Guppy Fish and Cherry Shrimp – Are They Good Tank Mates?

Guppy fish and cherry shrimp can share the same tank. But there must be precautions in place to ensure the survival of the cherry shrimp. Adult guppies can and will eat young cherry shrimp. Here are 5 important things that you have to take note of.

Introduce Cherry Shrimp First

After you cycle your aquarium, you can start adding your cherry shrimp. Leave only the shrimp in the aquarium so that they can reproduce and establish their population. Allow time for baby shrimp to grow. If you place guppies in the tank too early, the adult guppies, as well as baby fry, can and will consume the baby shrimp.

Plants and Moss

Add lots of live plants and moss so that there are enough hiding places for the cherry shrimp. This can also work as a cover for baby guppies as well. You can get recommendations from your local pet store or you can check out our list of the best online fish stores for more information.

Food

Always provide your cherry shrimp with quality food and nutrients. Do not assume that they will pick up the scraps left behind by your guppies. Guppy fish are quite greedy and there would hardly be any scraps to scavenge. Buying shrimp specific food ensures that your cherry shrimp grow quickly and healthily.

Guppy Fish and Cherry Shrimp Ratio

It’s a good idea to have a good guppy to shrimp ratio. Never place more guppies than shrimp as the guppies will target the shrimp, especially the adult guppies. When keeping guppies and cherry shrimp (or any shrimp) you have to limit the number of guppy fish in the aquarium.

Breeding Shrimp

You will have a hard time breeding any shrimp in the same tank as guppies. Guppies will eat most, if not all the baby shrimp. If you do need to breed shrimp, a separate tank is a must-have. Once the baby shrimps mature and are big enough, you can then place them in the same tank as guppy fish.

Conclusion

The most important thing to note is to provide enough plants so that the cherry shrimp can hide. If not, the guppies will harass and try to eat the shrimp. There should be enough cover for the entire shrimp colony. Following the advice above, you can safely keep guppy fish and cherry shrimp in the same aquarium without many incidents. External sources:

• Cherry Shrimp And Guppies | My Aquarium Club
• Do any of you keep guppy with shrimp? – AquaticQuotient.com
• Are guppies approved for a shrimp tank? – The Planted Tank Forum
• Guppies and Cherry Shrimp? – Cherry Shrimp 82015 – Fish Lore
• Guppy Eats Cherry Shrimp | Tropical Fish Forums