Freshwater shrimp are beautiful and interesting. These crustaceans make excellent home aquarium pets and can be a fascinating project for everyone interested in freshwater aquariums, regardless of experience or skill level. However, freshwater shrimp are susceptible to being harmed or eaten by other creatures in aquariums, so which are the safest, most stress-free tankmates to pair with freshwater shrimp?
The best stress-free aqarium mates for freshwater shrimp are alae-eaters such as Otocinclus catfish, micro crabs, and snails. Docile nano fish with tiny mouths and those that dwell at the top of the tank are also good options. Algae-eaters are the lowest maintenance and will never harm shrimp.
Choosing the right tankmates for freshwater shrimp is critical to their survival and quality of life in your aquarium. The good news is that there are many ideal tankmates for freshwater shrimp, and many are easier to keep than the shrimp themselves.
What Makes A Good Aqarium mate For Freshwater Shrimp?
Freshwater shrimps are surprisingly delicate, and they can be difficult to keep. These creatures require specific conditions to thrive, which can make choosing the ideal tankmate challenging. Freshwater shrimp are a favorite food item for many fish and other creatures, which makes keeping them with tankmates a risk.
However, if you know what to look for in a tankmate for freshwater shrimp, you can easily pair these creatures together in the same tank without any concern for the safety or survival of your shrimp. The right pairing of shrimp and tankmates ensures that all living things in the tank thrive in a beautiful symbiosis.
The best tankmates for freshwater shrimp are creatures that can live well in the same water conditions as the shrimp, including pH, temperature, minerals, and all other water condition factors. Tankmates should also not be large enough to eat the adult shrimp, and they should be completely non-aggressive.
An ideal tankmate for these shrimps is something that will not even eat baby shrimp. Shrimplets are tiny when they hatch, and almost all fish will eat them at this life stage. The ideal tankmate for these creatures will ignore shrimplets.
This makes the list of tankmates relatively short, but you may be surprised to find how many creatures fit these criteria.
Small, non-aggressive fish with small mouths are good tankmates for shrimp, algae-eating fish and creatures are perfect for keeping with freshwater shrimp, and other small crustaceans and creatures such as small crabs and snails can make ideal tankmates as well.
If you find a creature that only eats algae, can thrive in the same water conditions and environment as your chosen freshwater shrimp, and is also non-aggressive, you have found the ideal tankmate for your shrimp.
Examples Of Good Aquarium For Freshwater Shrimp
Not all common freshwater aquarium pets are good tankmates for freshwater shrimp, but there are several species that are ideal for keeping with these shrimp without much fear of them harming the shrimp at all.
Here are some examples of the best tankmates to keep with freshwater shrimp of any variety.
Otocinclus Catfish
Otocinclus catfish, also called Oto’s, are among the best tankmates for freshwater shrimp. These are classified as nano sucker fish, as they are tiny and they eat a diet of exclusively algae. These fish are also completely non-aggressive and will not attack other creatures in the tank.
This means that Oto’s are among the safest fish to keep with freshwater shrimp. These fish will never attack or eat your shrimp, even when they are tiny shrimplets. They thrive in the same water and environmental conditions as most freshwater shrimp, and they are incredibly easy to keep.
Oto’s also help to keep the tank and environment clean and free of algae, and they require very little maintenance. The only consideration for these fish is that they should only be introduced to well-established tanks, as they require plenty of algae to eat, and new tanks do not have sufficient algae growth.
Thai Micro Crabs
Thai microcrabs are tiny crabs that are ideal for keeping with shrimp. These crabs are very docile and will not attack the shrimp. They are happy to co-exist with shrimp, as they typically do not compete for food, and they thrive in the same environments.
This species of crab grows to a maximum mature size of 0.5 inches; they are very easy to keep, they are beautiful to watch in the tank, and they can co-exist with several species, making them ideal for most freshwater aquariums.
Other Species Of Freshwater Shrimp
Another great option for tankmates if you already have a population of freshwater shrimp are other species of freshwater shrimp. For example, if you have a population of Cherry shrimp, Amano shrimp are an excellent species to keep alongside them.
