Chili Rasboras... To add, or not to add... to the shrimp sanctuary?

[Minanora]

I went to my LFS today. They had the Chili Rasboras! I have 8 of them now. I'm about to put them into quarantine. As a lot of you know, I have a bunch of young orange shrimp, neocaridina. Between 3-5 weeks old across the four broods. See below for their hiding areas and sizes.

Is it safe to put the rasboras in with the shrimp? I have seen mixed responses. So I'm here, in our community, to get even more mixed responses. 😛

Also there are lots worms and copepods in the shrimp tank.

Thus the desire to add the rasboras to eat them for me.

[Intuos]

They should be ok, but as with most fish if will fit in their mouth they will eat it. Maybe add some cattapa leaves or other botanicals to give them more hiding places. 

[Native Keeper]

If you're trying to breed the shrimp, then no.

If not, then yeah, they'll keep the shrimp population in check!

[2000tetras]

Chili rasboras are smaller than cherry shrimp so it should be fine.

[Minanora]

Glad to see some input. Thanks guys.

Hmm. I'll probably add them once the shrimp population is "booming". Hopefully that will be in about 6 months. I'll be splitting my colony at that point as well.

[813aquatics]

Chilis are rather small and in my experience they are very chill. I’d keep an eye on your shrimplet population but I’d be pretty shocked if they went for mature shrimp. 

Edited January 27, 2022 by 813aquatics

[Perry]

I keep chili rasboras with shrimp and have no problem at all. Enjoy whatever you decide to do!

[Guppysnail]

I keep CPD in with my shrimp and it is fine the newborn shrimp hide until a touch larger. I also keep them with adult guppies and they still thrive. So since your colony is doing so ell all will be fine. They will keep the shrimp from wildly overpopulating.

[Shrimp Doggy Dogg]

I added 30 chili rasboras to my 50 gallon with 8 or so blue velvet neocardinia several months ago.  I now have well over 100 shrimp and shrimplets.  They should be fine.

very cool fish btw!

[Minanora]

@Guppysnail & @Shrimp Doggy Dogg thank you for the input.

I am enjoying watching the chili's. I'm quarantining them, but after they're done I'll add them in with the shrimps. I really want them to eat all of the copepods. Copepods are cool and all but they're distracting in a shrimp tank. The chili's already ate all of the copepods in the quarantine tank and they've been in there less than a whole day!

[Shrimp Doggy Dogg]

I’d like to add that if you use a coarse sponge filter, most, if not all of the shrimplets will live deep inside the sponge.  They will be very safe in there, but you will probably want to be extra careful when you’re servicing your sponge.

 

Good luck!

[Minanora]

On 1/27/2022 at 1:14 PM, Shrimp Doggy Dogg said:

I’d like to add that if you use a coarse sponge filter, most, if not all of the shrimplets will live deep inside the sponge.  They will be very safe in there, but you will probably want to be extra careful when you’re servicing your sponge.

 

Good luck!

This is a good point. I do use a coarse sponge filter in the shrimp tank. However it is a nano one. But I have a second medium coming that's for the 75. So there will be two in that tank. That makes me feel better about putting shrimp in there when I split the colony.

Thank you.

[Beardedbillygoat1975]

Chili’s are micro predators and will only eat very small shrimplets essentially those that are just born. If you can consider adding a couple rock piles what LRB calls a nursery to help. Mom’s usually give birth on there and the shrimplets go down into the crevices of the rocks. I use medium lava rocks both red and black as well as use some local obsidian to make these formations. I’ve also seen Mark’s Shrimp Tanks using the ceramic media rings in piles in a similar fashion. 

[Minanora]

On 1/27/2022 at 6:41 PM, Beardedbillygoat1975 said:

Chili’s are micro predators and will only eat very small shrimplets essentially those that are just born. If you can consider adding a couple rock piles what LRB calls a nursery to help. Mom’s usually give birth on there and the shrimplets go down into the crevices of the rocks. I use medium lava rocks both red and black as well as use some local obsidian to make these formations. I’ve also seen Mark’s Shrimp Tanks using the ceramic media rings in piles in a similar fashion. 

Another great idea. I have plenty of extra media rings as well and lava rocks!

 

I've lost two of the eight chili's. And one more is going to pass soon. The other five are doing great.

