Endler Colony And Tank Mates

Good day,

I have recently added a trio of pure strain Tiger Endlers to one of my established tanks, and am considering getting a few tank mates to the tank. I wanted to know if it would be a good idea to add 5 Cherry or Ghost Shrimp (uncertain which one would survive or do the best in my tank) and 2 bronze cories.
My tank setup is as follows:
* 8 gallon tank (30ltr) that is heated with a filter.
* Fully cycled: Ammonia and Nitrites have tested at 0 consistently for the last three months (began cycling at the end of December).
* Planted with live plants, including: Crypt Wendtii, Anubius Bartii, Water Wisteria, and Baby's Tears. I am considering getting some Java moss.


So could I add some shrimp and corries to my tank? Mainly as cleaners/added life to my tank. Any advice/info would be very much appreciated!

 

Curries need a 20 gallon ,shrimp would be fine

 

Even the smaller, pygmy corries? The ones I am interested in only grow to about 5-7cm.

 

pygmy cories are super active so no, wouldn't work in an 8 gallon. Shrimp would be no problem though you could get more than 5

 

Even the smaller, pygmy corries? The ones I am interested in only grow to about 5-7cm.

Yes, Pygmy need at least 15 gallon from what I have heard, but good luck!

 

Thanks, qchris87. I can do more than 5 Ghosties, but no more for Cherries - they are too expensive for my budget here in SA! Which one would you recommend, though? Ghost or Red Cherry Shrimp?

 

It's really up to you. Cherries have great color and contrast your sand and plants. They breed pretty fast so if you get a mixture of females and males, you most likely won't need to buy more. Ghost shrimp, on the other hand, are cheap so you could get more. I'd probably go for cherries though.

 

Cherries it is then! Do I need to buy smaller food for the shrimpets/babies? I have micro veggie/spirulina pellets that I grind into a powder for my Endler fry - would that do?

 

The only thing you have to do for the babies is put a sponge or nylon pantyhose over he intake of the filter or they get sucked up into the impeller of death most times. No feeding required, they'll live off the biofilm in the tank

 

Cherries it is then! Do I need to buy smaller food for the shrimpets/babies? I have micro veggie/spirulina pellets that I grind into a powder for my Endler fry - would that do?

I read your OP and I would encourage you to get the java moss. They will eat anything that doesn't get eaten by your fish.

 

Thank you! Luckily I have a small sponge filter, Rtessy, so no impeller of death for me! lol

 

Then you're good to go! And yes, Java moss would be a great help because the babies are tiny and it provides hiding places and good biofilm growth

 

Rightio, just ordered some. Thank you everybody for being such excellent sounding boards!

 

Are you planning on raising the Endlers? I've never had any fry survive in a tank that small. The females hunt them down and eat them immediately.

 

Yes I am. I currently have 3 fry (premature birth a few days after arrival) that are free swimming around the tank. The one female has chased them a few times, but not in an overly aggressive manner and they are growing well. I have two tanks of similar size - one with Tiger Endlers and one with Japan Blue Endlers. Both has babies (there are 5 in the Japan Blue tank) that are eating well and is relatively ignored by the adult Endlers.

 

With my endlers, I tried red cherry shrimp and they were hunted down and eaten by the endlers, they are small shrimp and their red coloration makes them easy to spot, I guess. The ghost shrimp I tried next have been fine, no losses and they are large enough that they do not turn into food.

 

Thanks. I think that I’ll get some of each and move them around if needed. Thanks for the help!

 

Update - I got eight Cherry Shrimp (the breeder sent me three extra!) and three Otos for my tank. All is going well - just trying to convince my Otos that that piece of ZuchinI I added is food.

 

How did the cherries work out with the endlers?

 

How did the cherries work out with the endlers?

I'm not the OP but my endlers and cherry shrimp coexist peacefully.

 

I'm not the OP but my endlers and cherry shrimp coexist peacefully.

Excellent /[Mr Burns hand motion]