Cherry shrimp and Betta | Can they live together?

If you're thinking of setting up a small aquarium, you may be considering combining two species that will do well in nano set-ups: cherry shrimp and Betta fish, also known as Siamese fighting fish. Both are tiny and make a perfect choice for planted, lightly filtered nano tanks. But can they live together?

Keep reading for everything you need to know about keeping cherry shrimp and Betta fish together. Let's find out whether they make good roommates and look at some tips on how to make it work!

Can cherry shrimp and Betta fish live together?

In order to be able to answer this question, you need to keep in mind that Betta fish are naturally carnivores that feed on small invertebrates. If "small invertebrate" sounds exactly like what a cherry shrimp (scientifically known as Neocaridina davidi "Red Cherry") is, then you're right. If you don't like the idea of your Betta eating any of your shrimp, then we'd definitely advise against keeping them together.

The thing is, though, that cherry shrimp breed very quickly. Additionally, once they reach their adult size, they're a bit on the large side for a Betta. This means it is usually possible to maintain a cherry colony with a Betta without the fish being able to wipe them out. In fact, there are a few advantages to this! Again, though, it all depends how you feel about the Betta picking off a few shrimp here and there.

As with everything in the aquarium, this is kind of an individual thing. Most Bettas will be content to pick off the occasional shrimp fry and leave it at that. Others will leave the shrimp alone entirely. Yet others, though, will cause absolute carnage and not be suitable to keep with any tankmates.

There's no way of knowing beforehand which one your Siamese fighting fish is going to be. You'll need to have a plan B ready, or make sure to get your shrimp very cheap to avoid the whole thing becoming too costly.

Advantages of keeping dwarf shrimp with Bettas

If your Betta fish is the type to cohabit relatively peacefully with cherry shrimp, then maintaining a colony of these dwarf shrimp in its tank can actually be a great choice. After all, shrimp like these are considered to be one of the best aquarium janitor crews around!

Of course, no animal can remove the need for you to do regular water changes and other aquarium maintenance. However, they can help. This comes in especially handy in the smaller tanks that are more difficult to keep stable.

Because cherry shrimp are detrivores that will feed on pretty much anything they come across, they're perfect for helping to prevent potentially dangerous fluctuations in water values. They'll consume any leftover foods, dead plant matter and other detritus before it has the chance to become a problem.

Additionally, although algae don't make up the majority of a cherry shrimp's diet, they will definitely pick at it. They're on our list of best algae-eating shrimp for a reason! This way, cherries or other Neocaridina shrimp will contribute to keeping your aquarium looking its best.

Shrimp as live food?

Okay, this one depends a bit on how you feel about the topic and how squeamish you are. But remember: Betta fish would naturally hunt small bugs. Feeding yours only formulated pellets takes away the enrichment that finding its own prey would offer.

Feeding live foods once in a while is often recommended for Bettas in order to prevent boredom and resulting issues like biting its own fins. Because of this, even for a Siamese fighting fish that actively hunts shrimp, adding them to its tank could be a good idea. You can breed the cherry shrimp in a separate small aquarium and toss a few in with your Betta for it to eat when the colony begins to expand too much.

Factors for successful cherry shrimp and Betta fish cohabitation

If you'd like to keep your Siamese fighting fish with a colony of cherry shrimp without the cherries being decimated, there are a few things you can do to help raise the probability of them thriving.

We'll share some tips below. First, though, let's have a look at water parameters. After all, all fish and invertebrates have evolved to adapt to certain water values. They can suffer if you don't match these in the aquarium. In order to keep two species together, it's important to find a middle ground to make sure neither suffers.

Luckily, cherry shrimp are very unfussy!

Water parameters

The most important water parameters to keep in mind when you're trying to combine cherry shrimp and Betta fish are pH (potential hydrogen; basically the acidity of the water) and temperature. Bettas like a relatively neutral pH and pretty warm water. Cherry shrimp like things a little bit cooler and really don't care much about pH as long as it's within a normal range.

