# flower shrimp with betta



## damselfish (Mar 9, 2007)

I want something that helps clean the tank, i heard rock shrimp help with nitrates ect. would one rock/flower shrimp be ok with a betta in a 5 gallon tank with heater and filter?


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## Oldfishlady (Mar 1, 2010)

Flower/rock and sometimes called Bamboo shrimp (Atyopsis moluccensis) are filter feeders-they don't have pincher but little fans that catch food in the water column-they do pick at food too.

While one in the 5gal with the Betta would be fine-this also depends on the Betta if he will tolerate it and not harass it to death-they are fairly large so it may be safe.......it may not clean the tank the way you think and this is our job anyway...but it is nice to have little helpers for in between water changes-with that said, you shouldn't add livestock for cleaning duties unless you like and/or want one to start.

Shrimp will not help with the nitrate and high nitrate can be harmful to shrimp-its important to keep this low by making regular water changes...

If you are having algae problems-RCS, Amano or ghost shrimp may be a better choice-however, they only eat some species of algae and again its our job to keep this controlled with regular manual removal with the water changes in a closed system.

Bottom line adding shrimp or anything else is another animal that adds to the bioload that needs care and supplemented feeding by us.....


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## damselfish (Mar 9, 2007)

Oldfishlady said:


> Flower/rock and sometimes called Bamboo shrimp (Atyopsis moluccensis) are filter feeders-they don't have pincher but little fans that catch food in the water column-they do pick at food too.
> 
> While one in the 5gal with the Betta would be fine-this also depends on the Betta if he will tolerate it and not harass it to death-they are fairly large so it may be safe.......it may not clean the tank the way you think and this is our job anyway...but it is nice to have little helpers for in between water changes-with that said, you shouldn't add livestock for cleaning duties unless you like and/or want one to start.
> 
> ...


Im perfectly aware that my job is to clean up after my 5 gallon, Im sorry i must have communicated it in a way that said otherwise. I put him in a filtered heated 5 gallon for a reason, I care about my fish and do have some proper knowledge. I have no algae in my tank, and it is crystal clear as I do the appropriate water changes every week. 
Thanks for the advice on the shrimp though (which yes I wanted before I even heard what they did supposedly for the tank, I could have brought it home right then, but because I care about the little critters that are going to be residing in my tank, i didn't and asked the forum first) 
but what i really want to know now is, do the rock/flower shrimp eat left over betta pellets or will he need to be supplied with flake food?


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## TL1000RSquid (Sep 25, 2011)

In a 5g you will need to feed them powdered algae invertebrate food, you can use a pipette to shoot it into the water stream. 

IMO smaller shrimp like a couple amano's or 5 or 6 cherry or ghosts would be better for scrounging up some of the fallen food and munching on algae. They're also more interesting to watch bamboo shrimp can sit in the same spot for a long time the little guys are always on the go. 

Of course it all also comes down to your betta's temperament too I've had betta's that would peacefully coexist with the shrimp and others who would hunt them down. I'd try a few ghost shrimp first as they're cheap several for $1 at many local shops, or 33 cents each at petsmart.


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