Their quarantine is at 6.8 pH, 8GH, 4KH. No ammonia, no nitrite, 5 nitrate. One looked to have been injured while being caught, the other two ... I can't tell. Looked like stress. One of the happy ones has ich or cotton, but I'm not sure. LFS kept them at 6.8 was well. I'm going to start the trio tomorrow.

 

[Rube_Goldfish]

On 1/27/2022 at 4:14 PM, Shrimp Doggy Dogg said:

I’d like to add that if you use a coarse sponge filter, most, if not all of the shrimplets will live deep inside the sponge.  They will be very safe in there, but you will probably want to be extra careful when you’re servicing your sponge.

 

Good luck!

Sorry to revive such an old thread, but I'm planning a shrimp-and-chili tank and was doing research (that is, browsing the ACO Forum) when I came across this comment about cleaning sponge filters. I've only had Amano shrimp, so this has never been a concern for me, but I am planning to run an ACO coarse sponge filter. So how do you clean it if it's full of tiny, hidden shrimplets? The only thing I can think of is to siphon out some water into a white bucket, then gently shake/swish the sponge in that bucket. Is there some trick I'm not thinking of?

[nabokovfan87]

On 8/18/2023 at 7:22 AM, Rube_Goldfish said:

So how do you clean it if it's full of tiny, hidden shrimplets? The only thing I can think of is to siphon out some water into a white bucket, then gently shake/swish the sponge in that bucket. Is there some trick I'm not thinking of?

Yeah. The baby shrimp love to hide in that sponge.

I end up doing it in a bucket because the sponges, course especially, always dumps a lot of the debris back into the tank, but I just do a similar method as mark where you lift the sponge in and out of the water and the have to get off. Second tip is to use light, a bright one like a flashlight because that is usually going to encourage them to leave the filter material.... Eventually. The third tip is that you really have to be thorough and check the inside of the sponge too and not just the outside. The shrimp love to get in there and treat the inside opening the same as the outer opening.

Marineland has prefilters as well, they might work a bit better with shrimp.  I have one on my tank and it will have baby shrimp soon, but the other shrimp don't get stuck in the material as easily so far.

[Jackson]

On 1/26/2022 at 6:15 PM, Minanora said:

Is it safe to put the rasboras in with the shrimp?

My chili rasboras had nothing to do with the shrimp .

[_Eric_]

They might get a shrimplet or two, but your population will still grow.

[Galabar]

I've got chili rasboras with shrimp, and they are fine.  However, they do eat baby brine (I'm not sure how big baby cherry shrimp are compared to baby brine though).

 

[xXInkedPhoenixX]

I have currently got the reverse going on in my tanks (shrimp added to fish santuary so to speak). Guppies and Ember Tetras. Now I JUST now have a preggo female shrimp so I don't know about babies yet but so far so good. The fish don't seem to pay them any mind. I really think Chilis would be the same. 

[Shrimp Doggy Dogg]

On 8/18/2023 at 7:22 AM, Rube_Goldfish said:

Sorry to revive such an old thread, but I'm planning a shrimp-and-chili tank and was doing research (that is, browsing the ACO Forum) when I came across this comment about cleaning sponge filters. I've only had Amano shrimp, so this has never been a concern for me, but I am planning to run an ACO coarse sponge filter. So how do you clean it if it's full of tiny, hidden shrimplets? The only thing I can think of is to siphon out some water into a white bucket, then gently shake/swish the sponge in that bucket. Is there some trick I'm not thinking of?

Well I'm guessing you wouldn't have a problem with a fine sponge, but if you're set on the coarse one, there are probably a number of ways to service it while being mindful of the babies.  I like to age about a gallon of tap water in a 5 gallon bucket for at least 24 hours. Then I gently shake the sponge while dipping it in and out of the water for about 30 seconds.  Then I keep the sponge near the surface and start squeezing and shaking gently until I'm satisfied.  Then I wait about two weeks for the babies to grow a bit in the bucket.  And finally I net them and put them back in the tank with the rest.

My process probably sounds unrealistic and over the top.  It's just what I like to do.  I'm guessing its far more common to either not be aware of the babies in the sponge, or simply to pretend their not there and that works too!

Good luck!