# bettas and shrimp?



## holly12 (Apr 21, 2011)

I've got about 20 + red cherry shrimp and I have a betta in a separate bowl. I want to add the betta but I'm afraid he will eat the shrimp.... any advice?

I'm also afraid he may try to eat my 2 male guppies? (I think my dwarf frogs, flower shrimp, cardinals and oto cats will be fine, as well as the big snails..... just the RCS and guppies I'm worried about). He used to be in a breeder box in the tank and he would puff at them when they went by, but he stopped doing that. There would be shrimp on the box eating algae and he didn't seem to care.

Thanks for the advice.


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## majerah1 (Oct 29, 2010)

Its kinda hard to say.If he can fit them in his mouth,he will eat them unless they have a place to hide from him.It depends on the betta.Any way you can have him where he is near them,able to smell them and stuff?If so then you can watch how he acts when they are near.


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## Totem44 (Mar 15, 2011)

I had a bunch of rcs but my betta tore them apart, I actually witnessed him rip one of them in half, really surprised me


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## holly12 (Apr 21, 2011)

I had him in a breeder box in the 10g and he puffed when fish swam by, but didn't seem to mind if the shrimp were on the side of the box eating algae..... buuuuut...... I don't know if I want to risk him killing them.... I feel bad because his set up isn't heated or filtered, (and there is no place in the lid to fit in an air stone or filter)..... but I really can't afford a new set up for him that's heated and filtered. I could put him back in the breeder box in the 10g once I'm sure he's over the fungal infection, but I'm worried that maybe being in the box stressed him and he got sick. He always seemed happy in the box, but then, he's a fish.... it's kinda' hard to tell how they're feeling.


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## Lil Gashog (Dec 1, 2010)

My betta fish+ghost shrimp=bad


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## majerah1 (Oct 29, 2010)

Holly,if his fins were flowey,and he was active,he was content.Stress in bettas show up as clamped fins and horizontal stripes along the body.You can always place him back in the breeder box after you are sure he and the others are ok,and then upgrade him when you can.


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## holly12 (Apr 21, 2011)

True. I wonder how he got the fungus then. So far everyone else looks fine. (The fungus on his head is gone - I can still see the spot where it was, and his head has a bump there, but the fungus is gone. His lip is still pointy and has a tiny bit of fungus left on it. I did the API treatment. It was treat, wait 48 hours, treat, wait 48 hours, change water). I changed the water today. I'll see how his lip looks tomorrow and see if it gets worse and needs to be re-treated. I just don't want him infecting the whole tank, since I haven inverts and amphibians and can't put medication in the tank. I wonder how he got it? Everyone says he was stressed because the tank is too full... but your right, he was happy, even with the fungus, he was flowey, spunky and hungry.


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## dstones (Jul 5, 2011)

Just be careful and watch those male guppies when you add him because I've had a betta go after a male guppy before and it happened very quickly overnight and the guppy died, but it is completely about the temperment of your betta and the environment they are in.
best of luck!


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## bolram (May 17, 2011)

Ive got my betta with guppies and they get on great. Not tried with any shrimp though, i guess it would be a trial and error thing with that one


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## holly12 (Apr 21, 2011)

Don't have to worry about it. He ended up dying a month or two ago. The fungus was almost cured but then ended up coming back and taking over.


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## bolram (May 17, 2011)

oooh i didnt even realise how old this post was lol


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## holly12 (Apr 21, 2011)

Hahaha, that's ok. (I've done that before.... then it's like, "oops, never mind.")  Thanks for the advice anyways.


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