Are American Flagfish (j. Floridae) Shrimp Safe?

I currently have a 55 gallon tank with wild-type Neocaridina davidi, pearl gourami, britlenose pleco, about 12 harlequin rasboras and a school of otto cats. The tank is heavily planted along with driftwood and rocks. I currently have a hair algae problem that Flagfish can solve and my other attemps have not worked. I have had no problems with wild type (opaque) varieties since fish seem to ignore them and I have a breeding population. I have read that flagfish can be inconsistent in their behavior and I wanted support before making the decision of buying a female due to their lower aggression.

 

Just make sure there's enough places for the shrimp to hide and it should be fine. I'd be worried about the gourami eating the shrimp.

Btw cherry shrimp breed like no tomorrow so if you can establish a good colony it shouldn't be a problem if you lose one here or there, but the younger ones would be more likely to be eaten.

 

Yes, few young ones do get eaten but, they make up for it by the 5 babies born every day. The pearl gourami is only 2 inches and I got when it was a tiny fry so it is used to the tank inhabitants.

 

Are American Flag Fish shrimp safe?

My opinion - no. I’d be worried about the pearl gourami as well - he won’t stay 2” for long.

 

My flags did a number on my shrimp, but they are mostly fine with other fish.
Be aware like any other algae eater.... if you are feeding food, the flags will eat the food first... they don’t necessarily “prefer” to eat algae. Fast the tank for a bit and they will do quite a bit of work for you... but keep in mind this is also when the shrimp would be vulnerable.

 

I would advise against most fish with shrimp. The basic rule is if a shrimp can fit in the fish's mouth it will eat them. A thriving colony can be wiped out over night by some hungry fish. If you have an algae problem, I would try and figure out what is causing that problem, most likely over feeding, too much light or a combination of both. Poor tank maintenance resulting in a build up of nitrates ( common with a heavy planted tank due to the inability to get in and clean the substrate with out uprooting the plants )
As Jocelyn mentioned fish and shrimp for that matter will eat algae only as a last restore. You could try turning your lights off and not feeding your tank for 5 days or so and see if that takes care of the algae problem. (BTW, you fish will be fine with not eating for 5 days, I have gone 10 days before with no problem)