Platys + Cherry Shrimp breeding project

[Aiden Altizer]

Hey does anybody know if I can keep cherry shrimp with my wag platies. I am trying to breed them both for a profit but am not sure if I need two tanks or if I can keep them together.

[johnnyxxl]

Well they won't really bother each other but unless the shrimp have plenty of places to hide from the platties the baby shrimp will be platty snacks 

[Aiden Altizer]

I do have pearlweed and a few lotus pods, would that help the baby shrimp.

[GoofyGarra]

I am having some success keeping platies with shrimplets. Here is how i am doing it (Just my experience). Both of these tips should help with platy fry and shrimplet survival

1. Cover, cover, and some more cover. The more the shrimplets can hide the less they will be eaten. I'd especially recommend cover at the bottom of the tank, in my experiences platies are a mid to upper water fish and won't really both anything well hidden on the bottom of the tank.

2. Spoil those platies. I have no doubts platies would go after baby shrimp if they were hungry, but if they are nice and full of food its not worth the effort chasing the shrimp down for them and they will just leave them alone.

[Aiden Altizer]

Thank you for that information I do have some guppy grass and pearlweed for them to hide in.

[Bsquared]

A pile of rocks is also an easy way to create a bunch of hiding spots for the shrimp. I medium size rock seems to work the best as it creates crevices that aren't super tiny but not so large the fish could get it. Combine that with all your guppy grass and pearlweed there should be plenty of spots for the shrimp to avoid predation

[Tony s]

possibly this. I use hornwort on the top to protect fry. but maybe wisteria will work better on the floor. to protect shrimplets

Water Wisteria Carpet

Another option you have is to create a water wisteria carpet. This is our personal favorite and is being done more and more.

To create a carpet you’ll simply need to flip things sideways. Instead of planting each of the stems vertically like a normal plant, you’ll lay them on their sides.

Partially bury the stems but not the leaves. This is what will create the carpeted effect. You’ll want to do this with multiple plants in order to get the coverage you need. Also, trim it regularly to keep up with its growth rate and maintain the carpeted look.

from https://www.bing.com/ck/a?!&&p=b71126c0a8ae207dJmltdHM9MTcxMTA2NTYwMCZpZ3VpZD0wZTU0NmFiNi1jMWZhLTY4MDYtMWIzMi03OTAyYzAyOTY5YzQmaW5zaWQ9NTI3NQ&ptn=3&ver=2&hsh=3&fclid=0e546ab6-c1fa-6806-1b32-7902c02969c4&psq=water+wisteria&u=a1aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuYXF1YXJpdW1zb3VyY2UuY29tL3dhdGVyLXdpc3RlcmlhLw&ntb=1

[Tony s]

from aquarium source.com never heard of doing this, but it should work

[johnnyxxl]

On 3/17/2024 at 9:13 AM, Aiden Altizer said:

Thank you for that information I do have some guppy grass and pearlweed for them to hide in.

The more hiding places the better, I am planning on some kinda shy bottom dwelling fish in an otherwise rowdy tank for the upper layer so lots of wood and plants and rock work