Fish Tank Master - Your Guide to All Things Fish Keeping

Everyone enjoys having a Betta in their tank. It’s a good looking fish, a marvel in every aquarium. Bettas are, in my opinion, the best starter fish. If you want to start with an aquarium, get a Betta, you won't regret it. The Betta was first discovered in Southeast Asia. The betta became accustomed to frequent storm flooding and devastating droughts, making its home in rice paddies, drainage ditches, and the region's warm flood plains. Can You Keep Betta With a Ghost Shrimp? If you want the short answer, it's yes. But there is a catch to it, keep reading to find out what is it! The cyclical, drastic changes in their environment have helped the fish adapt-becoming a real labyrinth fish. A labyrinth fish has the unique ability to directly breathe oxygen from the air and take oxygen from its gills as well. As a result, Bettas and other labyrinth fish can survive out of water for short periods of time and can inhale the air around them if needed (provided they remain humid). The ghost shrimp, or glass shrimp, is a popular freshwater crustacean with all-level fish keepers. Being easy to care for, they are a great addition to a small, non-aggressive fish tropical community aquarium. For the sentimental, ghost shrimps are not, their life spans only one year, but this makes them much more affordable. Usually, they have two roles as feeders for larger fish or as efficient cleaners for tanks. Ghost shrimp care is relatively straightforward. They are tirelessly scouring the tank for food, very active and busy invertebrates. These shrimps are always on the go when kept in a tank that is not very clean. As scavengers, they search for small bits of edible material otherwise unfamiliar on the gravel or substratum. Ghost Shrimp is a decent aquarium cleaner to that extent, almost in the same league as Amano Shrimp and Nerite Snails. But can you keep ghost shrimps and Betta in the same tank? Keep reading to find out! Ghost Shrimp and Betta Compatibility Knowing which tank mates can live with your betta is important if you are a beginner betta owner or a seasoned veteran. After all, the mates of the wrong tank can lead to danger and death. You're wondering if you're reading this article, "Can beta fish live with shrimp?" The good news is that Bettas and shrimp can live together peacefully in most cases. It is always important to remember, though, that it depends on your beta's temperament. You need to make sure that the tank is right for both of them for Bettas and shrimp to live together. Ghost shrimps are great beginner shrimps and you know that if you add them to your tank they will take care of themselves. They grow to 1 and a half inches when they are at their full size. So you don't have to worry about them being so small they're going to be eaten. They're also living in Bettas-like water. They need a pH between 7-8 ° F and 72-82 ° F temperature. As you can see, you don't have to worry about placing your beta or shrimp in an environment that doesn't fit them perfectly. Remember that Bettas require a pH of 7 and the ideal water temperature is 78 ° F Ghost shrimps like to keep it to themselves. They won't pester any fish, including your betta, in your tank. This not only reduces the risk of attacking them, but it also reduces any stress that your beta may have. When adding ghost shrimp to your tank, one thing to be aware of is that they breed quite easily. You may need to reconsider getting ghost shrimp if your aquarium is nearly at full capacity. The chances, though, are that most babies will be eaten by your betta. Will Bettas Eat the shrimps? As I mentioned above, they are good tank mates. Bettas and shrimps will get along just nice. But sometimes, the fish will eat the fry of the Ghost Shrimp, that is something that you cant prevent and will happen all the time unless the Betta is removed from the tank. Ghost Shrimps are usually bigger than the mouth of the Betta and in most cases, the fish won't tries to hunt them. But if that is going to happen, shrimps are fast, way too fast to be eaten by the Betta. Adult shrimps are fine, but that is not the case with fry and juveniles. But that is the way of nature. Feeding more food to the Betta won't discourage him from eating shrimps, that is because they offer him a better snack than the usual fish food. Putting two Bettas in the Same Tank. Do Bettas Get Lonely? Unless you want to breed them, and not even in that situation, the short answer would be NO. Bettas a very territorial, they don’t want other fish around them, especially fish from their own species. But yes, you can keep Bettas with other tank mates, its no problem, if they don’t attack the Betta, he won’t attack them back. Bettas are known as fighting fish, and they earned that name. Ever seen a fight between two Bettas? It’s a combination of gore and beauty, but I don’t advise that you look for one. Having two male Bettas in the same that it’s a no-no. They are very territorial and they will fight with one another until one is dead. But there is a catch to this, and its about the tank size. If you have a very large tank, then you can keep two male Bettas inside. The area will big two big, and it's possible that most of the time they won’t even meet. When it comes to female Bettas, you can keep 3-4 in the same that with no problems. There will be some fights between them, but they are not that