Big Shrimp options

[HestonFan23]

I have a 2.5 gallon tank. My betta is a little under two inches long. Is it okay to add a ghost shrimp?

[roypattonphoto]

in a 2.5 gallon tank other then a snail, there should be no other livestock in the tank....

if u want to add shrimp a min 5gal and at that time only about 2 or 3

[HestonFan23]

Okay. My question for snails vs. shrimp concerns bioload. I have heard that shrimp have hardly any bioload and snails are poop factories. If this is true then would a little ghost shrimp with hardly any bioload be better then a snail? The shrimp will clean the bottom of the tank. It appears to have more positive factors then setbacks.

I have also noticed that algae tablets made my tanks water quality terrible. Any thoughts...anyone??

[Echo]

my ghosties eat the pellets my betta misses. they go to town on 'em, it's funny to watch! their little feet grab hold of a pellet and they spin it 'round and *nibblenibblenibble*. it's ok to let one or two pellets sink (one per shrimp).. leave it for 30 minutes or so and use a turkey baster to suck the leftovers up.
i stopped using algae wafers myself after i saw what a mess they made, and the ghosties could really care less.

[Blaze54]

So would it be ok to put 2-3 in there?

[PewPewPew]

A large issue with 2.5 gallons and shrimp is that they are usually uncycled (which shrimp should be living in a cycled tank, because theyre very sensitive..) and because its harder to get away from your betta, which will up the chance of them being eaten. They clean the bottom, but they poop it right back out, too.

Smaller snails, like nerites (minimum 2.5gallons each snail) have a smaller bio load and are quite small.

Snails, however, can protect themselves in this smaller size with their shells, but even they can be targeted, because they cant get away as well.

And in a 2.5 gallon, I honestly don suggest any... You can try 2-3, but theyll probably be eaten.

[HestonFan23]

I decided to put one shrimp in my tank. Steve was a little bummed at first. He now ignores the shrimp. I am a little concerned about my betta's actions. I think he is a passive aggressive betta. When he first saw the little (tiny) shrimp he went at it. The shrimp pulled away. Steve did not try to eat it or anything. Is that normal?

[roypattonphoto]

lol.. wait until u wake up and find the shrimp looking for an Emergency Room...

i had 6 in my planted 10g w/ m HMDBT .... they last about 4 - 5 days, all but one became dinner, the last one was the recipient of a Class 1 Beat Down through out sometime in the night..

[HestonFan23]

Steve has been swimming around staring at it all day today. He finally chomped at it when it tried to swim right by him. I think Steve is okay with the shrimp when he is on the ground. If Steve sees the shrimp swimming up in the tank he attacks it.

[DarkMoon17]

Ya, shrimp should be kept in groups since they are social. That one isn't going to last long. Once he's eaten one you really shouldn't house him with shrimp anymore since he'll know they are tasty... In the future, the minimum tank size for adding companions for bettas is a 5 gal.