Loaches and shrimp

[MidSSouth]

I know that clown loaches love to feast on snails. Will they eat freshwater shrimp? I'm setting up a new 135g and want some shrimp but not if the half dozen loaches are going to eat them.

 

[Lotus]

The loaches will eat them if they can. If the shrimp are big and the loaches are small, you might get away with it.

 

[Fish Friend]

they may have a nip at some of their fine legs and shell, id say its best not to mix them unless you wanna risk quite a bit of money

 

[phOOey]

sometimes even if a loach is too small to eat them, they will pester the poor shrimp constantly untill it dies of stress.

 

[ckk125]

the loaches will kill them...

 

[dana307]

"Expensive but tasty snack," says my clown loaches.

 

[Predatory Eye]

Loaches like to eat most inverts and even if the shrimp are larger than the loaches, the loaches will still stress them out to no end.

 

[prettypleco]

My loaches ate every shrimp and snail in the tank.

 

[NoDeltaH2O]

the only loaches i've found that will not eat shrimp are hillstream loaches, kuhli loaches, and "zipper" loaches. these all are too small mouthed to kill loaches. Yoyos definitely, and clown loaches without a doubt will happily devour most shrimp, except for those killer macrobrachium shrimp, or whatever they are called...

 

[GIS Guy]

Perfect!
This thread is exactly what I was searching for.
Now I know not to spend $6 per cherry shrimp just to feed my loach.

 

[bsmall05]

amen gis guy, i was wondering the same thing the other day. i was having fun watching the little shrimp doing their clean up at the petstore and wondered if my loaches will snack on them... queary answered!

 

[iamcowboy]

In the past I have kept algae eating (amano) shrimp with yoyo's without a problem. I think the trick with yoyo's is to have more than one. That way they just harass each other.

 

[Grumpy_Marine]

shrimp and loaches don't mix... i bought ten shrimp(ghost shrimp) they were close to 1.5 inches in size, over two nights all but one fell victim to my loaches apparently. I saw one today courageous enough to venture in open waters... but all others are gone now.