aggressive as the males are. Will Ghost Shrimps eat Betta food? Ghost shrimps are easy to feed as they're going to eat whatever you're presenting to them. This includes most shops buying foods like flakes, pellets, and wafers of algae. Their wide diet makes them excellent tank cleaners as they will eat excess algae, plant detritus, and any food left from the meal of a fish. It is particularly entertaining to watch a shrimp rise to the surface to grab a flake, but if you have a tall tank, sinking pellets will make it easier for them to grab some food before all the midwater fish take it. A pellet of one alga will fuel a tank with many shrimps easily, and you risk overfeeding. Food that is destined for Bettas will be no problem for Ghost Shrimps. They will munch on it with pleasure. Will Ghost Shrimps keep the fish tank clean? One of the most common problems that aquarists encounter is algae. Algae forms almost everywhere in the tank. You can find it on the glass, in the filter, on decorations and even in the substrate. When algae become a problem, the fish tank ecosystem is losing the balance. Besides using algae removal substances or a razor blade to get it away from the glass, you can use algae eating fish or shrimps to help you get rid of it. Algae is one of the most favorite snacks for shrimps, and Ghost Shrimps make no exception. Having a large colony of Ghost Shrimps in the tank will help clean it from algae in a matter of days. This way the algae problem will be kept under control. But there is also a backlash to this. Algae is a primary food source for the shrimps. If they are too many, they will eat it and it won't have the chance to grow. Having some algae is all right, as long as it is kept under control by shrimps and other fish, it provides them with food between feeding times. And if you forget to feed your fish for a couple of days, no problem, they can live on algae. What kind of species of fish I can keep with my Betta? Bettas make excellent tank mates for fish that are not aggressive and territorial. You can keep them alongside guppies and molly. But I would advise against Barbs and other species of aggressive fish. More: What Fish Can Live with Bettas Since Bettas look the way they look, with a long tail and bright colors, they attract a lot of attention within the tank and some fish will try to bite their tail and fins. Can multiple species of shrimp live in the same tank? All species of shrimp are compatible with each other. You can have Ghost, Blue Velvets, Cherry, Sakura shrimps all in the same tank. What you need to take in consideration is the inbreeding, if you care about it. Since they are all compatible, they will breed with each other and with each new generation of fry, their colors will fade or some weird and wild combinations may occur. Is it good if I only use shrimps to get rid of algae? This depends on the size of the tank. If you have a small tank, somewhere in the range of 2-3 gallons, it's ok. The area is not that big and a colony of 10-15 shrimps can keep that tank clean without issues. If you have a larger tank, then you can’t rely only on shrimps. The number of algae that will form will be too much for them to consume. In this case, you can use some algae removal substances or add more fish to help keep the algae at bay. What happens if I put a male and a female Betta in the same tank? In the majority of cases, the male will attack the female. This is also part of their breeding ritual, very strange fish they are. And it won't stop until the female is dead. If you want to breed them, you need to have them in separate tanks or have some divider if you are using one tank to keep them separated. But more on this subject in another article. Some quick facts Bettas like to be kept in slightly acidic water, pH levels should be around 6.5 to 7. They also like warm water. Keeping them in cold water will have devastating effects on their immune system. Bettas have several tail shapes, that also dictates their names among aquarists. The most common one is the “Veil tail”, but there are also “Half-moon”, “Crown tail” and “Double tail”. Bettas have a life span of roughly 2-3 years, but if you take good care of him, it can go up to 5 years. In Thailand, Bettas a often referred to as being “The Jewel of the Orient”, pretty nice, no? Ghost shrimps are very easy to take care of. They are good for beginners. When keeping Ghost shrimps, make sure you keep them with adequate tank mates as other big fish will try and eat them. Your shrimp ghost is going to eat almost anything you give them so they're easy to look after. If you add them to a tank that already has some fish in it, it's even easier; feeding is hardly needed. One of the main things to look for is whether the shrimp can eat the food you give them physically. For their tiny mouths, some foods are just too big, especially when they're young. Conclusion Is keeping Ghost shrimps and Bettas a good idea? In most cases, you will hear a big and loudly, NO. But from my own experience in breeding shrimps and Bettas, I found out that they get along just fine. With a big exception on the baby shrimps, but the adults have no problem living with a Betta. Shrimps make a good addition to your tank. They keep it clean and they will eat any remaining fish food that felt to the bottom of the tank. They are handy little fellas.

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