What Shrimp Can Live With Betta Fish?

What Shrimp Can Live With Betta Fish?

Here are 7 shrimps that are compatible and can live with the betta fish. In this article, we have added tips to keep them together in one aquarium.

What Shrimp Can Live With Betta Fish? Red cherry shrimp, Amano shrimp, ghost shrimp, bamboo shrimp, vampire shrimp, malawa shrimp, and the bumblebee shrimps can live with the betta fish. All these can live calmly with your betta despite betta’s aggressive nature. An appropriate tank setup is necessary to keep both species in an aquarium peacefully.

What Shrimp Can Live With Betta Fish?

Shrimps are good scavengers and cleaners that are efficient in cleaning out algae and residues from the tank. They generally do not cause any conflicts with other species that makes them the best choice for aquariums.

Betts is aggressive, and choosing the right tank mates for it is not easy. Freshwater shrimps are suitable for most aquariums, but considering the betta temperament, one should be cautious. 

You must know the compatibility of both animals before keeping them together in an aquarium. If you have a betta that is not too aggressive and has a good temperament, you can add many shrimps in the aquarium.

7 Types of Shrimps that can live with betta fish

The shrimps that are suitable to live with betta fish are:

Malawa shrimps

These are freshwater shrimps with various colors and are calm and peaceful. They can live with betta if you provide them suitable water conditions and parameters in the aquarium. 

They can breed in the tank but be careful and cautious at the beginning until both species become good tank mates. Betta fish are good pets and you will like them.

They love to live on rocks and feed on growing algae with is beneficial for the tank and other animals.

Tank conditions for betta and malawa

Same water parameters and environment requirements help in the better companionship of both species. Any change in the parameter badly affects the shrimp. The suitable water temperature is 26 to 28 degrees celsius with ph ranges between 7 to 8 otherwise betta fish can go crazy.

Regularly check and maintain the water temperature as it is crucial for the shrimp. It is preferable to establish osmosis and RO treatment using salts at the breeding time of malawa shrimps.

Vampire shrimps

These shrimps are another better choice for betta tanks due to their calm and nocturnal nature. They do not create any conflicts with the betta and look interesting while playing. 

They feed on the small food particles or residues in the water and serve as filter feeders. They are not very small in size like other freshwater shrimps, which keep them safe. 

Tank conditions for betta and vampire shrimp

These shrimps are resistant to a wide range of water parameters. Change and fluctuation in the tank parameters do not affect them that makes them appropriate for an aquarium.

You can set the water parameters between 24 to 28 degrees Celsius and 7 to 7.8 pH. Water current should be a little strong, and a large tank with more surface and hidden areas are preferable to keep betta and vampire shrimp together.

Bamboo shrimps

Bamboo shrimp is very interesting and unique in appearance with a calm, peaceful nature. They look like bamboo and have several colors like reddish-brown, yellowish-brown, and brown. Due to their appearance and color, they keep themselves protected from many predators.

They feed on food particles in the water and serves the function of a filter. They swim freely in the water through the water flow.

They show good companionship with betta fish if the fish is not too aggressive. A contradiction between both species is the water current that makes them not most appropriate for one another.

Tank condition for betta and bamboo shrimp

The ideal tank conditions for both species range between 7 to 7.5 pH and 24- 26 degrees celsius. You have to maintain and check ammonia, nitrates, and nitrites levels in the tank regularly. These shrimps are sensitive to copper, so be careful while choosing the fertilizers and their dose.

Bumblebee shrimps

These beautiful species have distinct stripes of red, white, and black on their body. This vibrant coloration contrasts beautifully with the betta colors in the tank.

They grow less than 2 inches, so you have to be careful while keeping them with a betta as they can become betta’s meal. They also act as scavengers and cleaners in the tank.

Tank conditions for betta and bumblebee shrimps

These species are not adjustable for varied tank conditions and like to live in cold water temperature and adequate oxygen levels. The temperature should not exceed 78 degrees Fahrenheit. Both betta and bumblebee require almost the same water pH, which is around 7. 

Red cherry shrimp

These are some of the most suitable shrimps for the betta due to their calm nature. Like all other shrimps, they also clean the growing algae and act as a scavenger in the aquarium. The bright cherry red coloration of these look stunning in the aquarium. 

