dwarf gourami and shrimp?

[purrmaid]

I've been redoing my 36g planted tank with some aqua soil and more plants and I'd like to make it a more realistic ecosystem by keeping shrimp but I've never done them. I currently have snails, neon tetras, a siamese algae eater, and a hillstream loach. I would like 1-3 dwarf gourami but I think they would eat the tiny skittle shrimp that are only ½" I've seen at my lfs and amanos just look...dull. Obviously looks aren't everything so far as my ecosystem goes, but it would be nice if they were pretty, as much as a seabug can be. Are there any types that are big enough to not interest a dwarf gourami but have some color to interest me?

[Tony s]

Unfortunately, even your siamese algae eater will eat shrimp if given the opportunity.

Most colorful shrimp are the neocaradina and caradina. Both of which are 1 to 1 1/2 long and very tasty 

[purrmaid]

It will?? Its name lies! 😱

[Tony s]

It absolutely does eat algae. But that’s not all 

Not a true herbivore like an otocinclus 

[purrmaid]

I was thinking of a panda garra instead of an oto

[Tony s]

Yeah, I looked them up. They only eat shrimp fry

[purrmaid]

I figure everything eats fry. As long as enough survive to maintain the population, that's the circle of life. That's part of why I don't think amano shrimp would work since they don't hatch in freshwater