#i need to get smaller shrimp i think cherry shrimp are smaller than amano

[bibleofficial]

since christmas is over now my new excuse is using the first day of hanukah as a reason to spend credit card money i don’t have on myself for me ❤️

[youbetta-believeit]

I want to keep a betta with some shrimp. I saw that you have accomplished this, and I was wondering if you have any advice about doing it. This is for a kindergarten classroom, so if you think this might be a traumatic experience for the kids, please talk me out of it! Thank you!

Hi! I am all for kiddos experiencing the joys of fishkeeping, but there are a few things I would keep in mind before keeping a betta and shrimp together (specifically Neocaridina davidi, or red cherry shrimp, which are the only ones I have experience with):

Bettas are aggressive! When I introduced the shrimp to my betta’s tank, I was lucky that he only seemed interested in chasing the adults in brief spurts, and I never saw him kill or eat an adult. He does eat the baby shrimps, but ultimately it’s good population control, and the babies are so small the children honestly won’t even notice them. However, I’ve seen other blogs post about their bettas that are much more aggressive than mine, who can’t keep shrimp at all as the betta will pick them off one by one. I can imagine that might be something you don’t want a kindergartener to see, but could also be a good lesson about life? 😅 You could maybe look at getting a larger species of shrimp than the Neos (amano or ghost shrimp?), if you don’t want to risk this!

The tank habitat matters! Cherry shrimp thrive in aquariums with a lot of biomatter for them to pick at, meaning a lot of live plants, biofilm/algae, and leaf litter. Lots of plants also means lots of hiding places for them to escape their predatory tank-mate (the betta!) and gives them a safe space to molt.

Shrimp are opportunistic feeders! This is something I was not so happy to learn, hah...shrimp will scavenge the bodies of anything freshly dead in the tank, including other shrimp, and yes, probably the betta too. They truly spend 99% of their time eating. It’s a good way for them to get nutrients, but not a fun thing for a child (or me!) to see.

The positives are that shrimp are delightful to have and easy to care for! Kids will love watching them and playing a role in their care. I don’t have to feed my shrimp that often, only supplementing their diet a few times a week (with shrimp food or blanched veggies), which makes them ideal for a classroom tank that’s left alone over the weekends. Bettas require a bit more maintenance and should be fed daily (although I recommend one day off a week as a “fasting day”), so if you plan on being away from the classroom for more than a few days you will need an automatic feeder or someone to care for it. If you want to keep a betta and shrimp together, I recommend nothing smaller than 10gal!

I hope that this is helpful and hasn’t turned you away completely from the idea, haha!

[iantojonesthebetta]

hi, I hope you're doing well! I was wondering about betta companions in a 10 gallon tank. I wanted to do albino plecos because they're smaller but I think I saw something about how they need friends and maybe a 10 gallon isn't enough for them. So I started looking at snails. Are snails all right companions? Do they make a mess of the tank? xx thank you

Hey, there.

Albino plecos? Do you mean albino corydoras? If so, yes, you’re correct that a 10 gallon isn’t suitable for them. Albino corydoras need 30 gallons and a group of around 8 friends to thrive. You may hear some recommend bristlenose plecos as well, but they, too, need a lot more space than 10 gallons.

Yes, you can go with snails. Nerite snails are popular options. I’m personally not a fan of them, but a lot of people love them. They do make some mess since they are living beings as well, yes.

You can also do shrimp if you have lots of cover for them. Cherry shrimps may get eaten by bettas, but amano shrimp are an option. Since they’re larger, I’d probably only recommend 5 for a 10 gallon.

Hope this helps!