Adding Angel Fish To Tank With Cherry Shrimp - Will It Be A Disaster?!

HI All,

I've been considering adding a single angelfish to my community tank at some point in the future, I've always wanted one!

Its a 160L tank, fairly heavily planted tank, with:
1 Pearl Gouramin, 2 dwarf neon rainbowfish, 10 rummy nose tetra, 3 zebra dannio's, 4 platys, 6 bronze cory's and loads of red cherry shrimp (impossible to count, likely 150+).
Hard water, London, with 0's in ammonia & nitrite, nitrates at approx 30 out the tap (test kits is pretty much impossible to read) but stable

The Danios and rainbow fish are not being replaced (wrong temp for the danio's and I've had bad luck with rainbows and tumors\lymphocystis over the past 1-2 yrs), hence them being to few in number.
I'd wait for them to make room in the tank before I add the Anglefish

But concerned it will just devour the RCS once it get near full size?

Has anyone had any experience?
The general consensus seems to be everything eats RCS, but everything in the tank ignores them (even when the shrimp go for a suicidal leisurely swim around the tank!)

Thanks

 

HI Andrew, so you are saying that the Pearl Gourami has not been eating the RCS?

That's interesting. I thought the Pearl would go for them.

Is your Pearl a mature fish? Roughly how big is he?

Following this with interest.

 

HI Nick,

The pearl is fully grown (I believe), he's about 1.5yr old and roughly 8-10cm's long.

He's very calm, every now and again he'll chase another fish away at feeding time.
But there's never been any aggression.

If anything him and the cory's are the least interested in the RCS's

I've seen others say they can be pretty mean, so he may just be a very chilled out fish!

 

Mines the current tank boss of my 50 gallon but as you say not overly aggressive.

I introduced the Angel Fish a couple of months back and they are best of friends.

The juvenile Electric Blue Acara gets pushed around by the Pearl occasionally, but it's nothing to worry about.





Still I'd have been sure Pearl's wound go for RCS - you live and you learn.

Let's see if we have any Angel Fish owners with RCS.

 

Angels will certainly eat shrimps. Anything that will fit in its mouth is fair game.

 

Angels will certainly eat shrimps. Anything that will fit in its mouth is fair game.

Out of interest would you also have said that about Pearl Gourami?

 

Out of interest would you also have said that about Pearl Gourami?

They can, if they can catch one.

 

I've noticed that Pearl's can go three ways. You either have a mean one, a semI aggressive one, or a chill one. I know someone who keeps one in his cherry shrimp tank too and she never goes for the shrimp. I think an Angel would go for cherries even if they are too big for their mouth. They would probably just pick at them till their pulled apart. A very scary thought.

 

HI Andrew welcome, I'm not far away in Bedford, you are one very lucky guy if your shrimp have been left alone ide have thought the gourami would have been picking off a few young, the cover you have must be helping, whenever there's fish in with shrimp you always run a risk but not in your case, ide never tell anyone to put fish with shrimp but it's up to you, on the other hand how about a new 10gal shrimp tank that I would agree with, best of luck on whatever you decide

 

Sounds like I've taken enough gambles with my RCS already!!

I think I'm going to wait for my smaller tank (60L) to become available and make that a shrimp and micro fish tank.
Then I can think about switching up the stock in the bigger tank.

Its currently got a fancy goldfish in it, yes I now know how bad an idea this is!
Classic ridiculous advice from my LFS 4-5 yrs ago, get 2 tiny cute goldfish (for my son) for a small tank with poor filtration ... what could go wrong.
The 1 left appears to as be indestructible as he is mean and messy, so I may be waiting a few years:-(

Unless I can get permission for a 3rd tank!!

 

3rd tank now your talking, a few bunches of flowers and 1/2dos meals out works wonders, I'm living proof LOL

 

3rd tank now your talking, a few bunches of flowers and 1/2dos meals out works wonders, I'm living proof LOL

Ok that works on girls, but how do I get the hubby to say yes to another tank lol? He's already fed up because I have 3.

 

Ok that works on girls, but how do I get the hubby to say yes to another tank lol? He's already fed up because I have 3.

That makes it more difficult how about a season ticket to his favourite team

 

Out of interest would you also have said that about Pearl Gourami?

Angels (cichlids) have a completely different hunting behaviour and are 99,9% carnivorious. Pearls are more omnivores and won't hardly chase a pray.
I'd expect them to eat shrimp whenever they can.

BTW : I wouldn't add a (single) angel.

 

Here's my real world experience. I had a very very heavily planted 46g bow with a pair of Electric Blue rams and a huge colony of RCS for months. I replaced the rams with a pair of angels and they completely decimated the whole colony in about two weeks.

But I can keep amano shrimp with my 8 adults in my 90g. So maybe larger shrimp is ok, but I say no to angels with neocaridina shrimp.

 

It should be Bloody Mary shrimp, so you can say you had a blood bath.

 

That makes it more difficult how about a season ticket to his favourite team

Haha! That may actually work

 

I've found most fish will eat shrimp given the chance, they won't be safe with the rainbows or the others (except the cories) anymore than they would with an angel. You'd have to have an immense amount of cover to try it or maybe albino angels that won't be able to see as well as a regular angel.

 

I think I've just got rather lucky with my fish, they are totally uninterested in the shrimp!

The shrimp don't even bother hiding they just wander round and sit totally out in the open without a care!!

I do have a fair bit of cover, but the shrimp don't seem to use it!!