Help choosing

Which fish go well with shrimp?

An honest list, including the species that will eat the young.

Written by Valentin Fischer, aquarist and operator of Garnelenfischer
Published on 09.09.2026 · Last checked for content on 15.09.2026

The honest answer is: If you want a growing shrimp colony, keep shrimp without fish. Almost any fish that has a mouth that can accommodate a 2 mm large shrimp will eat it. If you can live with fewer offspring, you still have a choice.

Well suited

Species	Remark
No fish	The best choice. Maximum offspring, calm animals, brightest colours.
Bladder snails, trumpet snails and nerite snails	Completely unproblematic, even work together.
Amano shrimp	Compatible and do not interbreed. Large specimens may catch juvenile shrimp.
Caridina species (bee shrimp, tiger shrimp)	Do not cross with Neocaridina. Attention: You need softer water, so the requirements rarely match.

Conditionally suitable

Species	What happens
Boraras species (dwarf rasboras)	Eat young animals, but few. A colony still grows in densely mossy tanks.
Dwarf cory catfish (Corydoras pygmaeus, habrosus)	Ground-oriented, occasionally taking a young animal. Adult shrimp are safe.
Otocinclus	Purely plant-based, no problems. But they need a well-run tank with algae growth.
Endler guppies	Very voracious for young animals. Adult shrimp remain unmolested, and young ones are practically not affected.

Not suitable

Species	Reason
Betta fish	They also specifically hunt adult shrimp. Some individuals are peaceful, but that is a matter of luck.
Cichlids of all sizes	Territorial and predatory.
Larger tetras, barbels, rainbow fish	Fast enough to catch even adult animals.
Pufferfish	Specialized in invertebrates. Excluded.
Crabs and crayfish	Eat shrimp. In addition, crayfish fall under the Animal Welfare Ordinance, which regulates keeping and trading differently.
Other Neocaridina colours	Not a predator, but they interbreed. After two to three generations, all animals are wild-coloured.

How to protect juvenile shrimp

• Moss, lots of moss. Java moss and Christmas moss are the best nursery. The closer, the more young animals come through.
• Filter protection. Sponge filter or suction protection on the external filter, otherwise the little ones will disappear in the filter.
• Leaf layer. Decomposed leaves provide both hiding place and food.
• No food envy. Anyone who feeds fish should make sure that something reaches the bottom, otherwise the fish will search more actively.

Sources and last update

All specialist sources accessed on 11 September 2026. The target areas in this text are the fisherman's husbandry recommendations from his private husbandry, not study results. Where a source says something different than what is recommended here, it is expressly stated.

What is proven and what is experience. The fact that shrimp prefer dark surfaces and hiding places has been studied and proven below. It doesn't matter which fish eats how many young animals: This list comes from the fisherman's private keeping and from feedback from other aquarists. That's why we call it an honest list and not a study.

• Plichta, Z., Kobak, J., Maciaszek, R., Kakareko, T. (2021): All shades of shrimp: Preferences of colour morphs of a freshwater shrimp Neocaridina davidi for substrates of different colouring. Animals 11(4), 1071. All three colours tested preferred dark backgrounds, regardless of their own colouring. The work attributes this to camouflage and thus the avoidance of predators. doi.org
• Tomas, A. L. and others (2020): Effect of background colour and shelters on female pigmentation in the ornamental red cherry shrimp Neocaridina davidi (Caridea, Atyidae). Journal of the World Aquaculture Society. Examines background colour and hiding places in relation to female colouration. wiley.com
• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (2025): Cherry Shrimp (Neocaridina davidi) Ecological Risk Screening Summary. March 2025, revised April 2025, web version dated 13 June 2025. Citing Prati and others (2024), it reports 14 to 30 °C, pH 6 to 8.2 and total hardness of 0 to 27 for captive breeding. This is a measured tolerance range, not a care recommendation, and is wider than ours. fws.gov
• The water requirements, which rarely match when socializing with Caridina species, are included in the guide Shrimp water parameters.