So I was wanting to get a few RCS for my 3.5. I already have a betta and a nerite snail in there. Dr. Seuss is a very gentle fish, never once even bothered the snail. Well, except for when I dropped the bag from the store into the tank... But he only flared once and that was at the giant bag in his water. lol However, though he's very polite to the snail, he does love to chase his sinking food. Thinks it's a wonderful game, especially if the food is frozen bloodworms.
But I was told on another forum that it was highly likely that in a 3.5 my betta would eat all the RCS. And even if I had enough hiding places for the shrimp, in such a small space with a predator on the loose they would be unlikely to come out and play- which of course ruins half the fun of having them in the first place.
What is y'all's take on this? Do you agree? It sounds very logical to me. Disappointing, but logical.
lol. my betta scares the living daylighta out of the shrimps. I never see my shrimps until lights off and the terror is asleep.
be mindful snails are usually dull, slow moving, and has a tough outer shell. RCS on the other hand are bright red and moves around like a morsel of betta food...
do try it, but don't get too attached to the shrimps. mine eaten about 7 alteady and left the larger ones that it couldnt eat alone.
Haha, I bought 4 shrimpies awhile back. I rarely ever see one of them now. About a week after I bought them, I could not find ANY of them. I just thought that Zayden ate all of them. However, every so often, I see Zayden dart across the tank for one of the shrimps. I know that Zayden has definitely killed one of them, but there is a slight chance that atleast two are still in there.
I think it's somewhat promising that your nice betta has left the snail alone, but I would try and see if you get a red cherry that is bigger or put the small guys in a seperate tank till they grow bigger?
aokashi, I LOVE the photo! They are so cute together. XD
Jake, lol, your poor shrimpies. XD That sounds like a good plan! Thanks for the advice!
Well, update, I bought 2 ghost shrimp from the LFS to see how Dr. Seuss responded to them. One shrimpie was pretty big, the other was pretty small. Big shrimpie got observed and then ignored when little shrimpie hit the scene. Little shrimpie was chased all about the aquarium. But he survived! With clipped feelers and broken leg, but he survived and is, as far as I know, still hiding. I see him occasionally, in the Rotala usually. When he comes out, Dr. Seuss looks sharply at him, but I've yet to see him try very hard to eat him again after the first spat.
But then big shrimpie became the next target of interest. Dr. Seuss did not even try to eat him, but harassed him constantly, seeking him out to bump him and make him move. Big shrimpie never learned how to jump out of the way like little shrimpie. He just moved to a perfect position to be bumped again.
This morning, big shrimpie was on the floor, dead.
Sooooo... I think my fish is bullying my shrimp to death. lol I'm about to put some driftwood into the tank with lots of hiding places (I bought it for plants, the hiding places are just bonuses really). I've got lots of plants and stuff to hide in as well... Do y'all think I should try again? Big shrimpie wasn't very smart. Little shrimpie is much more canny, which is why I think he's still alive. XD Oooooor should I just not bother with it at all?
Opinions?
Last edited by Lady Courage; 10-16-2012 at 03:09 PM.
I think you have three options. Oone, get more than just two shrimp so he can't focus on just one. The other thing you could do is get a bamboo shrimp. They get about three inches long so dr. suess sure won't feel like they are a target. And they are filter feeders so they'll never go for your betta. Three, The only other thing you could do is swarm your tank with the crs and that should distract him enough that they will have time to multiply on their own. I've seen some tanks here that have one betta and 30-50 crs and it seems to work out well. They probably have a little bigger tank than yours though :) just a thought. Let us know how it goes!
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