Cherry Shrimp And Multie Cichlids!

[Brahmza]

Hey everyone! I have a few questions about both mentioned in the thread name.
 
I'm interested in starting a cherry shrimp colony. I have two tanks, a 15g and a 10g, available. Both are already up and running with established filters, etc. Curious what a good starting number would be, and what kinds of decor shrimps like (caves, large plants, bushy plants, etc).
 
I have a 20g long which I just added 4 multie cichlids to, and I'm curious if there are any tank mates I should go for, like maybe a group of danios for the top level, or something. If keeping it as a species tank, would it be a good idea to get a couple more multies? The tank feels pretty empty. I'm running two sponge bios estimated for a 50g each, one with a Marineland Powerhead 400, and one with a 40g estimated air pump, so filtration shouldn't be an issue. They just look lonely! Hah
 
Thanks for any advice you can give!

 

[Baccus]

Sorry but cichlids are not my field, they are all to often on the aggressive side, how ever shrimp I can help you with.
 
Cherry shrimp are one of the easiest shrimp to keep and breed. I would say start off with 10 or 12 as a good starting number and dont fall into the trap of only buying the redest cherry shrimp, otherwise the there is a good chance you will only have females. Ratio wise you could get away with 2 females per male but once they starting dropping their shrimplets the ratio will never really be that cut and dry again.

 

[Brahmza]

Alright I was thinking I'd get 12. Does the way I plant it out effect it much? Looking to go synthetic, I haven't made that step to live plants yet haha. I read online that they like heavily planted tanks.

 

[This Old Spouse]

Just get a clump of java moss for the shrimp. It hardly needs any care, and the shrimp will love you for it. 

 

[DreamertK]

If the shrimps feel threatened by the cichlid, you wont see them much. They'd probably appreciate a little cave to hang out in as a sanctuary. They also like eating microbes in mosses.

 

[KevM]

Multies will lay waste to a cherry shrimp colony. Don't be fooled by their size.

 

[Brahmza]

As noted in my first tank, I have the cichlids in a 20g long by themselves. The colony for the shrimp will be in a 15g. Sorry for the confusion haha.
 
With the shell cichlids, since they rarely go to the upper half of the tank, could I put in something like danios or rainbows? I was also thinking of adding a group of mystery or assassin snails to the tank.