Betta and shrimp

[redfish]

Well it seems our betta won’t leave the new shrimp alone to eat their food. I added shrimp to our betta 5.5 gal tank on Friday last week. I gave them some Hikari Shrimp Cuisine today and the betta won’t stop eating their food. The shrimp hide on the sponge filter and the betta swims around them like a shark circling it’s prey.  He’s rooting through the gravel looking for the small pellets.  
 

it’s kinda funny to watch him act this way but I know I’ll have to separate them long term if he doesn’t stop.  He doesn’t care at all about the snail in the tank. 
 

Maybe the shrimp pellets triggered his aggression?  He is well fed otherwise. 

[anitstuk]

I've got an idea. Feed the Betta his/her food and at the same time, put the Hikari Shrimp Cruisine under a shrimp cave or a place where the shrimp dwell and where the Betta can't reach. Aquarium Co op has a shrimp cave that you could buy and I don't think that the Betta can fit in there. 

[redfish]

I can certainly try to hide the shrimp food in an area the betta can’t get to.  He’s not attacking the shrimp but going crazy looking for their food and showing off to the shrimp some. He knows they are in his tank. 

[anitstuk]

I also gotta ask, what type of shrimp? Cherry, amano, wood, ghost?

[redfish]

Cherry shrimp. Started with 4 to try out in the tank. Two orange and two red. I think only 3 left but they hide well. 
 

I pushed the filter into the corner so the betta can’t swim behind it and piled up a gravel wall at the base. He’s working on knocking down the gravel wall now. Lol. 

[redfish]

Look at this fat belly 🤦‍♂️

 

[redfish]

The suspect stalking his tank invaders:

the invaders: 

[Stef]

Bettas can be so naughty. Gotta love ‘em. Try feeding the shrimp after the lights go out and your betta has retreated to his sleeping spot.