Suggestions??? - Shrimp & other Invertebrates

rich_one · 07-03-2008, 09:40 AM

So... I now that I have decided to stay with my cherries, and have just ordered a bunch of amanoes to go with them, I would really like a school of something small and non-threatening to the cherries... but I want something just flat out impressive and eye-popping to look at. this is going to finally round out the tank. so... any suggestions on a school of flat out impressive little shrimp-friendly showcase fish that occupy the upper and upper middle of the tank?

cs_gardener · 07-03-2008, 12:20 PM

Threadfin rainbows are working well with my cherry shrimp. They didn't look like much in the fish store but they colored up quite nicely and it's so fun to see the males displaying for each other and for the females. I have 3 males and 3 females (all the threadfins the store had) and it's working out quite well although I'd prefer a slightly larger group.

They eat very small foods (crushed flake, frozen daphnia, they try frozen brine shrimp but the whole BS are too big - they can only eat broken bits of BS). So while they MIGHT try to go after a just born baby shrimp, they don't even acknowledge the adults. My shrimp population is still increasing so I don't think the threadfins are doing much if any damage to the shrimplets.

They do swim in the middle to upper regions of the tank. They're out more when they have plenty of cover to duck into and they seem to appreciate having some floating plants around.

mikenas102 · 07-03-2008, 12:24 PM

I've got a school of male Peacock Endlers in my Cherry tank and they work great. Keep it with just males since the males are the colorful ones and adding females is just going to result in a population explosion that you really don't want (trust me on that). The Endlers stay toward the middle and top of the tank and hang out together ususally playing in the current from the filter outflow.

pealow · 07-11-2008, 07:32 AM

My 3 Endler's males ate baby shrimp and would even attack juvies and pull them apart or attack until they died. I caught them doing this several times GRRRRRRRR! I can't call them shrimp safe but maybe it was just mine.

Paula

rich_one · 07-11-2008, 09:05 AM

right now I am leaning towards Microrasbora Erythromicron... but not fully decided yet.

Bunbuku · 07-11-2008, 10:20 AM

How about a couple dozen Hyphessobrycon amandae (ember tetras)?

rich_one · 07-11-2008, 10:55 AM

in all honesty, the pics I have seen of them just didn't give me that "wow, I gotta have those" feeling. so far, the only pics that have done that are of the furcata rainbows, the micros I referred to above, and then I saw this seriously impressive little rainbow... I forget what its called. but fact is, I simply do not trust any rainbows with cherry babies. it's hard to trust any fish, much less any rainbow.

milalic · 07-11-2008, 11:00 AM

Ember Tetras:

You can also try Trigonostigma hengli, boraras maculauts, Microrasbora Erythromicron, Threadfin Rainbow, pseudomogil gertrudae, pseudomogil signifer.

tbrat · 07-11-2008, 11:47 AM

Threadfin Rainbow, pseudomogil gertrudae, pseudomogil signifer. Any the of the previous rainbows are great fish to have in shrimp tank, they stay middle to top of the tank and unlike most fish they honestly don't eat their young or anyone elses for that matter. I don't know why they don't but they don't. I have colonies of most these rainbows in one planted fry tank or another and they reproduce right along with whatever else I may throw in there to raise up! Needless to say I'll recommend them any day for any shrimp tank. Especially the threadfins their antics and long fins are just flat out fun to watch.
Another fun schooling fish that I have great luck keeping with shrimps is actually a dwarf cory called the habrosus(sp). They swim all over the place and again don't really bother the lil shrimps or baby fish in the tank.
Good luck on your search tho! Take care,
brat

Bunbuku · 07-11-2008, 12:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by milalic

Ember Tetras:

You can also try Trigonostigma hengli, boraras maculauts, Microrasbora Erythromicron, Threadfin Rainbow, pseudomogil gertrudae, pseudomogil signifer.

Hey milalic, some of those guys look familiar!

rich_one:
9 months ago I started with 3 cherries in the kids tank with a few neons and betta

! Now I have easily have a couple of dozen cherries! Their tank is densely planted with many places for the cherries to hide! I have also witness many betta-cherry encounters up close. He really has no interest in them - maybe bec I keep him well fed.