betta and shrimp?

[genocidex]

i was thinking of something to do with my 5.5g tank and i was thinking 1 male betta and some shrimp. throw in some plants, a moss ball and some slower growing ones. would the betta make a quick meal out of the shrimp? i dont care if the occasional one goes missing but i dont want them to be gone instantly. if they can keep their numbers up i wouldnt care :P lol.

[Brhino]

it depends entirely on the personality of the betta. It may work, it may not work. It may work for a while but then one day, shrimp massacre.

[genocidex]

yeah thats what i was thinking..... to the ghost shrimp then !!!!! 5 bucks will do for that :P. thanks

[korith]

I had a betta by itself in a 20g long planted tank. I added 2 dozen or so ghost shrimp to the tank, everything was fine for a long while. Then over a 2-3 day period the betta wiped them all out.

By the way you can buy ghost shrimp fairly cheap at some lfs. Sometimes sold as feeder shrimp. Around here they sell for around $1-2 for a dozen.

[genocidex]

yeah around here i can get ghosts for 30 cents on the dollar, less if i can sweet talk them :P

[korith]

yeah around here i can get ghosts for 30 cents on the dollar, less if i can sweet talk them :P

Go for it. If the betta does decide to take them out, it'll have a feast and you won't have to feed it pellets that day.

[Fyrehawk]

I have a rescued Betta female with a strong personality. (she had two rescued mates, both females, both are now deceased at her hand... or mouth). She offed five rcs in 48 hours.

I want the shrimp more than her... So I am going to re home her.

Good luck. Didnt work in my tank.

[~Col~]

I have RCS in all three of my betta tanks. I have the occassional one missing, every now and then I'll see a tail sticking out of his mouth, however, he doesn't eat enough to affect the ever growing population.

I think too it helps if you do the shrimp first into the tank, let them settle, find hidey holes and then add the betta. I've noticed a huge difference in aggression to fish/shrimp added AFTER the betta but very little aggression if the betta is added after the tank is established.

Good luck!!

[ekfishlover2011]

i can get ghosts here for 12 cents a piece, if they count them right. I usually end up with a few extras. i think it all depends on the bettas mood. My betta Slick had one shrimp for 4 months, and they got along great, no problems. Then one day he just attacked and no more shrimp. So i got another from my breeder tank and that lasted a week before it too was eaten. So i gave him three at once. He killed one and left it for dead, ate another and then two days later finished off last one. I tried one last time two days ago. It lasted 5 minutes. I give up now on shrimps for this betta. Now they're all staying food for tetras instead.