Stocking 125g with cherry shrimp
- Thread starter mjh777
- Start date
That sounds like an awesome idea. For tetras I like Bleeding Hearts, Diamonds, Red Phantoms, and Black Phantoms. 
Male Black Phantoms look wicked around dusk when they are in breeding color.
Male Black Phantoms look wicked around dusk when they are in breeding color.
I would defnitely go with a small tetra. The larger ones will eat the adult shrimp as well as the babies, so none of the skirt type tetras would really work. I would not go larger than a cardinal/rummynose tetra.
Its true that any fish will take advantage of free live food (i.e. baby shrimp). With areas of dense planting, a fair amount will make it to adult hood. The adult shrimp are too large to be eating.
Normally I recommend an invertebrate only tank as well, but 125g of invertebrate only is a bit excessive.
I would do ember tetras, or even something like a microrasbora (you could fit hundreds in, literally as they are smaller than the shrimp by far). Then a cory or a dwarf cory or otocinclus. Another option would be ancistrus plecos. You could even get away with pencilfish or hatchets for the top level. This tank, depending on what species of tetra/rasbora you choose, may not even need a heater.
Its true that any fish will take advantage of free live food (i.e. baby shrimp). With areas of dense planting, a fair amount will make it to adult hood. The adult shrimp are too large to be eating.
Normally I recommend an invertebrate only tank as well, but 125g of invertebrate only is a bit excessive.
I would do ember tetras, or even something like a microrasbora (you could fit hundreds in, literally as they are smaller than the shrimp by far). Then a cory or a dwarf cory or otocinclus. Another option would be ancistrus plecos. You could even get away with pencilfish or hatchets for the top level. This tank, depending on what species of tetra/rasbora you choose, may not even need a heater.
I'll definately need to check out the microrasbora, not familiar with them at all. Are they hard to come by at a LFS?
I don't know if microrasboras are common at LFS, I don't really have any LFS and live in a very rural area
Do some google searches for microrasbora kubotai, boraras merah, boraras brigittae, danio erythromicron, dario dario (not a schooling fish, but awesome), dario bangladesh, danio margaritatus, rasbora rubescens- as a start. All are perfect size to go with shrimp and not offer up much harm at all to the shrimp. They will all also look spectacular in a planted tank. Habrosus cories would be my choice for the bottom (they are really all over the tank, not so much just at the bottom).
If none of those tickle your fancy, I can make scads of other recommendations for tiny fish to go with shrimp
Do some google searches for microrasbora kubotai, boraras merah, boraras brigittae, danio erythromicron, dario dario (not a schooling fish, but awesome), dario bangladesh, danio margaritatus, rasbora rubescens- as a start. All are perfect size to go with shrimp and not offer up much harm at all to the shrimp. They will all also look spectacular in a planted tank. Habrosus cories would be my choice for the bottom (they are really all over the tank, not so much just at the bottom).
If none of those tickle your fancy, I can make scads of other recommendations for tiny fish to go with shrimp
Whoa, thanks alot for all the info. Its gonna take me longer to decide what fish I want than it will to set up the tank.
I also have a 125gal that I haven't set up yet, because I'm flip flopping on ideas... I can't really decide between a lot of small schooling fish and some shrimp or a cichlid tank, which I assume can't have shrimp in it. Is one easier to care for than the other? I'm somewhat of a beginner with this large of a tank.
