Shirmps In A 40L?

[hawkdaddy]

Hey guys.
After seeing some of the other guys tanks, like L plates, I was wondering whether or not i could safely put any shrimp in my smaller tank without them being eaten. the only other fish in there at the moment are two juvenile platies, a gourami and a bristlenose. Any response appreciated

 

[ZoddyZod]

gourami may or may not be an issue, but any babies would be unlikely to survive in there unless you have very dense plant cover for them to hide in.

Also, a bristlenose should not be in a 40L. It's a 5 inch fish and needs a bigger tank.

 

[hawkdaddy]

Yeah, i've been thinking abour moving it to my larger tank, and replacing it with an oto. An oto would be ok with shrimp wouldn't it?

 

[Mowbz]

Otto's would be fine with Shrimp, but as with pretty much anything in the aquarium, if it fits in the mouth, its going to be lunch at some point. Adults would be ok with your setup there, they can actually move incredibly quickly (my corys chase the cherries about). Its the baby shrimp that would be most in danger. If you want any to survive, a good amount of moss is a great idea.

 

[hawkdaddy]

I have quite a bit of java fern on a hollow log, so that should be fine. Also, my tank is quite high, how much substrate surface area (?) do they need? Thanks

 

[Louiseness]

I have cherry shrimp in my 50L with a betta and have kept them with a dwarf gourami in the past in a 60L, and neither were particularly densely planted, and babies have survived both times Moss and plants will help, and the tiny shrimplets seem to like to hide in gravel as well. In my opinion, unless your gourami is a particularly keen hunter they should be fine.

 

[hawkdaddy]

thanks louiseness. The gourami has been pretty shy recently, hanging around the back of the tank, but when i first got it, (10 months ago?) it chased a few of the other fish around a bit, but now the tank is a bit emptier it hasn't. I think it should be ok, but im no expert