# Betta Friends~



## AJTapper (Aug 14, 2014)

Hi!

I'm planning on starting a NPT and was wondering about shrimp and snails...

Are there a particular kind of shrimp I should be getting? Obviously freshwater (duh), but what I mean by this question is, are there shrimp that are less likely to be eaten by my Betta, or is there a preventative measure to avoid all the shrimp from being eaten and therefore have the cycle be compromised.

As for snails... oh snails... I used to have a tank for my goldfish that had snails... They reproduced faster than I could keep up with (and as a 13 year old I was overwhelmed). If I'm going to get snails, is there a way to prevent this from happening? 

Thank you to anyone who replies!


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## Tony2632 (Aug 30, 2013)

I would recommend Amano shrimp. I find them to be the best algae eaters I ever own. I had them with about 9 female betta sorority with no problems. They never hide for me even with bettas roaming around. I did try red cherry shrimp with my sorority. It was complete massacre. I never tried shrimp with male bettas, but I heard some stories with great success. It depends on the betta personality. For putting shrimps in tanks, I highly recommend a very mature tank. Some shrimp are very sensitive, but Amano shrimp are little more hardier then most and they are pretty much bigger then most also.


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## AJTapper (Aug 14, 2014)

Tony2632 said:


> I would recommend Amano shrimp. I find them to be the best algae eaters I ever own. I had them with about 9 female betta sorority with no problems. They never hide for me even with bettas roaming around. I did try red cherry shrimp with my sorority. It was complete massacre. I never tried shrimp with male bettas, but I heard some stories with great success. It depends on the betta personality. For putting shrimps in tanks, I highly recommend a very mature tank. Some shrimp are very sensitive, but Amano shrimp are little more hardier then most and they are pretty much bigger then most also.


Do I need to get shrimp/snails for a NPT? I know they help with decomp and algae... But if I'm waiting to put them into a mature tank, that's roughly 3 months! 

Also, is there a chance that shrimp will "overpopulate" the tank?


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## Bikeridinguckgirl14 (Oct 22, 2013)

Hi! The bigfer the better with shrimp, also the harder to see the better. For snails ramshorn/bladder snails reproduce like crazy, im getting some trapdoor snails in the mail soon, if you want ill send one your way for shipping cost, nerite snails arr also good. Also the more densely decorated the tank the better, and you should get some cholla wood for the shrimp to hide in also (if you want, so bamboo/ghost shrimp and nerite/trumpet/trapdoor snails)


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## Bikeridinguckgirl14 (Oct 22, 2013)

Also you dont NEEDthem but i think theyre fun. And you want 7 shimp and 2 snails and 1 betta in a 20g, 3 shrimp one betta one snail in a 10g


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## AJTapper (Aug 14, 2014)

Bikeridinguckgirl14 said:


> Hi! The bigfer the better with shrimp, also the harder to see the better. For snails ramshorn/bladder snails reproduce like crazy, im getting some trapdoor snails in the mail soon, if you want ill send one your way for shipping cost, nerite snails arr also good. Also the more densely decorated the tank the better, and you should get some cholla wood for the shrimp to hide in also (if you want, so bamboo/ghost shrimp and nerite/trumpet/trapdoor snails)


Trapdoor is what I had before that over-reproduced!! I couldn't figure out what species it was until I just looked up pictures of them. I've heard nerite snails are better as they don't reproduce in freshwater.


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## AJTapper (Aug 14, 2014)

Bikeridinguckgirl14 said:


> Also you dont NEEDthem but i think theyre fun. And you want 7 shimp and 2 snails and 1 betta in a 20g, 3 shrimp one betta one snail in a 10g


I'm planning on getting a 5.5 gal. will this be too small for getting a shrimp? I was really only thinking of getting one or two!


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## Bikeridinguckgirl14 (Oct 22, 2013)

(There are different types of trapdoor snails, mine are going to be huge and brown) japanese trapdoor snails, from what ive been told they shouldnt reproduce, i hope....


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## Bikeridinguckgirl14 (Oct 22, 2013)

And for 2 shrimp a 5.5 is ok


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## Flint (Oct 22, 2013)

You could get a mystery snail as well. They come in a lot of natural colors but I also offered painted ones in the link in my signature. Bear in mind - not all bettas are compatible with shrimp or snails, so you may not actually be able to. It all depends on the personality of your betta. Shrimp have an extremely low bioload as well so you can have more than two, I would do 5 if you decide against snails, but that also depends on the shrimp. I'm thinking of ghosts/cherries. I would only get one of the larger shrimp like amanos and bamboo shrimp.


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## AJTapper (Aug 14, 2014)

Flint said:


> You could get a mystery snail as well. They come in a lot of natural colors but I also offered painted ones in the link in my signature. Bear in mind - not all bettas are compatible with shrimp or snails, so you may not actually be able to. It all depends on the personality of your betta. Shrimp have an extremely low bioload as well so you can have more than two, I would do 5 if you decide against snails, but that also depends on the shrimp. I'm thinking of ghosts/cherries. I would only get one of the larger shrimp like amanos and bamboo shrimp.


So, should I get my betta first and have him/her (as I haven't gotten a betta yet) settle into the tank before deciding if I get a shrimp or two? Is there a way for me to discern temperament on how the betta would treat a tankmate? Or should I get the betta and shrimp together and have them both be introduced into the tank together so as to make it so the betta doesn't see the shrimp as "intruders"?

Thanks!


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## Bikeridinguckgirl14 (Oct 22, 2013)

Yes, if he seems extra agressive tankmates woukdnt be a good idea


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## Flint (Oct 22, 2013)

Introduce the others first, then after a week or so, the betta. They are territorial and he will see them as in his territory not to mention they won't settle in nearly as fast as most bettas do.


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