Neon Tetras & Shrimp – Can They Live Together?
If you are looking for some suitable tank mates for your neon tetra tank, you have probably considered shrimp as one of the options. This article is, therefore, dedicated to analyzing such match. Can neon tetras and shrimp live together?
Yes, shrimp and neon tetras can live in the same tank, and they actually make a really great combo. Firstly, they share similar water requirements, saving you the trouble of any adjustment.
More importantly, they share similar temperaments, decreasing the chances of some of your pets becoming a snack to another.
Keeping Neon Tetras & Shrimp
However, there are still some factors to consider before matching these two species up.
– Hiding Places
Shrimp feel safest when having plenty of hiding spots around the tank. These will provide them refuge from sunlight as well as from neon tetras. Although both of these species are really peaceful, neon tetras can still try feeding on your shrimp every now and then, so providing them safe places is essential.
You can purchase some decorative tunnels, rocks or anything similar to ensure they can get inside them, but some natural choices like driftwood will also do the trick.
Neon tetras are also the little explorers and will certainly appreciate a fully decorated tank. It is important to offer such spots where they can get away and seek for isolation, and this will surely improve the overall wellbeing of both of your pet species.
– Lots of Plants
Plants are always a good idea when setting up an aquarium. Not only they are decorative, but they are also amazingly helpful both to keeping your pets healthy and their water conditions pristine.
Indeed, both neon tetras and shrimp will highly appreciate having plenty of greenery around. You can choose plastic plants, but natural options are always a better solution.
Live plants across such community tank can offer great shelter from sunlight, provide hiding spots when there is a conflict, increase oxygenation levels as well as act as a natural filtration system.
Your pets will love java moss at the bottom, but they will also enjoy some taller plants around the tank, so do not hesitate to choose several options. They will all work amazing!
– Water Parameters
Great news when placing neon tetras and shrimp inside a single tank is not having to do any drastic adjustment, as these creatures share similar water requirements.
Temperature levels should recreate tropical conditions, so aim to keep them anywhere between 75- and 80-degrees Fahrenheit. The pH values which suit both species are between 6,8 and 7,8.
Once these are set, your main task should be keeping such parameters stable. Indeed, both of your pets are extremely sensitive to any oscillations, especially your super-sensitive neon tetras.
Additionally, you should perform regular partial water changes in order to maintain their water clean and clear from any dangerous particles.
– Feeding
Feeding is vitally important for community tanks like this, as it needs to ensure that both of your pets get all the necessary nutritive values but without interacting with each other while doing so.
In fact, shrimp can easily become a part of your fish’s meals if they believe that these are in their way during feeding. Luckily, this can be avoided quite simply with these two, as neon tetras are top feeders while shrimp prefer eating at the bottom of the tank.
Therefore, you can easily choose apposite flakes for your tetras and perhaps some sinking pellets for your shrimp.
On top of that, most shrimp will happily eat any food leftovers or even fish waste from the bottom of the tank, so we can consider them as the cutest little tank cleaners. This will certainly help in reducing the chance of any ammonia spikes.
– Filtration
Although your shrimp will clean the tank from most residues present and your live plants will act as a filter somehow, you still need a good filtration system to ensure the wellbeing of both species.
When choosing the most suitable solution for your community tank, it is good to get either a sponge filter or a filter with intake guard. This will protect your shrimp from being drawn into the filter or from simply climbing there on their own.
Both shrimp and neon tetras are delicate to their water cleanliness, so a good filter is essential.
Will Neon Tetras Eat Shrimp?
Neon tetras are omnivorous creatures, so they will definitely try eating anything which fits into their mouth. However, adult shrimp are usually just slightly smaller than these fish are, and there is no big danger for them becoming a meal.
This is not the case with baby shrimp, which are drastically smaller and could easily become a meal to tetras.
Neon Tetra and Amano Shrimp
If you are looking to avoid even the slightest risk of your neon tetras eating their tank mates, you may consider Amano shrimp as the safest option. Indeed, these are among the largest dwarf shrimps available and can grow up to 2 inches.
Actually, they may even exceed your neon tetras in size, meaning that they are absolutely safe from becoming a meal.
If you are considering of matching these two amazing species up, please ensure they have enough living space to not get into conflicts at some point. A 20-gallon tank will do amazing for a smaller school of neon tetras and several Amano shrimp.
Wrapping Up
Neon tetras are surely one of the most popular fish pets nowadays. They are small and generally peaceful, meaning that they make a perfect choice for a well-arranged community tank.
And since they are extremely sensitive to water quality, considering some shrimp as tank mates is a wonderful idea. Indeed, they will happily clean the aquarium out from debris and waste, improving the overall quality of their home.
On top of that, they share similar water requirements and they both love heavily planted aquariums. Also, with neon tetras loving to feed at upper tank levels and with shrimp being bottom scavengers, there is basically no danger of these amazing creatures getting into a fight.
