# Cherry Shrimp for 10gal tank with some tetras ?



## alstare2000 (Feb 16, 2013)

Quick question as I'm pretty new to this hobby and would like to get 1 or 2 cherry shrimp as they seem pretty neat and possibly could help with cleaning up left over food and maybe algae (pleco doesn't care for it). I want to make sure they would be ok with what I have right now ?

I have 10 Gal tank with 4 rummy nose tetra and 4 neon tetra (will possibly pick up few more now since the gold fish are gone or maybe 3 cories) and clown pleco.

Thanks.


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## prolific8 (Jan 10, 2013)

*more cherries and plants*

you shouldnt have an issue with rummynose or neon/cardinal tetras with cherry shrimp adults, just be sure to provide good plant coverage so that your shrimp feel secure and not stressed with the tetras zipping around in their schools.

2 Cherrys is a little low in quantity and will have them stressed from lack of companions, and your are not likely to even see that quantity at all with fish in the tank, not too mention that your population will not grow at all, infact it will be difficult to keep up a steady population with a starter group of even 10-15 considering that the tetras will be gulping down the baby shrimp.

More cherrys + more moss/fine leaf dense coverage = more chance of having shrimplets survive and maintain a population instead of dieing off slowly one by one from age.


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## xriddler (Feb 16, 2012)

i really hate doing this but please read up on this. it is a common misconception that plecos clean the tank but in fact they add quite abit of bioload to it. http://www.aquaticcommunity.com/pleco/clown.php

i dont think you should add cories in your ten gallon. should save up for a bigger tank already if you want more fish. even though the rule can be broken in some situations but the common suggestion is 1inch of fish per gallon.


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## prolific8 (Jan 10, 2013)

*...agreed....*

+1 on not adding corries, you already have a ground forager in the the clown pleco that will grow to be borderline too big for a 10 gal. And with that in mind plus the fact that plecos have a higher bioload "per inch" than most other fish, it also puts adding extra tetras kind of out of question.
(and yes clowns specifically don't really eat algae - mostly driftwood and food on the tank floor).
At this point the only "good" option i see for having an algae eater which wont heavily impact the biolad of your tank is to go for shrimp and maybe a ramshorn/nerite snail.

so cherries are the way to go for sure with your current set up.


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## xriddler (Feb 16, 2012)

cherries are the way to go if you have cover for them. without cover those tetras probably will rip them apart especially in such a small tank. even in my 45 or 48 gallon tank i have had 2 shrimp death due to my fishes


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## alstare2000 (Feb 16, 2013)

Was thinking that cherry shrimp if they get to be about ~1" (from what I red) would be pretty safe with tetras. That seem to just swim in top part or upper part of the tank (it's one of these half moon tank 17" tall). 

There is quiet bit of plants to give nice look and possible hiding spots to the tank but they are fake ones so not sure if that would be an issue as well. At least I don't think it would give the shrimp place to hide that tetra wouldn't be able to get to.

As to number I wanted to get 2 of cherries as I thought getting more would be going against overstocking the tank (as it is with fish). I don't have problem getting more but I think if I get 10 for small tank like this they wouldn't have spots to hide etc, but with 2 they will have all this space to them.
Thoughts ?


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## prolific8 (Jan 10, 2013)

*solution = 10 cherries & java moss*

the plastic plants are good as this will encourage them to move around the tank more instead of hiding in a corner, but I would highly recommend a clump of java moss tied to rock or driftwood, since they will need somewhere to retreat if they are being harassed and especially need this type of cover after molting. 2 is too small quantity for this shrimp, they are community shrimp and as with most shrimp don't live that long, so you will want to have a small community to keep going inside your tank (your numbers will never get too high since the tetras will hunt down the small ones (another reason for java moss - tetras will not be able to peck at them in the moss like they would on the plastics).

As for worrying about bio load - shrimp are not like fish in this respect. A 10 gallon you would stock 10 inches of fish, but with shrimp, a 10 gallon can stock over a hundred shrimp with an average sponge or HOB filter.

so, pick up 10-15 cherries and grab a chunk of moss and you are good to go, you will have a happy little colony of algae grazers that look nice and colourful while they do it. PLUS (look out baby shrimps hahah, and this is why I will recommend a lower grade cherry shrimp) you will have a live food source for the tetras as they keep your baby shrimp numbers in check.


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## alstare2000 (Feb 16, 2013)

Sounds good I'll give it a go and see what happens, I'm sure I'll learn a lot along the way.

For future plans of having ~50 gal tank with maybe 3 schools of different tetras some corries and plecos what would be the number of cherry shrimp I should get for them to survive ? (may as well cover this so I don't make another similar post in few months)


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## xriddler (Feb 16, 2012)

with good plant cover 50 shrimp in a 50 gal tank is fine. that is the number i have just introduced to my 45-48 gallon tank. I have cardinal tetra, glowlight rasboras and gold white clouds and with moderate plant cover they still hunted down two of my cherries. IMO the 2 cherry shrimps in your 10 gallon is risky. even big cherries when they molt they are very vulnerable and that is one reason they hide. its a risk you take. also in terms of clean up crew for shrimp i think amanos work more efficiently


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## colio (Dec 8, 2012)

I have about 15 fire red cherries in my 10 gal, with 7 neon tetras and a betta (who has a very calm personality). I got the fire reds as juvies, and none of them have been eaten bu the fishies (I was worried about the betta, but good luck there). I have lots of cover, including a bit of driftwood, and some smallish rocks with little tunnels beneath them, java moss, and plants. 

Anyways, I have had great luck mixing cherries with fishies, even smaller shrimpies. And the fire red cherries are very nice to look at, and make the tank a lot more interesting. it is fun to try to count them all. They are very active and are out a lot. SO far I don't think I've had any surviving babies though.


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