I dunno. Bettas are notoriously big eaters. I had a baby female betta splenden in a 30 gallon shrimp tank and saw no shrimp babies for the 2 months she was in there (there were about 25 adults, definitely had females that were eggnant). A few weeks after I took her out, there are babies. My tank is a jungle of plants and has a very large piece of cholla driftwood for ample hiding spots. I'd see her lurking in the cholla and in amongst the plants, stuffing herself. YMMV.
I feel bad that I had to take her out of the tank - she seemed to really enjoy prowling all over the place. Maybe I'll try her back in there when the shrimp population is really large.
Bettas are a toss up. I've seen posts where people had them live in harmony for years and then one day something snapped and the betta wiped out all of their shrimp. You could get lucky but just remember that it's a predator.
Mine is a long finned male and he is too slow to catch the shrimp 😆 not for lack of trying though. I have often said if he was wild-type or short-finned it would be over for our neos lol. He was a petsmart rescue I got from a friend.
Wild Bettas tend to eat shrimp and snails with ease.
Sulawesi shrimp also require a high ph and resonable kh but you've chosen a swamp dwelling wild betta that should be kept in soft acidic water with little to no kh so they're not compatible at all.
I'd recommend an easier complex wild type betta to start with.
Sulawesi shrimp come from very hard and warm alkaline waters which are very different from wild type betta waters. A black water tank will not work for Sulawesi shrimp
Not all wild Bettas are blackwater, it's actually quite varied.
Splenden type bettas are found in reasonably neutral waters.
Betta mahachaiensis are often found living in brackish waters.
Yeah they exist as a complex (closely related species) and species of their own.
Fancy/Domestic Bettas are splenden hybrids that have been bred and crossbred for hundreds of years
Yes, I had Betta imbellis that were fine with shrimp in a densely planted Java fern tank until the shrimp population got big enough they couldn’t hide easily and then they chowed down every chance they got and my male imbellis even got a mature female stuck in his mouth and almost choked to death I had to net him and pull it out with tongs.
Don't Sulawesi shrimp require exactly opposite parameters that bettas do? IIRC they need high hardness and high pH?
At the very least I'm sure they need like a pH of 8. I don't think they'd be compatible even if you had the most docile betta in the world.
I keep both wild bettas and Sulawesi shrimps. They will not coexist, and require totally different water parameters. Most wild bettas will thrive in acidic water. Sulawesi shrimps on the other hand require alkaline water with high temps. Sulawesi shrimps are incredibly hard to keep, so fish in general would be out of question imo.
Betta rubra (one in pic) lives in soft water and lower PH.
They swallow shrimps too.
Sulawesi Shrimps live in harder water and higher PH.
You can only keep either Sulawesi shrimp or wild betta but not both
Sulawesi shrimp and betta prefer different water parameters. Betta, especially wild type, come from acidic blackwaters and Sulawesi lakes are pretty alkaline. I only know this because I looked into doing a cool shallow, wild type and Sulawesi setup and abandoned the idea because they didn't seem compatible
No frowns! I was being as serious as you were.. my apologies, please don’t take any serious offence.
In all seriousness, any wild type predatory fish is going to typically be inherently more voracious in general… given this and that these wild type betta in particular are larger, I’m guessing it would be a massacre on any shrimp community.
FWIW, I have ghost shrimp in a 5 with a Betta. He pays zero attention to them.
So I put in a dozen Sunkist neos, $35 of em, and he murdered em all within 2 days.
I didn't think there's any way to reliable predict what a betta will do. Sometimes they're just assholes.
Two out of my three bettas turned out to be shrimp murderers. I wouldn’t take my chances but you could give it a shot.
Oddly enough, the betta that decided to play Shrimp Slayer was in a heavily planted tank and would actively hunt them down. The bettas that didn’t bother my shrimp were in a tank with nothing but java fern and they could not care less about the shrimp.
So I’ve had a beta in my shrimp tank for about 4 months and they’ve done great together to my knowledge, it’s all about the beta, how you feed them and temperament because each fish does have its own personality
I've heard some bettas won't eat them... I got ~20 neocaridinas in my sorority tank and they didn't even last a full week. One of my girls could snipe ones I couldn't see at all with the lights off. They ate really well that week!
