "clean up crew" what are some ideas without adding to the bioload? Shrimp seem like a good idea, but I have only seen ghost shrimp in the LFS.

 

[OrangeCones]

In the process of viewing that, I found this, but what are they?? Red shock! - YouTube

Those are Neocaridina heteropoda var. red (aka Red Cherry Shrimp). The original Neocaridina heteropoda (as found in the wild) are normally tan, sometimes green, sometimes yellow, sometimes red. Those that breed them in Asia in captivity selectively bred for the red color and now we have the Red Cherry Shrimp. Just as the betta, a far cry from what is seen in the wild. Something so brightly red would not survive long-term in the wild with no way to hide from those that would eat them.

Cherry shrimp make a good clean-up crew but if your fish do not keep the shrimplet population under control, they can easily overtake a tank. I put 8 in their own tank and left them alone to see how they'd do. After 4 months, I traded them to my LFS. It was over 75!