How to introduce Red Cherry Shrimp to my tank?

[Jason181]

I ordered some java moss and red cherry shrimp from ebay and am going to be placing them in my tank with my betta fish. How can I maximise the chance of survival for the shrimp in the tank?

 

[Essjay]

You need to have lots of shrimp sized hiding places in the tank, remembering that bettas can squeeze themselves into the tiniest of spaces. Lots of plants, real of synthetic, will help as will 'caves' with very small entrances. Adult shrimps are vulnerable for several hours after they moult and need somewhere to hide.

And a lot will depend on the betta. I had one betta which ignored everything and took a while to find his food so as an experiment I moved a few cherry shrimp into his tank. He ignored them, and the baby shrimps. The shrimp population increased. I was hoovering up baby shrimps at every water change and they went into the main tank. This betta died of old age and I got a new betta. He ignored the adult shrimps but I no longer found babies so he must have been eating them. The shrimp population remained stable - I did find the odd juvenile which had escaped but nothing like the number with the previous betta. Roll on another couple of years and he died. My current betta hunted down and killed the adult shrimp. I had to rescue them.

 

[Jason181]

You need to have lots of shrimp sized hiding places in the tank, remembering that bettas can squeeze themselves into the tiniest of spaces. Lots of plants, real of synthetic, will help as will 'caves' with very small entrances. Adult shrimps are vulnerable for several hours after they moult and need somewhere to hide.

And a lot will depend on the betta. I had one betta which ignored everything and took a while to find his food so as an experiment I moved a few cherry shrimp into his tank. He ignored them, and the baby shrimps. The shrimp population increased. I was hoovering up baby shrimps at every water change and they went into the main tank. This betta died of old age and I got a new betta. He ignored the adult shrimps but I no longer found babies so he must have been eating them. The shrimp population remained stable - I did find the odd juvenile which had escaped but nothing like the number with the previous betta. Roll on another couple of years and he died. My current betta hunted down and killed the adult shrimp. I had to rescue them.

Thank you for the reply! Currently, my betta has been sitting in his tank for more than a month, so he knows it is his territory and I am assuming he will attack anything that "trespasses". Should I remove the betta two days before the shrimp arrive and place him in a bowl with daily water changes until the shrimp arrive, then completely change the look of the tank adding java moss and moving things around and introduce the shrimp and then introduce the betta? Would that work and be better?

 

[Essjay]

No, leave him in the tank. You could try rearranging the tank when you put the shrimps in. But whatever you do he may regard the shrimps as food.

I don't suppose you could squeeze another 25-ish litre tank for the shrimps?

 

[Jason181]

No, leave him in the tank. You could try rearranging the tank when you put the shrimps in. But whatever you do he may regard the shrimps as food.

I don't suppose you could squeeze another 25-ish litre tank for the shrimps?

I don't have another tank spare so I can't, guess I will just have to wait and see what my betta does provided they have hiding places and java moss? If the betta attacks them and eats my shrimp is there a chance some may survive and potentially thrive as a colony?

 

[JuiceBox52]

I don't have another tank spare so I can't, guess I will just have to wait and see what my betta does provided they have hiding places and java moss? If the betta attacks them and eats my shrimp is there a chance some may survive and potentially thrive as a colony?

I doubt it, if he eats any he wilp eat a y potential babies as well