Will neon tetra eat cherry shrimp? This is the question that many aquarists and hobbyists wonder about when they want to mix different species together in the same community tank. The short answer is: no, but… If you’re going to find out which cases your cherry shrimps will get eaten by a neon tetra, please check the facts below.
Neon Tetras With Red Cherry Shrimp
Cherry shrimps can live with neon tetras since the fish are gentle and don’t have a long history of harassing tank mates.
Additionally, both neon tetras and cherry shrimp share the exact needs in their living conditions. Therefore you’ll have no trouble setting up an aquarium that fits the requirements of both species. Why is it important to keep in mind the water parameters of each individual species?
Besides the fact that many sensitive breeds die a few hours after being introduced into a tank with water conditions that don’t cater to their needs, some fish or shrimps will survive longer but become stressed out. And what do aquarium creatures do when the environment isn’t up to standard? They react negatively. Some become moody and choose to attack others. Others hide away until their doom day arrives.
Nevertheless, neon tetras can still happily devour a cherry shrimp fry, and if you are looking to breed your cherry shrimp with neon tetras, they might not be the ideal tank companions for them. The reason lies in the size of each individual. A tiny shrimp makes a perfect meal for a bigger fish, and this happens with almost EVERY fish species with their crustacean mates.
3 Tips On How To Keep Cherry Shrimps Alive With Tetras
These are the 3 pieces of advice that I would give to any new hobbyists on keeping cherry shrimps alive with their tetras. Since there are different breeds of tetras and Neon is one of the very few who don’t feed on shrimp, it’s still recommended to have protection within the tank.
The Bigger The Aquarium, The Better
The bigger the aquarium, the greater the comfort it can provide for interaction between tetras and shrimps. In a small or a small tank, the calm fish could be violent and put young shrimp’s life at risk. Therefore, my advice is that you give them extra space to ensure that they have their own corners without invading too much of each other’s space.
If you notice a bully situation, I also recommend using a separator net, which works better in more giant tanks. You keep the oppressors from the victims until the tension dies down and introduce them into the same water body without the net.
Provide Hiding Places
By adding greens or simple decorations into the tank, we already provide enough hiding spots for the shrimps. This will allow them to protect themselves proactively when we don’t have the chance to pay attention to them.
In fact, most aquarists can’t keep their eyes on the fishes all day long. That’s why I find it crucial to have some greens in the tank to avoid hostile situations between tank mates, even though there isn’t any sign of aggression.
Keep Your Tetras Full
If you feed your tetras properly, likely, they will not even look at the baby cherry shrimps. On the contrary, if you’re familiar with giving your tetras food only once each day, you should be prepared that they will take a bite of the shrimp at some moment. Twice per day should be ideal enough for them to stay full and avoid the shrimps. Hopefully this answers “will neon tetra eat cherry shrimp?”.
Video: Red Cherry Shrimp are thriving in the tetra tank
FAQs
Do neon tetras eat cherry shrimp?
Most of the time, neon tetras don’t eat cherry shrimps since they are omnivores, and the breed is among the most pacific ones within the tetra family. However, it’s not uncommon that your Neon tetras chase after your cherry shrimps, especially if they are constantly hungry and live in a closeted space.
Will Congo tetras eat cherry shrimp?
Congo tetras can be considered to be community tank safe. However, they do have huge mouths, and they can eat cherry shrimps as long as the shrimps fit into their mouths.
Will tetras eat Amano shrimp?
If they’re tiny, they’ll end up being snacks for tetras. Larger-bodied Amanos can survive and thrive well since they don’t fit into tetras’ mouths easily. The size of the species decides how they interact with each other.
Annette M. Chaney is an experienced marine biologist with over 20 years of experience as an aquarist and fishkeeper. She started her first aquarium at a young age, filling it with frogs and goldfish obtained from the ten-cent pet store.
Annette grew up caring for and breeding African Cichlids, which led to a hobby in high school that doubled as a profitable means. Attending Reed College gave her time to solidify herself as an accomplished aquarium caretaker with an eye for sales. After that, from 2009 – 2013, she studied at Roger Williams University – one of the most prestigious universities for Aquaculture and Aquarium in USA. She is the founder of AquariumCircle since 2010.