Cherry shrimp are a popular aquarium shrimp because they are pretty, calm, easy to care for and breed, and can keep your fish tank algae-free. However, keeping them with other fish can be challenging because your fish might eat them. Read this article to learn if you can keep cherry shrimps with other fish.
Can Cherry Shrimp Live With Other Fish?
Cherry shrimp can live with other fish as long as those fish are small and don’t bother the cherry shrimp. Even better, they greatly help the fish because they eat the leftover food and decaying things that fall on the substrate and keep the tank clean. They require little care and can even care for themselves if you keep the fish tank stable.
The problem is that fish are likely to devour cherry shrimp since they are a natural food source for fish. Also, fish are opportunistic eaters, meaning they’ll eat anything that can fit in their mouths. Your cherry shrimp population will dwindle if you don’t pay close attention on them.
The best chance of survival for your cherry shrimp is to provide them with places to hide, such as plants and decorations. Also, ensure the fish tank is big enough so that the fish don’t swim near the cherry shrimps all the time. It’s crucial to ensure your fish are well-fed, so they won’t be tempted to eat your shrimp.
Cherry Shrimp Tank Mates
Cherry shrimp are a cute addition to any fish tank as they scuttle and graze on the bottom of the aquarium. If you want to put them in a tank with other fish, make sure to pick ones that won’t hurt their population. Here are some fish that would get along well with cherry shrimps in a tank.
1. Otocinclus Catfish
One of the best choices for a fish tank with cherry shrimp is an Otocinclus catfish. To keep them with cherry shrimps, set up a warm freshwater tank with slow-moving water and give the fish lots of algae to eat. Choose a substrate of fine, soft sand with aquatic plants that encourage algae to grow like repens to ensure they are happy.
| Name | Otocinclus Catfish |
| Temperature | 73-81°F |
| pH | 6.0-7.0 |
| Size | 2″ |
| Tank Size | 10 Gallons |
| Lifespan | 5 Years |
2. Endler’s Livebearers
Endler’s livebearers are another type of fish that don’t bother shrimp and can live with them. Add plants like elodea, egeria densa, and cabomba that grow in water and have long stems to make it look like their natural habitat. Since these fish may sometimes dig, you can use sand as a substrate so they don’t hurt their skin or fins by digging.
| Name | Endler’s Livebearers |
| Temperature | 68-82°F |
| pH | 6.5-8.5 |
| Size | 2″ |
| Tank Size | 10 Gallons |
| Lifespan | 2-3 Years |
3. Ember Tetras
Ember tetras are another fish that can live with your cherry shrimp because they are too small to eat full-grown adult shrimp. To keep them both in the same aquarium, make sure the water moves slowly and use a dark substrate like gravel or amazonia soil. You can also put in plants like java moss, fern, anacharis, or hornworts.
| Name | Ember Tetra |
| Temperature | 73-84°F |
| pH | 6.0-7.0 |
| Size | 0.8″ |
| Tank Size | 10 Gallons |
| Lifespan | 2-3 Years |
4. Clown Killifish
Clown Killifish like soft, warm, and acidic water, which the cherry shrimps also like. This means that they can live together in the same tank. These fish also live at the top of the water, so they don’t usually swim together. Add floating plants and a fine-grained substrate like sand when keeping them together.
| Name | Clown Killifish |
| Temperature | 68-80°F |
| pH | 4.0-7.0 |
| Size | 1.5″ |
| Tank Size | 10 Gallons |
| Lifespan | 2-3 Years |
5. Neon Tetras
You can go for neon tetras if you want to keep a hardy and easy-to-care-for fish with your shrimp. You can keep them together and give them food and a hiding place by adding plants like hornwort and java moss. You can also add decorations like driftwood to give your tetras and shrimps more hiding places.
| Name | Neon Tetra |
| Temperature | 72-78°F |
| pH | 4.0-7.5 |
| Size | 1.5″ |
| Tank Size | 10 Gallons |
| Lifespan | 5-8 Years |
6. Red Pencil Fish
Pencil fish and shrimp are also a good match because they are calm and wouldn’t bother or bother each other. When keeping both, you can make their fish tank look like their natural home by putting aquatic plants like riccia or water lettuce in the aquarium. You can also use black sand to make your pencil fish, and cherry shrimp stand out with their bright colors.
