What can i keep with crystal shrimp?

[wendy32693]

What kind of small fish can i keep with crystal shrimps? I have crystal red and crystal black shrimps and would like to maybe add a couple small fish in there with them but not sure what i can keep with them since they are so small i dont want them to be eaten. Thanks

[aquabee]

Boraras brigittae are beautiful but can be hard to find. Check with armthehomeless to see if he still has any. Houston Aquarium Warehouse has micro-neons, also known as green neons. I keep both boraras and green neons with my shrimp and they are so tiny that they don't bother them at all. Here's a video so you can see the fish (sorry it's all compressed, it's a phone vid :( ). They look a little bigger in the vid but really are very very tiny.

Here's a pic first... you can kinda see the boraras at the bottom, by the java moss. Can't get a clear pic of them.
nano.jpg

[Complexity]

I've kept different kinds of Boraras with my colony of red cherry shrimp with excellent success. My favorites have always been the Boraras maculatus.

Right now, I have about a dozen Ruby Tetras (Axelrodia riesei) from HAW with my shrimp colony. They were very shy at first, but have since come out of hiding to swim around.

Pretty much any small tetra would work well with the shrimp. I also have snails and o-cats mixed with mine.

[aquabee]

I've kept different kinds of Boraras with my colony of red cherry shrimp with excellent success. My favorites have always been the Boraras maculatus.

Right now, I have about a dozen Ruby Tetras (Axelrodia riesei) from HAW with my shrimp colony. They were very shy at first, but have since come out of hiding to swim around.

Pretty much any small tetra would work well with the shrimp. I also have snails and o-cats mixed with mine.

The HAW ruby tetras and ember tetras are absolutely stunning. They look pale in the pH over at the warehouse, but once you get 'em into a planted tank with some driftwood, they look amazing! You got any pics of them Vicki?

[eklikewhoa]

Boraras are my fav in shrimp tanks along with CPD's!

[Complexity]

The HAW ruby tetras and ember tetras are absolutely stunning. They look pale in the pH over at the warehouse, but once you get 'em into a planted tank with some driftwood, they look amazing! You got any pics of them Vicki?

I agree on the color. Mine colored up very nicely once I got them home in their tank. I don't have any pics of them right now, but I can try to get some tomorrow. My camera is really old so no promises on how well they'll turn out.

[aquabee]

Yay for pics!

[Complexity]

Okay, got some pics. My shrimp tank is a 5g nano. It's hard to see the ruby tetras in the full tank shot, but once you see them in the other pics, you can pick them out better.

[SunnyHouTX]

That's awesome, just awesome!

[eklikewhoa]

Nice!

[aquabee]

That's a really, really beautiful tank. What's that broad leaf plant on my right?

[Complexity]

Thanks! That's hygrophila corymbosa 'compacta'. Darn stuff grows like a weed everywhere!

[aquabee]

Thanks! That's hygrophila corymbosa 'compacta'. Darn stuff grows like a weed everywhere!

Wow! I've seen hygro before but none that looked like that. Really beautiful setup.

On a side note, I finally treated my tank with peroxide yesterday and today, and the BBA on my crypts is bright pink. Hopefully the otos will munch it all up in another few days or so. Love how all the plants pearl like crazy when the tank gets saturated with oxygen! :)

[Complexity]

Yeah, when I first got it, it was small and dark green. It looked identical to this:

39352_458642291209_64363006209_6722523_8264577_n.jpg

I thought it would stay short, given it's name, but not a change. It grows and grows and grows! I have grown it in all my tanks, from 'high tech' to the lowest of 'low tech', and it's done well in all conditions. It even did well in my cichlid tank (that's the plant in my cichlid tank in my sig picture). The fish love to eat it so once the cichlids figured out how yummy it was, I had to take it out.

Regardless of its name, it keeps growing taller until it reaches the top and above. Then I yank it up, roots and all, chop off the top and replant. Then it starts growing all over again. It is definitely a favorite plant and one for beginners of every tank setup.

[armthehomeless]

You certainly have a green thumb, Vicki!

Wendy, I'd stick with Boraras and microrasboras. Some small tetras will also work, but I've have adult neons eat red cherry shrimp in the past.