Angelfish belong to the Cichlid species, which means they can be pretty aggressive. Moreover, they are omnivorous and have the tendency to eat Shrimp. There are various kinds of shrimp available, and all are pretty small.
Can I keep Angelfish with Shrimp? Shrimps are small fish that can easily fit in an Angelfish mouth. Angelfish tend to eat small fish present in the tank and will not spare a single shrimp within their reach. Their aggressive nature can also injure shrimp severely.
In this article, I will share my own experience of keeping angelfish with shrimps. Also, I will mention various types of shrimp and will check the compatibility with Angelfish so that you can get an overall idea and keep both the fish safe from each other.
So, without any further ado, let us get started.
Is It Wise To Keep Angelfish With Shrimp?
To be honest, Angelfish belongs to the Cichlid species category, making them aggressive. Then again, being omnivorous, they can eat both plants based and meat-based food. They are not really picky eaters.
Shrimps, on the other hand, are tiny creatures. They look amazing and act as a good addition to the tank. Angelfish will never hesitate to eat shrimp if the shrimp fits in the mouth.
Angelfish are likely to eat any small creatures present in the tank. Being small fish, Angelfish can easily consume small shrimp. And the big ones will be severely damaged by Angelfish.
It is not that the Angelfish will intentionally harm the Shrimps, but they being aggressive will make them attack other fish like shrimp. You might have found hobbyists sometimes use shrimp as food for bigger fish.
Consequently, you can imagine keeping Shrimp with Angelfish is not a good idea. It can kill, eat or injure your beautiful shrimp. That is why if you want to keep your shrimps alive, you should definitely keep them separately and away from any aggressive fish, like Angelfish.
However, a different scenario can be in the case of different types of Shrimps. Each of them has different types of nature.
Let us know about four popular types of Shrimps in detail and understand their compatibility with Angelfish.
Four Popular Types Of Shrimps Include:
1. Cherry Shrimp
Cherry Shrimps have the brightest colors among all other Shrimps, which is why they are the preferred ones by hobbyists. You will definitely get mesmerized watching them swimming all over the tank.
Another reason for keeping Cherry Shrimps is that they will clean the tank by eating all the unnecessary things present in the tank that you might not have wanted, including leftover foods, algae, and many more.
They are peaceful and non-aggressive fish that will hardly survive in the presence of aggressive fish. They are even small and can be easily eaten by bigger fish.
Therefore, Cherry Shrimps are not likely to stay free in the presence of Angelfish. Shrimp will become Angelfish’s food or will be attacked by them frequently.
Can You Keep Cherry Shrimp With Angelfish? The short answer is No. If you do not want your Cherry shrimp to become your Angelfish’s food, you should keep them in a separate tank.
Cherry Shrimps can easily fit into the mouth of Angelfish, and they will eat them, and being aggressive, Angelfish will not hesitate to attack.
However, baby angelfish are less aggressive and have a smaller mouth. Currently, I am keeping a small angelfish (1.5 inches) and a few cherry shrimps in a community tank.
Even the small angelfish chases the shrimps sometimes, but as the aquarium is heavily planted and the young angelfish have a smaller mouths, the shrimps are doing fine.
Check out this video to get a better understanding of what I am actually trying to say:
Recent Update of the Tank: As the baby angelfish grew bigger it started eating the cherry shrimp. So, it was a bad idea. I lost all the cherry shrimp. Lesson learned. Don’t make the same mistake I did.
Related Article: How To Prevent Cherry Shrimp From Breeding?
2. Ghost Shrimp
Although Ghost Shrimp are not as colorful as Cherry Shrimp, they are easy to take care of. If you are a new hobbyist and know very little about aquatic animals, then you should definitely go for Ghost Shrimps.
They are commonly known as scavengers as they can clean out the aquarium by eating whatever they find.
They also have the tendency to attack other fish when they find a scarcity of food in the tank or if the tank conditions are not met.
Can You Keep Ghost Shrimp With Angelfish? The short answer is No. Although Ghost Shrimp are not inherently aggressive, they might sometimes attack other fish when the tank conditions are not properly met.
Moreover, the Angelfish are aggressive and might eat the Ghost Shrimp. That is why you need to keep them in a separate tank.
3. Snowball Shrimp
Such mesmerizing fish Snowball Shrimps are great for amateurs as they need minimal care and support. They look very beautiful and feel like they are glowing in the tank. Although they are not as colorful as Cherry Shrimp, they are still very pretty.
