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I've been interested in keeping shrimp for a while now. The only problem I can see is that I'm worried that my angelfish will simply view them as a tasty treat and rip them apart in a matter of seconds.

Are there any species of shrimp that would be able to live with my angels?

How big are your angles and what type of structure do you have in there.

55G Planted tank thread
19G Container Pond
[IMG]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y118/Wingsdlc/Ric

They're just under 4" in length and about 6-7" in height (pretty much fully grown i think)

There is a terracota pot in there, a piece of driftwood with a cavity underneath it that my BN plec uses as a cave and two pieces of slate that form a small cave.

It is also recently heavily planted, however i don't know which of these plants are going to make it yet.

I would try glass shrimp to see if they will make a snack out them first then if they don't you could go with some of the larger algae shrimp like amanos.

55G Planted tank thread
19G Container Pond
[IMG]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y118/Wingsdlc/Ric

I'd be fairly certain that any small shrimp would simply end up as dinner, and those that didn't you would never see because they would always be hiding. If the angel was a juvenile and too small to make a meal of the shrimp, then I'd say give it a try, but an adult angel is less likely to be opposed to tasting a new tankmate.

With lots of java moss and small crevaces for hiding places (places that the angel can't get into) your shrimp may do okay. Get a larger shrimp like amanos, tiger shrimp, or bamboo shrimp.
Another thing you might try is dwarf crayfish like cambarellus shufeldtii, procambarus hinei, or procambarus dupratzi. These are all small (no larger than 2 inches) crayfish that are primarily detrius eaters and their claws are far too small to do damage to fish, but they are a bit more robust than shrimp. I have 4 of them in one of my tanks with an angel, a huge pleco, and a dozen rainbowfish and SAEs. They have been in there for nearly two years and while the fish do pester them ocasionally, the crays hold their own and generally ignore the fish. Even my superveil angel with fins flowing everywhere has never been a temptaiton for the crays. Here's a site that sells them, and I have bought from this guy before, and he's very friendly, very knowledgeable, and if you have any questions about them feel free to email him and ask.

Hoping that there must be a word for everything I mean...

Thanks a lot for that, may have to look further into that.

Geussing that they do not add a significant amount to the bioload of a tank in a similar way to shrimp?

I've got 2 ghosts in an old 5g, they used to live with my Pristellas in a different tank, until the tetras died. They are very low maintenance and good fun to keep

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I like to think that whoever designed marine life was thinking of it as basically an entertainment medium. That would explain some of the things down there, some of the unearthly biological contraptions

Angels will most definitely eat any small shrimp varieties. I gurantee you any ghost, cherry, amano, and other similar sized shrimp will eventually be a tasty meal. Bamboo shrimp(aka wood shrimp, flower shrimp, etc) are a possibility but there's a high chance the angel will pick on these very peaceful giants. The shrimp are good about shoving smaller fish away like my sparkling gouramis and even sometimes my blue gourami but I doubt they'd survive indefinitely with a growing angel. The dwarf crayfish would probably be the only invert I would try with them. If you can find any.

One possible answer to shrimp compatibility with angels is to check out some of the more robust Macrobrachium species on the following two sites:

Petshrimp.com

Shrimp, Crabs And Crayfish

However, exercise CARE when choosing a long armed Macrobrachium, because some can grow to be BIG. As in big enough to be human food in their native homes, and in some cases big enough to turn the tables on your angels and regard THEM as lunch!

Basically, you would be looking at a shrimp that would reach about 4-5 inches in length, but not grow much bigger. Macrobrachium grandimanus reaches 6 inches, and is one I'd consider a 'borderline' case because at 6 inches, it might be big enough to cause your angels some trouble. Macrobrachium lar at 12 cm is a safer bet. Avoid those Macrobrachium species sold as Guinea Shrimp or Honduras Long Arm Shrimp because they reach 20 cm or more, and AVOID AT ALL COSTS buying Macrobrachium rosenbergii - the reason being eloquently illustrated on this page!!!!

Those two sites I linked above, by the way, will give you a host of information on a vast range of freshwater crustaceans that you can browse at leisure, enabling you to pick a species that will be long term compatible with your angels.


Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

Thankyou very much cali. That sand shrimp looks very interesting, however finding anything over here may well be a problem.