We recommend keeping the pH around 7 so both your cherry shrimp and Betta are happy. Temperature-wise, to prevent the shrimps' life cycles from speeding up too much and causing premature death, you'll want to go for something at the Betta's lower range. 75-80 °F should work well.

Tank size

In order to make sure both species thrive, it can really help to go for a larger aquarium. We wouldn't try to keep a Betta and cherry shrimp together in a 2.5-gallon set-up ourselves, for example. Too cramped and too few places for the cherries to get away from the Betta when it's hungry!

Instead, we'd choose a tank of at least 5 gallons, ideally even 10. Besides the added advantage of larger aquariums being more easy to keep stable, this will give the shrimp plenty of space to do their thing away from the nippy Betta.

Hiding places

A large tank won't be of much help if it's bare! It's best to add plenty of (floating) plants, shrimp flats, driftwood and other décor to help make sure your cherry shrimp and Betta thrive. For starters, keeping the aquarium well-decorated and adding lots of interesting nooks and crannies helps imitate the Betta's natural habitat of shallow and densely planted ponds. It's another good way to keep your fish busy patrolling its territory and preventing boredom.

Additionally, of course, the shrimp will also benefit from any hides you add. They can retreat into planted areas if your Betta appears a little too interested. Their tiny and vulnerable fry will be much more likely to make it to adulthood with a little extra cover.

Lastly, since both shrimp and Bettas occasionally feed on biofilm and tufts of algae, having plants and other items that add surface area available in the tank is always a good thing. It adds a free extra way for your livestock to find their favorite snacks!

Other shrimp to keep with Betta fish

Wondering if there are any other shrimp besides cherries that you can keep with Betta fish? The answer is yes. This being said, we do have to mention that in our opinion, cherry shrimp are pretty much the superior choice.

Because they breed so quickly and are very cheap, a cherry shrimp population will usually be able to withstand a Betta picking off the occasional individual just fine. If your fish does manage to wipe them all out, it's no biggie for your wallet: you can get new normal red cherry shrimp at a very attractive price.

But what if you do want to keep some different shrimp with your Betta? Well, first of all, the cherry shrimp is absolutely not the only type of Neocaridina available in the aquarium hobby. In fact, it's not even the only Neocaridina davidi! This single species has been extensively selectively bred to produce a range of different colors, including yellow, blue, green, brown and black. Any will work just as well as cherry shrimp, although keep in mind that they can be a little more expensive to buy.

Some folks also report success with keeping their Betta with shrimp from the Caridina genus. The most common example would be the wildly popular Crystal Red shrimp. If that works for you, great! However, it is a bit risky, since Crystals can be more expensive and don't breed as quickly as Neocaridina shrimp.

Amano shrimp

Another shrimp species that's popularly kept with Bettas is the Amano shrimp. Because these are quite a bit bigger than cherries, they will usually be left alone, although the fish may try to nip at its antennae and bother it.

Amano shrimp don't breed in captivity unless you're very patient, so that's a downside. It's also an upside, though, since females regularly release clouds of larvae that wouldn't make it to adulthood in freshwater anyway. That makes for a nice free Betta fish snack.

Ghost shrimp

Lastly, there's ghost shrimp. There is some discussion about whether these should be kept with Betta fish. This is due to the fact that "ghost shrimp" is quite a broad term, and some of them can become pretty big. They can reach a size that allows them to pick at your Betta's fins or bother it.

This being said, the smaller variations of ghost shrimp should work well without causing trouble.

Frequently asked questions

Conclusion

As you've hopefully concluded, cherry shrimp and Betta fish can usually be kept together. It's a matter of setting up your tank in the right way to protect your shrimp while at the same time making a suitable environment for the Betta. Having the two in the same tank does have its advantages!

Want to know more about Neocaridina davidi "Red Cherry" and its care? Be sure to have a look at our extensive cherry shrimp care guide.