| Name | Red Pencil Fish |
| Temperature | 72-82°F |
| pH | 5.0-8.0 |
| Size | 1.5″ |
| Tank Size | 15 Gallons |
| Lifespan | 5 Years |
7. Chili Rasbora
You can keep chili rasbora and cherry shrimp together by adding a slow flow of water to mimic their natural environment. To make it look nice, you can also put driftwood or plants like amazon swords, java fern, and moss in their tank. Since rasboras and cherry shrimp are small, you must closely monitor their fish tank and ensure the temperature, and pH level don’t fluctuate too much.
| Name | Chili Rasbora |
| Temperature | 72-82°F |
| pH | 5.0-7.0 |
| Size | 0.8″ |
| Tank Size | 5 Gallons |
| Lifespan | 4-8 Years |
8. Amano Shrimp
Amano Shrimp are another great choice of tank mate for cherry shrimp due to their peaceful and non-aggressive nature. They are hardier than cherry shrimp and thrive in the same water parameters, making them excellent tank mates.
With a good supply of algae, detritus, and biofilm in the tank, Amano shrimp and cherry shrimp can live happily together.
| Name | Amano Shrimp |
| Temperature | 65-85°F |
| pH | 6.0-7.5 |
| Size | 2″ |
| Tank Size | 10 Gallons |
| Lifespan | 2-3 Years |
9. Aquarium Snails
Snails are excellent tank mates for cherry shrimp and pretty much all other fish thanks to how peaceful their temperaments are. They also serve as excellent clean-up crew, eating any leftover food and algae in the tank, which aids in maintaining water quality.
And because snails and shrimp occupy different parts of the tank, you don’t have to worry about them becoming aggressive towards each other or eating each others food.
| Name | Nerite Snails |
| Temperature | 72-78°F |
| pH | 7.0-8.0 |
| Size | 0.75″ |
| Tank Size | 5 Gallons |
| Lifespan | 1-2 Years |
10. Dwarf Gourami
Dwarf Gourami are calm and relatively slow swimmers, making them less likely to stress your cherry shrimp out or bother them. They also prefer a planted tank with plenty of hiding spots, similar to cherry shrimp. However, unlike cherry shrimp who are best fed sinking pellets, you should keep in mind when feeding dwarf gouramis, make sure you’re using tropical flakes.
| Name | Dwarf Gourami |
| Temperature | 72-82°F |
| pH | 6.0-7.5 |
| Size | 2-3″ |
| Tank Size | 10 Gallons |
| Lifespan | 3-5 Years |
11. Guppies
Guppies make great tank mates for cherry shrimp thanks to their incredibly peaceful nature! In fact they’ve been rated the easiest fish to take care of by over 150 fishkeepers.
Their small size also helps ensure that they aren’t a threat to the shrimp. When considering what tank mates to add to a tank with cherry shrimp, guppies are going to be number one on the list!
| Name | Guppies |
| Temperature | 72-82°F |
| pH | 6.8-7.8 |
| Size | 1.5-2.5″ |
| Tank Size | 5 Gallons |
| Lifespan | 1-3 Years |
12. Stiphodon Goby
The Stiphodon Goby is a peaceful, bottom-dwelling fish, making them ideal tank mates for cherry shrimp. They are algae eaters who prefer to live in tanks with plenty of hiding spots, similar to cherry shrimp.
If you do want to keep Stiphodon Gobies and cherry shrimp together, just make sure that you’re providing enough food for both of them!
| Name | Otocinclus Catfish |
| Temperature | 71-82°F |
| pH | 6.5-7.5 |
| Size | 1-1.5″ |
| Tank Size | 10 Gallons |
| Lifespan | 2 Years |
13. Clown Pleco
Clown Plecos are peaceful fish that enjoy feeding on algae, especially algae found on driftwood. They spend most of their time at the bottom, and hiding in areas of the tank allowing your cherry shrimp to go about their activities undisturbed.