Amano shrimp prefer the same climate and water conditions as Cherry shrimp, but they eat algae rather than other food sources, which means they will not compete for resources with Cherry shrimp. Amano shrimp are also very docile and will not attack other shrimp.
Vampire shrimp and Ghost shrimp are other examples of safe shrimp species that can be kept together or as tankmates to Cherry shrimp or Amano shrimp.
Aquarium Snails
Another species of algae-eaters that are safe and ideal to keep with freshwater shrimp are freshwater aquarium snails. These creatures are incredibly low maintenance, so long as you choose the right species, they never attack anything, they live in the same conditions as shrimp, and they do not compete with the shrimp for resources.
The only trouble is that some species of aquarium snail overbreed very quickly, so it is best to choose snails such as nerite snails, as they will not breed in the same tank conditions that are ideal for freshwater shrimp.
Neon Tetra
Neon tetras are nano fish with very small mouths that are perfect tankmates for freshwater shrimp. These docile, non-aggressive fish never grow larger than 1.2 inches, and they have tiny mouths that prevent them from eating or nibbling shrimp.
These fish are brightly colored and beautiful and a joy to keep in a freshwater tank. Neon tetras complement the colors of blue and red-colored shrimp and are very easy to keep.
If you choose to keep Neon tetras with your shrimp, it is critical to have enough cover plants such as Java moss to provide protection for shrimplets when they hatch, as these fish are likely to eat the smallest shrimplets if they get the chance.
Pencil Fish
Pencil fish are a favorite tankmate for many shrimp keepers, as these fish tend to congregate and swim near the surface of the water, which keeps them away from shrimp and shrimplets that typically dwell at the bottom of the tank.
These fish are slightly more difficult to keep than other options on this list, but they are still easy enough for beginners to handle. Pencil fish are schooling fish, so you can keep many of them in the tank, which makes them wonderful to watch.
Pencil fish are non-aggressive, but the fact that they prefer living at the top of the tank further. Protects shrimp and shrimplets from harm. If you want to breed your shrimp, these may be the ideal tankmates for your shrimp.
Kuhli Loach
If you are looking for something interesting to keep with your shrimp, the Kuhli loach from Southeast Asia is a great option. These creatures are easy to keep, and they are typically scavengers that eat scraps and leftovers from the bottom of the tank.
These fish are unlikely to attack shrimp, but they may eat shrimplets if they find them. They can compete for food sources with shrimp, so be sure that there is plenty of food for everyone in the tank.
So long as you keep the balance of food right in the tank, these fish will co-exist peacefully with freshwater shrimp, and they are something special to see compared to regular companion fish.
Which Freshwater Shrimp Aquariummates Are The Most Stress-Free?
There are several species of fish and other creatures that are ideal tankmates for freshwater shrimp, but which creatures are the easiest and most stress-free to keep with shrimp in an aquarium?
The most stress-free tankmates for freshwater shrimp are algae-eaters. Otocinclus catfish and other algae-eating nano sucker fish Pygmy Cory catfish, snails, micro crabs, and other shrimp species are some of the very best options, as they will not eat the shrimp or shrimplets, and they are especially non-aggressive.
These are the best options because they do not compete with the shrimp for food, they will not harm the shrimp, and they dwell in the same environments and conditions as freshwater shrimp.
These creatures are stress-free because they are exceedingly easy to keep, they keep the tank clean, they require no special food, and they can live happily in a tank that is not cleaned super frequently.
Fish that tend to live or congregate at the top of the tank are another good option, as they tend to leave shrimp alone as they dwell at the bottom of the tank.
Conclusion
The best tankmates for freshwater shrimp are creatures that are easy to keep, will not harm the shrimp, and those who eat different food items to the shrimp. This leaves most algae eaters as the best companions for freshwater shrimp.
Take your time to find the creatures for your shrimp that also suit your preferred level of care, and you are sure to find the ideal tankmates for your shrimp. Keep it simple: choose creatures that will not harm your shrimp, and your aquarium will thrive.