Harry Muscle

I'm looking for suggestions for a beautiful (read: colorful) fish that can be more or less the centerpiece fish and that will not eat cherry shrimp. My original idea was to get a pair of German Blue Rams, but from the reading I have done it looks like they are quite likely to make a snack out of cherry shrimp. So I have to look for other ideas.

Btw, here are my tank specs:

55G low tech (no CO2) tank, fully planted.
Ph of 6.4
Medium Soft water
Inhabitants: 1 male Betta, 3 SAE, 7 Ottos, school of cardinal tetras, a few endler hybrids, school of corries.

Thanks for any suggestions,
Harry

evercl92

Did you want a pair of something or a single specimen?

Squawkbert

Male Betta is not an adequate centerpiece?
(Bettas have been known to snack on inverts)

If you want something else, you'll have to 1) focus on smaller mouthed species - Celebese Rainbows, Killies... 2) Provide lots of ground/plant cover for the shrimp (fry especially as nearly ALL fish w/ non-sucker mouths will take them, given the chance).

exterminator

I wouldn't recommend Killies. I have a pair of Golden Wonder Killies. They eat more than 30 shrimp - Amanos and Cheries. I stupidly maid several attempts to introduce shrimp in my tank.

Zapins

Yea, killies aren't a good idea IMO, I suppose it depends on the exact species you are talking about, but by and large killies are insectivores and will eat shrimp!

Squawkbert

OK - scratch Golden Wonders off the list. Perhaps a smaller species (if you can find them)...I thought they were vegan/detritivores? I guess I was wrong on that. Sorry.
I'm now finding more about how to breed than how to feed 'em.

JanS

Like Squawkbert said, I'm amazed that your Betta hasn't chowed down on the shrimp yet.

It's really a shot in the dark because almost any fish will be opportunistic and eat shrimp if given the chance.
I would personally add to your school of cardinals and make that the showpiece, but if you want something different, the rainbows are about the only thing I can think of that are pretty colorful and have small mouths that may not be as apt to gulp the shrimp down.

Let us know what you decide.

Jessie

A school of threadfin rainbows may work for the shrimp, but may also upset a macho betta.

mellowvision

do dwarf gouarmi eat the shrimp? might be a decent choice if not.

Adragontattoo

Gouramis will check out the shrimp and may eat them given the chance. You really need to try to find a top water fish that doesnt care about what goes on down low.