# Can I put a shrimp with my betta in a 2.5 gallon?



## OrangeAugust (Jul 23, 2012)

I already found out that Fishie can't have any tank mates (he attacked my snail, so I moved it to a spare tank but it died a week later). But my other betta, Shiny, seems much more calm and I have a feeling that he'd live harmoniously with a shrimp or two. He's only in a 2.5 gallon, though. Could I still get a shrimp? I know they have low bioload...


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## MSG (May 8, 2012)

*Buy 3 of them, & add them to your tank later in the evening.*


Make sure the tank isn't lit up when you add them.
Then turn the lights on, see what happens. Might be entertaining.
I recommend getting some of the larger shrimp versus the smaller bite sized ones.

My HM betta ate 30 of them & at least a dozen smaller bite sized guppies as well.



Don't forget shrimp are usually considered food by most fish.

I know most of my girls would love to do battle with a shrimp, but they get enough treats already. No need to add shrimp to their diet.

Go get a few shrimp & test it out. Let me know what happens.


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## Jodah (Nov 15, 2011)

I tossed in 10 ghosties a little over a week hour ago. About 3 of them are small enough for my girl Freyja to get her mouth on, but they are way to quick for her to catch. So far so good. she's just chasing them around the tank a bit. We'll see what happens. I most certainly wouldn't trust a betta with anything more than ghost shrimp though. Most others are more expensive PER shrimp than the betta is.


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## OrangeAugust (Jul 23, 2012)

Ok, thanks!


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## Pogthefish (Mar 24, 2012)

Make sure there are plenty of places that the shrimp can hide, and places they can go that the fish can't get them.


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## Jodah (Nov 15, 2011)

Driftwood with plenty of nooks and crannies, plants (fake or not) are all good places for shrimp to hide in. I honestly have no doubt though that if Freyja could fit the juveniles into her mouth, she would have. Today she seems bored with them and isn't messing with them.


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## teeneythebetta (Apr 29, 2012)

Pogthefish said:


> Make sure there are plenty of places that the shrimp can hide, and places they can go that the fish can't get them.


Yes they molt and need a small space to hide because theyre prone to being injured during molting. I forget what brand it is but they make some sort of shrimp tube hideout thing.


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## BettaQi (Jul 26, 2012)

Cholla wood is a great shrimp hideout and it turns into a great growing medium for the microorganism that they love.


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## Jodah (Nov 15, 2011)

Tight fitting lids as well. Lolz. Just came home to find my two smallest shrimp went carpet surfing. Apparently my lid has enough space for them to jump out. Oh well. Will make use of them by dumping them in my buddies tank we're gonna setup today. Be a good way to start the cycle. :-D


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## teeneythebetta (Apr 29, 2012)

Jodah said:


> Tight fitting lids as well. Lolz. Just came home to find my two smallest shrimp went carpet surfing. Apparently my lid has enough space for them to jump out. Oh well. Will make use of them by dumping them in my buddies tank we're gonna setup today. Be a good way to start the cycle. :-D


D:
Tell him to have fun smelling rotting shrimp. 
He's better of using pure ammonia, but you can only use ace hardware brand so it has no surfractants.


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## Pogthefish (Mar 24, 2012)

I find that rotting stuff in my tank is usually confined to the water and I cant smell it. Trust me Ive had some nasty stuff in my tanks.


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## Jodah (Nov 15, 2011)

That's how I've done all the saltwater tanks I've setup for people. Just toss a piece of table shrimp in the tank. Skimmer is usually where the smell ends up. I just had another one try to carpet surf earlier today. So I remade a cover that fit tighter around the filter.

Seems to be Freyja is chasing them up out of the water.


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## Pogthefish (Mar 24, 2012)

Mine have never jumped ut and My lid has tons of holes


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## OrangeAugust (Jul 23, 2012)

I didn't know shrimp would jump out! I know sometimes snails will climb out but I didn't know shrimp will.


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## Pogthefish (Mar 24, 2012)

Oh my god. My snails will crawl all over the dining room! They fall ff the table and break their shells so often! Smelly too.


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## OhNoLenX (Aug 28, 2012)

No jumping shrimp here, though they do climb up and over the tank divider so as to take the time to visit with both my betta.


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## teeneythebetta (Apr 29, 2012)

OhNoLenX said:


> No jumping shrimp here, though they do climb up and over the tank divider so as to take the time to visit with both my betta.


Awww lol. The shrimps are their babies and they have joint custody of them )


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## Pogthefish (Mar 24, 2012)

I really don't get why your shrimp jump, because they usually only do it when they are nervous, and there has to be a CAUSE for that. Like abusive fish? Just a thought.


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## Serai7 (May 13, 2012)

I had a shrimp with my betta in a one gallon.. he nipped at the shrimp a bit at first, n he'd hide in the minipineapple alot, but then they were fine, they'd even sit at the bottom of the bowl next to eachother alot just chillin the shrimp would run his antenae over him alot it was weird... theeeen my shrimp died three days later because I didn't know they needed filtration or airation :x then the betta ate him after he died :/


Conclusion: It's fine if there is air coming in or filter, they won't eat eachother, at least mine didn't and it's always nice to have a hiding personal space to go to for everybody in there.


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