The only concern while keeping them with betta is their size as they do not grow more than an inch, which makes them vulnerable to become the betta snack. Males shrimps do not increase to even an inch, so it is preferable to add female red cherry with a betta. 

Tank conditions for betta and red cherry shrimp

The ideal water temperature is 58 to 84 degrees Fahrenheit and 6.5 to 7.5 pH. A small tank of 5-gallons is suitable when you have a single betta fish and 8 to 10 shrimps in it.

Good biological filtration with weekly water changes is essential to keep the betta and shrimp healthy. 

Ghost shrimp

Ghost shrimps are most suitable for the betta tank with a larger size of around 2 inches. They have a cylindrical, slightly-curved, crystal, or transparent body, and their size protects them from becoming the meal of the betta. They have no conflicts with the betta as they like to live at the bottom of the tank. 

They produce little wastes in the tank. Also, they help clean out the algae and fish-wastes from the bottom of the aquarium.

They can breed in the tank, and you have to protect the shrimp babies from the betta as your fish can eat them. They never cause any harm to the betta. 

Tank conditions for betta and ghost shrimp

The tank conditions for both species are approximately the same due to their same natural habitat, which makes them good tank mates. They live happily in the pH 7 to 8 and the water temperature 72 to 82 degrees Fahrenheit. 

Keep the tank clean, well-oxygenated, and free from excess wastes. Maintain the levels of ammonia and nitrates low to keep animals healthy.

Amano shrimp

Amano shrimp is another shrimp that lives peacefully with the betta if the fish is not aggressive. Not only with a betta fish, but they can also live with several freshwater fish and becomes friendly with them. They grow up to the size of 2.5 inches that means your fish can not eat them.

They appear in a dull, gray color having dots and stripes on the body. They can live for a long time of approximately 2-4 years.

They do not attack betta and cleans the tank by feeding on algae and debris. These shrimps fight with each other for food that can stress your fish.

Tank conditions for betta and Amano

The ideal tank parameters for both fish and Amano are almost the same. Set the temperature between 70 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit and the pH ranges between 6 to 7. water renewal, good filtration, and removal of wastes is necessary to keep them healthy.

Can betta fish eat shrimps?

Yes, betta does attack shrimps due to its aggressive nature. Sometimes the fish become too aggressive that it runs behind the shrimps madly to attack it. It can even kill the shrimp, so you have to take immediate action and remove shrimps from the aquarium.

The betta can eat small size shrimps as a treat or snack. It is necessary to choose a large size shrimp for a betta tank. Their color also attracts fish towards them. Baby shrimps can become the best meal for the betta, so never breed them in the betta tank.

Can shrimp attack betta fish?

There are many cases in which the shrimps attack the baby betta and try to eat or kill them when you breed both in the same tank.

To avoid this, you have to make sure that the tank is big enough. Sometimes, you have to remove out the shrimps from the aquarium.

How many shrimps to add to a betta tank?

You can add 4 to 10 ghost shrimps, 1 to 3 vampire shrimps, 2 to 8 Amano, 4 to 20 red cherry, and 1 to 2 bamboo shrimps in a 5 to 20-gallons tank. It depends upon the size of the aquarium and the shrimps.

Tips to keep betta fish and shrimps together

Here are easy tips to keep your beautiful betta fish and shrimp in the same tank.

Free tank space

It is preferable to look for a large aquarium considering the aggressive nature of betta, to prevent attacking and killing either species.

Especially in the beginning, when both animals are not habitual of living together, give them sufficient space in the tank to avoid each other.

Keep betta fed

There are chances that the fish can eat small shrimps, so it is advisable to keep the betta full-fed and nourished. It is the only way to protect your crustaceans from the fish.

Provide them hiding places

For a successful cohabitation of both animals, you have to add many hiding spaces in the aquarium. Driftwood, plants like java fern or java moss, decorations and ornaments, all serve excellent hiding spaces for the shrimps.

Selection of betta

Choose a betta that is not too aggressive and has an experience of living with the shrimps. It helps to eliminate a lot of problems and conflicts between both animals.

Add shrimps first

Betta attack those tank mates that are new or unknown to them. When you introduce shrimps after betta in the aquarium, fish will consider it stranger and try to attack them. So you must add shrimps first in the aquarium.

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