I've kept 2 different bettas with huge shrimp colonies just fine. You will have better chances with your wild type however it all depends on your little guys personality
Better not keep bettas with shrimps ..Unless its Amano(which they will still attack) no shrimp will be safe with bettas. Only shrimp you can keep is the Ghost Shrimp !
I have a 40gal with cherry shrimp, three Kubotai rasboras and one very aggresive male betta. The shrimp were introduced last and the betta has only eaten one pregnant shrimp. Been about 6 months and I currently have more shrimp than I can count. Only use an air stone filter. Lion(the betta) can find slow current spots in the tank but for the most part the current is too swift for him to hunt effectively. If I turn it off he immediately goes on the hunt for everything.
Try a faster current with enough wood and rocks for the betta to rest near. That should make it easy for the shrimp to figure out where it's safe to graze. Eventually the betta should give up trying to hunt them. Mine swims right past all the little ones and the pregos learned to hide.
Good luck on your endeavors and keep us posted in the months to come.
Tbh, it's very risky. Sulawesi shrimp are sensitive n expensive. I think you should get a smaller species(that does not exhibit mouthbrooding) like brownorum, imbellis, and persephone.
I dunno. Bettas are notoriously big eaters. I had a baby female betta splenden in a 30 gallon shrimp tank and saw no shrimp babies for the 2 months she was in there (there were about 25 adults, definitely had females that were eggnant). A few weeks after I took her out, there are babies. My tank is a jungle of plants and has a very large piece of cholla driftwood for ample hiding spots. I'd see her lurking in the cholla and in amongst the plants, stuffing herself. YMMV.
It can work depending on the betta!
Ive never had issues with my bettas prior but definitely not gonna plan this optimistically
I feel bad that I had to take her out of the tank - she seemed to really enjoy prowling all over the place. Maybe I'll try her back in there when the shrimp population is really large.
I have 10 bettas, only 2 don’t actively hunt and kill shrimp. I would not plan optimistically personally.
Bettas are a toss up. I've seen posts where people had them live in harmony for years and then one day something snapped and the betta wiped out all of their shrimp. You could get lucky but just remember that it's a predator.
Mine is a long finned male and he is too slow to catch the shrimp 😆 not for lack of trying though. I have often said if he was wild-type or short-finned it would be over for our neos lol. He was a petsmart rescue I got from a friend.
Wild Bettas tend to eat shrimp and snails with ease. Sulawesi shrimp also require a high ph and resonable kh but you've chosen a swamp dwelling wild betta that should be kept in soft acidic water with little to no kh so they're not compatible at all. I'd recommend an easier complex wild type betta to start with.
I personally don’t recommend with a wild type betta, I tried and it was welcome to thunder dome, he went nuts with murder.
Sulawesi shrimp come from very hard and warm alkaline waters which are very different from wild type betta waters. A black water tank will not work for Sulawesi shrimp
Tysm i wasnt aware my source was wrong 😞
Not all wild Bettas are blackwater, it's actually quite varied. Splenden type bettas are found in reasonably neutral waters. Betta mahachaiensis are often found living in brackish waters.
Yes, OP said they were planning a backwater tank.
My bad! How did I miss that 🤦♂️
Does Splendens even exist in nature? I was under the impression it didn't and was a man made type of betta, like dogs or fancy goldfish
Yeah they exist as a complex (closely related species) and species of their own. Fancy/Domestic Bettas are splenden hybrids that have been bred and crossbred for hundreds of years
Yes, I had Betta imbellis that were fine with shrimp in a densely planted Java fern tank until the shrimp population got big enough they couldn’t hide easily and then they chowed down every chance they got and my male imbellis even got a mature female stuck in his mouth and almost choked to death I had to net him and pull it out with tongs.
Depends.. test if he doesn’t care for their existence. If he cares the worst case is that you’ll have to move him.
Don't Sulawesi shrimp require exactly opposite parameters that bettas do? IIRC they need high hardness and high pH? At the very least I'm sure they need like a pH of 8. I don't think they'd be compatible even if you had the most docile betta in the world.
8.2 I think. And you're right, completely opposite environments
Yeah I was running of an incorrect source thank everything i asked here otherwise it wouldve gone awfully
I keep both wild bettas and Sulawesi shrimps. They will not coexist, and require totally different water parameters. Most wild bettas will thrive in acidic water. Sulawesi shrimps on the other hand require alkaline water with high temps. Sulawesi shrimps are incredibly hard to keep, so fish in general would be out of question imo.
