# Amano Shrimp



## deso (Apr 24, 2012)

My tank is beginning to have what could turn into a major algae problem, and at 3.5 gallons, is far too small to have cory cats, otos, or any other fish, for that matter. So, I'm thinking of getting a pair of Amano shrimp to clear up the problem, but will a grown male betta and the two shrimp be overstocking for a 3.5 gallon filtred + planted tank with two 50% water changes per week? I understand that the Amanos tend to get a lot larger than RCS (red cherry shrimp), and most other shrimp species, for that matter - however, they're supposed to consume every type of algae imaginable.

Also, are there any diseases I should be worrying about that are transmissible from shrimp to fish? And I thought it would be worth mentioning that my betta is of the very laid-back sort. He probably wouldn't fight back much if the shrimp decided to gang up on him, and being a relatively small adult male, I have real concerns about him winning a fight against two large shrimp. I'd prefer just getting one shrimp, but everything I've read suggests that it's a bad idea to do that.

Thanks!


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## asukabetta (Oct 2, 2012)

deso said:


> My tank is beginning to have what could turn into a major algae problem, and at 3.5 gallons, is far too small to have cory cats, otos, or any other fish, for that matter. So, I'm thinking of getting a pair of Amano shrimp to clear up the problem, but will a grown male betta and the two shrimp be overstocking for a 3.5 gallon filtred + planted tank with two 50% water changes per week? I understand that the Amanos tend to get a lot larger than RCS (red cherry shrimp), and most other shrimp species, for that matter - however, they're supposed to consume every type of algae imaginable.
> 
> Also, are there any diseases I should be worrying about that are transmissible from shrimp to fish? And I thought it would be worth mentioning that my betta is of the very laid-back sort. He probably wouldn't fight back much if the shrimp decided to gang up on him, and being a relatively small adult male, I have real concerns about him winning a fight against two large shrimp. I'd prefer just getting one shrimp, but everything I've read suggests that it's a bad idea to do that.
> 
> Thanks!



I would get a nerite snail, nothing clean algae better than that snail  it's an agrresive algae eater! Within a few weeks you might even have put algae wafers XD And good thing is you only need one  They have a hard shell to protect them from you betta and don't really care about anything but roaming around your tank eating all the algae it can find  so you wouldn't have to worry about anything attacking your betta or snail.


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## deso (Apr 24, 2012)

asukabetta said:


> I would get a nerite snail, nothing clean algae better than that snail  it's an agrresive algae eater! Within a few weeks you might even have put algae wafers XD And good thing is you only need one  They have a hard shell to protect them from you betta and don't really care about anything but roaming around your tank eating all the algae it can find  so you wouldn't have to worry about anything attacking your betta or snail.


I'm a little grossed-out by the eggs they leave everywhere, it's nearly worse than algae...do you have that problem with yours?


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## MSG (May 8, 2012)

*Algae usually means your tank is nice & established or....*

there's too much improper light to the tank giving the algae what it needs to flourish. 



What type of light fixture are you using & how long do you leave your lights on?


Is your tank located close to the window & receiving a good dose of sunlight during the day?
=====================================


If you buy semi fast growing live plants & once they get established, the live plants out-compete the algae for nutrients that are suspended in the tanks.


 Amanos are usually better at stealing food from your betta than eating algae. They may eat algae @ first, but once they figure out the b-pellets are protein packed, they will battle your betta for them.


The easiest thing to do if you do regular water changes, is to buy a acrylic safe scrub pad and scrub down the sides of the tank of excess algae build up.


 Any algae that builds up on the decorations in your tank the CRS should take care of over the course of 2-5 days once the other sources of algae are exhausted.


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## deso (Apr 24, 2012)

I'm using an Up Aqua light, 8000k white bulbs, 12000k blue. I'm aware that this kind of lighting is best used with a co2 system, but I'm reluctant to start that because I'm scared of killing my betta. The plants are doing quite well except for the flame moss, which is covered in hair algae. The tank's walls are pretty clear. However, the driftwood is also covered in some sort of brownish algae as well. I'm leaving the lights on for 6 hours a day. The tank is close to a window, but Paris is always overcast/rainy, so there's on average only one day of sunlight per week.


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## kfryman (Nov 7, 2011)

CO2 can't kill a betta. Bettas breath air so you can crank CO2 up without bad things happening. But you can still run it at a normal amount.

Nerites are good algae eaters, but amanos are way faster than anything for eating algae. Period. You can try, but bettas naturally hunt, so it may be hard.


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## Freyja (Jun 22, 2012)

In a tank of that size it's wiser to resolve the root of the algae problem rather than getting a critter to care for the symptoms/consequences because in the end the problem still remains .


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## asukabetta (Oct 2, 2012)

thats the great thing about nerites, they are SUPER HARD to breed. Females sometimes lay eggs but luckily mine is a male XD But they wont invade ur tank with infinite babies.

Nerites will keep it clean, dunno about shrimp thing is they may become a snack for your bettaXD


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