You may be worried that clown plecos and cherry shrimp would eat the same algae, but this isn’t the case. Cherry shrimp tend to prefer hair algae, whereas plecos prefer green spot algae.
(If you want to know about other great plecos, check out this helpful article on all the different types of pleco you can choose from!)
| Name | Clown Pleco |
| Temperature | 73-82°F |
| pH | 6.8-7.6 |
| Size | 3-4″ |
| Tank Size | 20 Gallons |
| Lifespan | 10-12 Years |
14. Green Neon Tetras
Green Neon Tetras are peaceful, small, and prefer to stay in the mid to upper levels of the tank, meaning they’ll rarely bother your cherry shrimp.
They also have a completely different diet which means they’ll prefer tropical flakes, to sinking shrimp pellets. Their bright colors also add a splash of contrast to the red of the cherry shrimp, making the tank visually appealing.
If neon tetras don’t appeal to you, then I’d highly recommend green neon tetras, because in my opinion they look a lot more vibrant.
| Name | Green Neon Tetra |
| Temperature | 75-84°F |
| pH | 5.0-6.5 |
| Size | 1.5″ |
| Tank Size | 15 Gallons |
| Lifespan | 2-3 Years |
15. Kubotai Rasbora
Similar to other rasboras, Kubotai Rasboras or Neon Green Rasboras are peaceful and small fish, making them good companions for your cherry shrimp.
They are top to mid-level swimmers and are more focused on their own schooling behavior rather than bothering shrimp in the tank. Their diet is also different enough that they don’t compete for food resources with the shrimp.
| Name | Kubotai Rasbora |
| Temperature | 72-79°F |
| pH | 6.0-7.0 |
| Size | 0.8-1″ |
| Tank Size | 15 Gallons |
| Lifespan | 3-7 Years |
(Check out all the different types of rasboras you can choose from!)
16. Hatchetfish
Hatchetfish are excellent tank mates for cherry shrimp because they are peaceful and inhabit the upper level of the tank, leaving plenty of space for shrimp at the bottom.
They feed primarily on small insects and floating foods, reducing food competition with the cherry shrimp.
And of course, you can’t speak about hatchetfish without mentioning their truly unique appearance! If you want a wierd and wonderful fish in your tank, then hatchetfish are going to be the best choice.
| Name | Hatchet Fish |
| Temperature | 72-81°F |
| pH | 5.5-7.0 |
| Size | 2.5″ |
| Tank Size | 20 Gallons |
| Lifespan | 5 Years |
FAQ
Can Cherry Shrimp Live In A Community Tank?
Cherry shrimp can live with other fish in a community fish tank if no fish are big enough to eat them. In fact, they are a big help to the fish tank because they eat the leftover food that the fish didn’t eat. Your cherry shrimp will do well if you keep your fish well-fed and provide hiding places.
Are Cherry Shrimp Good Algae Eaters?
Cherry shrimp are very good at eating algae. They can get into places where algae grow, which some bigger shrimp can’t do. They can even stick to the glass of the fish tank while eating algae off of it.
What Will Kill Cherry Shrimp?
A cherry shrimp can die from many things, such as bad water quality, sudden changes in the water’s parameters, or the presence of copper or chlorine in the water. They are also susceptible to diseases and parasites. They could also be picked on or eaten by other aggressive fish in the aquarium.
Can Guppies Live With Cherry Shrimp?
Guppies and shrimp can live together in the same aquarium. The trouble is, similar to other shrimps, cherry shrimps are on the food chain for guppies. So your guppies may end up eating your cherry shrimp.
Can You Keep Cherry Shrimp With Bettas?
Even though bettas are known to be solitary, they can actually live with cherry shrimp as long as the cherry shrimp has everything it needs. You also have to put the cherry shrimp in the aquarium before the betta so that they can get a good population going. But if your betta hunts your cherry shrimp too much, you might need to get a different betta to keep with your cherry shrimp.
Recap
Cherry shrimp are surprisingly good tankmates because they eat things like leftover food, dead plants, worms, and even algae, which helps keep the water clean. However, always remember to put plants for them to hide in because your cherry shrimp might be mistaken as fish food by your fish.