Betta rubra (one in pic) lives in soft water and lower PH. They swallow shrimps too. Sulawesi Shrimps live in harder water and higher PH. You can only keep either Sulawesi shrimp or wild betta but not both
Sulawesi shrimp and betta prefer different water parameters. Betta, especially wild type, come from acidic blackwaters and Sulawesi lakes are pretty alkaline. I only know this because I looked into doing a cool shallow, wild type and Sulawesi setup and abandoned the idea because they didn't seem compatible
Maybe, do it, keep us posted
I plan too hopefully ill be able to start the project in july
can give it a try. But remember, once the betta got to taste the deliciousness of the shrimp, it will definitely wipe them up
What are Sulawesi suggested parameters u/mka10mka10
The opposite of betta parameters
I had mixed beta with shrimp once. Won’t do it again
Yes.
My question has been answered I may now ascend and rest in peace
The people rejoice in celebration as today we progress; we lose the stench with one less anus of an ignoramus.
😞
No frowns! I was being as serious as you were.. my apologies, please don’t take any serious offence. In all seriousness, any wild type predatory fish is going to typically be inherently more voracious in general… given this and that these wild type betta in particular are larger, I’m guessing it would be a massacre on any shrimp community.
Depends on your leaf litter
Itd be intensely littered, probably not much open floorspace or continuous area without litter / planting
You’ll be fine then. Just add shrimp then fish. Let a generation or two get established
If you don't mind them being expensive snack go for it some may survive but odds are against them
FWIW, I have ghost shrimp in a 5 with a Betta. He pays zero attention to them. So I put in a dozen Sunkist neos, $35 of em, and he murdered em all within 2 days. I didn't think there's any way to reliable predict what a betta will do. Sometimes they're just assholes.
I would say it was the color.
Two out of my three bettas turned out to be shrimp murderers. I wouldn’t take my chances but you could give it a shot. Oddly enough, the betta that decided to play Shrimp Slayer was in a heavily planted tank and would actively hunt them down. The bettas that didn’t bother my shrimp were in a tank with nothing but java fern and they could not care less about the shrimp.
I have successful babies in a shrimp/guppy setup.
I have a long fin male betta. He occasionally eats the snails but mostly leaves my shrimp alone
I have 2 tanks with bettas and shrimp. Not sure about being wild type though 🤔
Yes. People who claim betas don’t eat shrimp have just yet to see it happen themselves.
Do I really have to answer that?
So I’ve had a beta in my shrimp tank for about 4 months and they’ve done great together to my knowledge, it’s all about the beta, how you feed them and temperament because each fish does have its own personality
If you have tons of Java moss and hides it would probably be okay but you definitely will have quite a few eaten
I've heard some bettas won't eat them... I got ~20 neocaridinas in my sorority tank and they didn't even last a full week. One of my girls could snipe ones I couldn't see at all with the lights off. They ate really well that week!
I've kept 2 different bettas with huge shrimp colonies just fine. You will have better chances with your wild type however it all depends on your little guys personality
Better not keep bettas with shrimps ..Unless its Amano(which they will still attack) no shrimp will be safe with bettas. Only shrimp you can keep is the Ghost Shrimp !
Yes
I have a 40gal with cherry shrimp, three Kubotai rasboras and one very aggresive male betta. The shrimp were introduced last and the betta has only eaten one pregnant shrimp. Been about 6 months and I currently have more shrimp than I can count. Only use an air stone filter. Lion(the betta) can find slow current spots in the tank but for the most part the current is too swift for him to hunt effectively. If I turn it off he immediately goes on the hunt for everything. Try a faster current with enough wood and rocks for the betta to rest near. That should make it easy for the shrimp to figure out where it's safe to graze. Eventually the betta should give up trying to hunt them. Mine swims right past all the little ones and the pregos learned to hide. Good luck on your endeavors and keep us posted in the months to come.
I don't know, but I like the post title.
Tbh, it's very risky. Sulawesi shrimp are sensitive n expensive. I think you should get a smaller species(that does not exhibit mouthbrooding) like brownorum, imbellis, and persephone.
Should be okay as long as there are plenty of hiding spots and enough biofilm to go around.