ZombieFish and shrimp

[ZombieFish]

Greetings all. I'm a very new betta owner (1 week) ... some of you may recognize my name from the Photos forum over the last few days.

I've got a 1.5g tank that is unfiltered with one male veil-tail. (photo at bottom of post). I have been thinking of adding a couple of shrimp to serve as algae eaters. I've read that cherry shrimp are better tank cleaners than ghost shrimp but I think they're both very interesting creatures to watch. There are spots for them to hide out if ZombieFish doesn't play well with strangers hehehe.

I've done a couple of partial water changes in the last 7 days and everything seems fine so far and ZombieFish has been tending to a great bubblenest.

Should I do any kind of special water change before introducing shrimp to the tank? Should I leave the water a little "dirty" for them to start and have stuff for them to eat right away? I was wondering if I put them directly into a clean tank right after a full water change if they'll actually have enough to eat.

Are two shrimp about the right number for a tank this size? Can I put one of each in there, cherry and ghost, or should I do two of the same species? I'm curious if they get along well.

Thanks in advance,
Rob

[Vikki81207]

Well if it's only a 1.5 gallon, I wouldn't advise you add any shrimp. There's barely enough room for your betta, the best tank for just one betta is 2.5 gallons. So if you wanted to add shrimp, I would upgrade to at least a 5 gallon. You shouldn't add anything with your betta unless the tank is 5+ gallons.

[AngelicScars]

I agree with Vikki. You should upgrade your tank before adding any tankmates.
I think the shrimp will be fine with your Betta as far as compatibility though.

[MrVampire181]

A 1.5 gallon is big enough for a betta (I see those bubbles) but 2.5 gallons is more ideal.

I agree that to keep other fish or shrimp you'll need to have at least a 5 gallon tank.

[neenjar]

Not only will you want a larger tank you will want filtration for tank mates. It can be low flow filtration, but a cycled filtration system is a must when keeping non anabantids.

[EvanChandler]

i had two ghost shrimp in a 2 gal bowl to help a little with cleaning while i went away on a trip and my fish ended up eating them xD
but they were fun to watch. my betta chased them and tried to nip at them at first but they're pretty fast little things and he soon realized he could'nt catch them
well
until he DID catch them

[neenjar]

Originally Posted by EvanChandler

i had two ghost shrimp in a 2 gal bowl to help a little with cleaning while i went away on a trip and my fish ended up eating them xD
but they were fun to watch. my betta chased them and tried to nip at them at first but they're pretty fast little things and he soon realized he could'nt catch them
well
until he DID catch them

If ya can't out run 'em. out smart 'em!

[EvanChandler]

haha that's so true, he apparently waited until they molted or whatever they do cause i found little shrimp skins on the bottom xD

[AngelicScars]

I've heard shrimp have been known to snack on the long tails of Betta too. So maybe the Betta got them before they got him?

[dramaqueen]

I've heard that shrimp are more vulnerable when they molt.