Hello, I've had betta fish before but never tried mixing in other creatures like amano shrimp and snails. I've just started a new tank – the snails and shrimp went in first and were super active – once the betta was introduced, the shrimp all hide in a corner behind the heater and the betta has already killed off one snail.
I know bettas are hunters and will be aggressive towards prey, but is there a way to strike a balance here? I want the shrimp and snails to keep the tank clean… I know the shrimp will likely stay hidden- will they die from starvation? Or eventually get picked off? What can I do for them?
Is there no way to have some sort of ecosystem with a betta?
https://i.redd.it/x533z7uo04hg1.jpeg
Posted by gkgkgkgk757
6 Comments
For reference: it’s a 5 gallon tank, 3 amano shrimp, 1 betta fish.
it’s all dependent on the betta, he won’t suddenly decide to stop being a predator unfortunately, it’s just luck of the draw whether they’re docile enough to be with tank mates. although amanos are too big for him to eat, they may die from the stress. out of curiosity, how did he kill the snail ?
5g is too small for amano shrimp in my opinion. Fully grown they’re bigger than the betta. A better choice would be neocaridina shrimp although these can get eaten by the betta.
Imo this tank is not planted heavily enough for the shrimp to actually have enough safe spaces to hide in. Bettas will always eat shrimp & snails regardless because that’s just their natural diet. Its best to establish shrimp FIRST for a while before introducing a betta to lessen the territorial aggression. They will still eat them no matter what, that’s just the natural order of things.
If it really is your betta that killed the snail then I don’t think the amano’s are safe from him/her. Most betta’s leave snails alone, amano’s is already a bigger risk, especially in a smaller tank and without many hiding spots.
The betta will do a good job keeping the cherry shrimp population in check, cherry shrimp breed quickly, especially depending on the temperature in your tank. I have the same setup and my betta loves to check out all the critters. I would invest in a bigger tank so you have to clean less and avoid overcrowding.