Zebra plecos and shrimp?

[phreeflow]

I have a colony of zebra plecos and need a cleanup crew for my fry grow out tank. Was hoping to use shrimp but can't decide on which ones can handle the high 86 degree temps I keep my fish at. Neos like cherries may work but I'm guessing the more genetically selected ones like blues and yellows may not do well. Correct me if I'm wrong.

 

I know for a fact most caridina like crystals, Taiwan bees, and tigers are out. But how about Sulawesi Cardinal shrimp since they like warm temps. My only worry is they seem to like hard water but I keep my zebras in soft RO water with low ph, gh, kH.

 

Any thoughts on what would thrive, not survive, and especially not die in my conditions? Also, any leads on folks who have Cardinal shrimp for sale?

 

Thx!

 

[chappy6107]

neos prefer lower temps than 86.  you might have to look into snails.  Just not sure what invertebrate would thrive in 86 degree water.

[phreeflow]

neos prefer lower temps than 86.  you might have to look into snails.  Just not sure what invertebrate would thrive in 86 degree water.

Thanks for the response. Tried snails and they are a threat to the zebra pleco eggs and larger ones will push themselves into the caves, displacing the plecos.

Does anyone have experience with Caridina Dennerli sp. Cardinal, aka Sulawesi Cardinal Shrimp??

[josu2]

Hypancistrus plecos, I would think, would pose a grave threat to the adults, not to mention young shrimps. They are omnivorous and usually have no problem eating meaty foods.

[phreeflow]

Hypancistrus plecos, I would think, would pose a grave threat to the adults, not to mention young shrimps. They are omnivorous and usually have no problem eating meaty foods.

You may be right but it's hard to imagine these plecos being agile enough to catch the shrimplets, especially with all the hiding places in this tank.

Has anyone raised cardinals successfully? I would try if I can find some

[Adam S]

I keep zebras and compta at 84°F, 200 µS/cm with cherry shrimp. They multiply like weeds and are no danger to each other. I have yet to see a pleco eat a shrimp (even dead ones) and have not seen shrimp invade caves or pick on fry.

 

You do have to thin the colony pretty regularly, or the shrimp will outcompete the plecos for food. The colony can also grow too large for the tank and crash, but there's always a few survivors. One of my compta tanks (20 gallon) recently had ~300 cherries die off before I could sell them, but there are still 50 or so left in the tank.

[Shrimp Life]

sulawesi shrimp need high ph, and do well in a tank of their own with rabbit snails.