# Apistogramas & Shrimp?



## Jon A (6 Apr 2020)

Hi all,

I've just recently set up a heavily planted 240 litre tank, and the water cycle is nearing completion, so I've started to look more seriously in to stocking.

I would like to keep Cherry Shrimp, Harbrosus Cory's and a nice school of Tetras, probably rummy nose. 

My question is, I would love a centre piece fish such as a pair of Apistograma Borellii, but there is quite a lot of conflicting info about keeping dwarf cichlids with smaller shrimp. Does anyone have experience with keeping them with smaller shrimp? I don't want the Shrimps to be expensive food! 

Thanks!


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## castle (6 Apr 2020)

Generally shrimp are only ever safe in shrimp only tanks.

They're jumpers in open top tanks too if being chased by fish.

Tetras will be at a minimum a nuisance to the shrimp, and the Borelii will definitely take a shrimp.

Hope this helps, and in a larger tank shrimp may survive especially if it really is a jungle.


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## dw1305 (6 Apr 2020)

Hi all, 





Jon A said:


> Does anyone have experience with keeping them with smaller shrimp?


I briefly stored some _Apistogramma cacatuoides_ in with my Red Cherry Shimps and <"it didn't end well">.

cheers Darrel


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## mort (6 Apr 2020)

I see people do it but even in a very heavily planted tank I don't think it really works. I personally would never do it because pretty much any fish will eat shrimplets and if they have a big enough mouth then even the adults won't be safe, and apistogramma have a big enough mouth.


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## Jon A (6 Apr 2020)

Thank you guys. I did think this may be the case, just wanted to check first from people's experiences. 

I've not kept shrimp before as I've not had a setup large enough, so definitely don't want to compromise on them!


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## Krish's Aquariums (11 Apr 2020)

Jon A said:


> Hi all,
> 
> I've just recently set up a heavily planted 240 litre tank, and the water cycle is nearing completion, so I've started to look more seriously in to stocking.
> 
> ...



I would not recommend shrimp with Apisto's, I had a whole colony wiped out by a pair of Apisto's.


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## EA James (24 Apr 2020)

Same thing i was thinking, i was after a m/f pair of Borelli Opal' Beautiful fish. 
I have amano's in my tank though so would they be ok? Some of them are nearly as big as my Lemon Tetra!


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## alto (24 Apr 2020)

If a fish decides to take out a shrimp it will

I added a couple juvenile “Licorice gourami” (shop had no idea what species) to a well planted aquarium, the male instantly began attacking shrimp (who had been living unchallenged in the tank for a few months) and in under 30sec left more than a dozen shrimp (almost as big as himself) dead and dying 

If it’s a larger tank with complex scape and moss and thick carpet plants, and you’ve an established shrimp colony, AND fish isn’t particularly interested, it’s quite possible to keep various dwarf cichlids with shrimp 
(you can find loads of these examples of forums etc ... I suspect that people are somewhat more reticent about posting the alternate instances)


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## EA James (25 Apr 2020)

@alto doesn't sound like its worth the risk then. 
Cheers


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## alto (25 Apr 2020)

I had a planted tank that ran for a couple years, various shrimp were introduced early on, then fish including several angels and rams (at different times) ... when I broke the tank down for a move, I expect 50-100 shrimp, but it was over 400 
I rarely saw baby shrimp in that tank, but always found a group in the filter (an Eheim that I cleaned every 3-6 months)


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## Jon A (27 Apr 2020)

alto said:


> If a fish decides to take out a shrimp it will
> 
> I added a couple juvenile “Licorice gourami” (shop had no idea what species) to a well planted aquarium, the male instantly began attacking shrimp (who had been living unchallenged in the tank for a few months) and in under 30sec left more than a dozen shrimp (almost as big as himself) dead and dying
> 
> ...



Thank you for this! My Scape is fairly complex but is and island surrounded by sand, so other than the dense planting to the centre, they are rather exposed if they venture out.

In the end Im going to opt to keep my shrimp with Cory Hastatus, Otto's and a school of Tetra (yet to decide). The shrimp have already been added, and definitely don't want to compromise them in any way.



alto said:


> I had a planted tank that ran for a couple years, various shrimp were introduced early on, then fish including several angels and rams (at different times) ... when I broke the tank down for a move, I expect 50-100 shrimp, but it was over 400
> I rarely saw baby shrimp in that tank, but always found a group in the filter (an Eheim that I cleaned every 3-6 months)



That's quite the success story! Probably the best I've read actually. My colony has only started with 30 shrimp (20 blue velvets and 10 wine red), but I'll be adding fish in the next couple of weeks, so they are definitely going to have to be 'peaceful' if they have any chance of growing the population.


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## alto (28 Apr 2020)

I was feeding a lot of frozen Hikari foods (because of the rams and angelfish - I’d no idea what sort of “real” foods (that I could source) were eaten by the various shrimp) - at the time, a local shop was bringing in various wild caught shrimp species (sourced through some complex extended family/friends relations) 

Oddly despite the soft acidic water, even the Amano shrimp population increased (likely at a rate of less than 0.1% survival rate as very unsuitable water parameters) but I’d only added 12 and there were more than 50 

Unfortunately, I now rescape frequently and haven’t been keeping voracious angels with shrimp so ALOT less food ... though I did just add some locally bred shrimp to my nano - and actually bought some “Shrimp” food etc


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## Ray (14 May 2020)

alto said:


> Oddly despite the soft acidic water, even the Amano shrimp population increased (likely at a rate of less than 0.1% survival rate as very unsuitable water parameters) but I’d only added 12 and there were more than 50


Sorry, this is rude, but are you quite sure they were Amano’s, I thought that was impossible!?

When I added Angelfish to the tank in my profile photo my Amano’s somehow relocated themselves to live inside my Eheim filter. The numbers slowly dwindled, I always wondered if that was the angelfish or just natural attrition...


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## alto (14 May 2020)

Ray said:


> Sorry, this is rude, but are you quite sure they were Amano’s, I thought that was impossible!?


Survival of Amano shrimp offspring in freshwater is unlikely though others have (occasionally) reported similar experiences, at the time, shrimp were purchased from a reputable shop that dealt with reputable sources, they certainly looked like Amano’s on close examination
(some of the shrimp that currently ship as “Amano’s” look anything like - despite shop assertions   - and have quite different behaviours)

There are  recent reports of offspring reported with shrimp of similar appearance to Amano’s (there’s a journal somewhere on ukaps complete with photos) and an article in PFK (I believe - I can’t find it since the site upgrade, though perhaps it’s just limited to subscription)

I prefer to not mix Amano and cherry/bee shrimp so haven’t kept Amano for awhile, and in the last couple years true Amano are very rare in local shops (regardless of the tank label)

Angelfish will definitely take out even mature female Amano shrimp, but it also seems quite dependent on the individual angelfish


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