Cherry Shrimp Smell

[FlyingFishKeeper]

Hi everyone! I was considering designing essentially a 3D printed cherry shrimp to see how my betta would react to their presence in the tank without risking actual lives or spending money for them. I was wondering if Neocaridina davidi have a certain scent to them that a betta would smell? Thanks!

Edited January 30, 2021 by FlyingFishKeeper

[CT_]

Could be a combination of smell looks and movement.  I'd just buy someone's culls for a dollar each and test.  Or I'm sure someone here can vouch for or against cohabitation.

[Kat_Rigel]

My understanding is that fish scent centers in the brain are pretty rudimentary. I think you're better off just trying it out. Personally I would not expect it to end well for the shrimp; bettas can sometimes see bright colors on other fish/creatures as a challenger, but it truly depends on your specific fish. It will be less hassle to use cull shrimp. Worst case scenario your fish has a healthy snack.

[Gumbo99]

I would concur with other the other posters, to just use cull or wild-type feeder shrimp. I feel like with bettas and shrimp, it is only a matter of time. Even if they don't murder them all in one go and tolerate their presence, in my experience they will still hunt them and pick them off from time to time. I would at least have heavy cover in the tank and have enough shrimp that they can hopefully outbreed predation pressure.

[FlyingFishKeeper]

Thanks everyone! I'm waiting for the tank to grow in a bit more so I'll wait until then to give it more thought. I'll also do some more research and maybe some testing once a printer becomes available which I'll post here. Thanks!

Edited January 30, 2021 by FlyingFishKeeper

[Pigeonduck]

I have bettas with all  of my neocaridina shrimp colonies and I think that you'll probably be fine once you've got enough cover for the shrimp. My suggestion is buy decent sized shrimp to test with the betta because they are more of a challenge and less likely to be eaten. 

Maybe even keep the fish in a breeding net for a few days after you add the shrimp so you can remove any that die before he gets the chance to try eating them.