Just like Ghost and Cherry Shrimps, the Snowball Shrimps will clear out your tank by eating all the algae and other unwanted substances. Their breeding rate is very high and they can grow like a finger snap.
Can You Keep Snowball Shrimp With Angelfish? To be honest, you can keep Snowball Shrimps along with your Angelfish in the same tank.
But it would help if you took proper measures, like providing enough hiding space and keeping the diet chart intact so that there remains no scarcity. Lastly, you need to provide a suitable living aquatic environment.
4. Blue Tiger Shrimp
Blue Tiger Shrimps will eat everything you provide as being omnivorous, and they will eat both plants and meat-based food. The vibrant color of their skin makes them lovely, and hobbyists adore them for that.
However, they need a proper level of care, and the temperature and pH level of the water should be maintained strictly.
Can You Keep Blue Tiger Shrimp With Angelfish? When it comes to sharing the tank with Angelfish, Blue Tiger Shrimp will not be able to stay alive. Because of the aggressive nature of Angelfish, not a single Blue Tiger Shrimp will be alive.
What Shrimp Are Compatible With Angelfish?
It is true that Angelfish will eat any Shrimp that will come to their reach. As you know, there are many kinds of Shrimp, and there is one Shrimp that might have a chance of living peacefully with Angelfish, which is Amano Shrimp.
Amano Shrimps are, in a word, amazing. Because they can maintain the water perfectly, making it bearable. They will also keep the tank clean by eating all the unwanted things.
One thing that can be confusing is that they require special conditions for them to breed. Raising their fry needs sincere dedication. That is why no one recommends Amano Shrimps to beginners.
Can You Keep Amano Shrimp With Angelfish? Yes, Amano Shrimps can survive even in the presence of aggressive Angelfish. It is because Amano Shrimps are big in size, and they will not easily fit in an Angelfish’s mouth. That is, you do not have to worry about them getting killed or attacked.
However, if you keep angelfish with amano shrimp, make sure the angelfishes are well fed, Otherwise they might try to attack the shrimps. Check out our recommended fish foods for Angelfish and shrimps by clicking here.
Related Article: Do GloFish Eat Shrimp?
Related Questions
Will My Angelfish Eat My Ghost Shrimp?
Unquestionably, Ghost Shrimps and Angelfish are not compatible. They both can be aggressive and end up hurting each other. And mostly, there is a risk of the Ghost Shrimps being eaten by Angelfish.
Moreover, they are smaller and can easily fit into an Angelfish mouth. This is why experts forbid keeping Angelfish and Ghost Shrimp together.
Which Fish Can Live With Angelfish?
It would help if you never kept Angelfish alone. You can pair them with their kind and other fishes. Let me provide you a list of fish that can be suitable tank mates for Angelfish;
- Platies
- Lemon Tetras
- Swordtails
- Kuhli Loach
- Mollies
- Corydoras Catfish
- Bristlenose Plecos
- Guppies
- Keyhole Cichlids
- Dwarf Gourami
Recommended Article: Can Angelfish Be Kept Alone?
Can I Put Guppies With Angelfish?
Guppies are peaceful fish, whereas Angelfish are aggressive. They will survive together, but it is not recommended to keep them together in the same tank. Angelfish are territorial and can be aggressive, which will force them to attack other fish like guppies.
Will Angelfish Eat Neon Tetras?
When you keep Neon tetras in a tank with Angelfish, you are simply providing Angelfish with their food. Because of the smaller size, Neon Tetras will be eaten by the aggressive Angelfish.
However, if you maintain the tank environment perfectly and provide an adequate amount of food at the right time, it will simply help to give them a healthy environment to live in.
Will Angelfish Eat Red Cherry Shrimp?
To be frank, most of the small Shrimp will get eaten by Angelfish, and the only condition is to put them in the same tank. Red Cherry Shrimp is no different. They are smaller in size and will easily fit in Angelfish’s mouth.
Angelfish, on the other hand, have the tendency to eat all the small fish present in the tank, and with their aggressive nature, they will not hesitate to do that.
Final Thoughts:
I won’t trust my angelfishes with my little cherry shrimps. So, If you ask my personal opinion, I would never recommend keeping angelfish and shrimps together.
I had bad experience keeping them together in the past. So, I don’t want anyone to take risks.
That’s all for today! If you have a minute, check out my recent article on, Why Are My Angelfish Always Hungry? (Reasons Explained)
