Cherry Shrimp Tank Mates

Cherry shrimp are tiny, peaceful invertebrates — a colourful clean-up crew, best kept with small, gentle fish (or alone).

The engine clears them against most calm community fish, but there is a real-world caveat it cannot fully model: many fish will happily eat baby shrimp. In a densely planted tank a colony can outbreed the losses, but the safest "tankmates" are nano fish, snails, or a species-only shrimp tank.

Cherry Shrimp key facts

The sourced figures the engine uses to judge Cherry Shrimp pairings.

Top Cherry Shrimp tank mates

A ranked shortlist: the species the engine clears with Cherry Shrimp and that suit its size and temperament best — tap a name for its care guide, or use + Add to test the pairing in the planner.

No tank mates match these filters — try removing one. Reset filters

Other engine-cleared options (not necessarily ideal)

These clear TankStocking's hard welfare checks with Cherry Shrimp, but are larger, bolder, or otherwise less ideal than the shortlist above — read up before committing.

Best avoided

A hard welfare check fires for each of these — don't mix them with Cherry Shrimp.

• Kissing Gourami — Predation risk
• Snakeskin Gourami — Predation risk
• Three-spot (Blue/Opaline/Gold) Gourami — Predation risk
• Bala Shark — Predation risk
• Denison Barb (Roseline Shark) — Predation risk
• Rosy Barb — Predation risk
• Tinfoil Barb — Predation risk
• Convict Cichlid — Predation risk
• Discus — Temperature clash
• Electric Blue Acara — Predation risk
• Firemouth Cichlid — Predation risk
• Freshwater Angelfish — Predation risk
• Green Severum — Predation risk
• Jewel Cichlid — Predation risk

Keeping Cherry Shrimp well: the detail

Beyond the table — the behaviour, the parameters that actually move the needle, and the mistakes that cost fish. Hobbyist context, not a verdict; the planner above is what judges your plan.

Water parameters in practice

Cherry shrimp need minerals in the water to moult: aim for GH around 4–8 dGH and stable KH, with pH 6.5–8 and a temperature of 18–28 °C. The killer parameters are swings and copper — shrimp are acutely sensitive to copper (in some medications and plant fertilisers) and to sudden changes. A mature, stable, planted tank is the whole game.

Why Cherry Shrimp behaves the way it does

Neocaridina shrimp come from the still and slow waters of East Asia, grazing biofilm and algae off every surface in dense, sheltered vegetation. That biofilm-grazing is why a mature, planted tank with mulm and moss suits them and a sterile new one does not. They are prolific in good conditions and form genuine colonies.

Common Cherry Shrimp stocking mistakes

The first mistake is adding shrimp to a brand-new tank with no biofilm — they need a matured surface to graze. The second is copper exposure from fish medications or fertilisers, which is often fatal. The third is over-trusting the engine's adult-compatibility verdict for breeding: many "compatible" fish still eat shrimplets, so dense cover or a shrimp-only tank protects a colony.

Early signs something is wrong

A shrimp lying on its side and failing to right itself, or one that dies just after moulting, usually points to a mineral shortage (too-soft water, low GH) or a parameter swing. A white ring around the body mid-moult signals trouble. A thriving colony is busy, grazing constantly, with berried females carrying eggs.

How tank size changes the answer

A colony does well in a planted tank from 5 gallons up — small volumes are fine because the bio-load is tiny, provided the water stays stable. More plants and moss matter more than more gallons; cover is what lets the young survive. With small, peaceful tankmates or none at all, a starter group quickly becomes a colony.

Cherry Shrimp community ideas

Each build is scored by the same engine as the planner — tap one to load it.

Common questions

More on Cherry Shrimp

Related guides on TankStocking — each scored by the same welfare engine as the planner.

Compatibility is a planning estimate: individual temperament, tank layout, and group sizes all matter. Cycle the tank, add fish gradually, and watch how they behave. See the methodology or browse the full freshwater fish list.