Fish That Can Live With Shrimp — The Complete Safe Tankmate List

The honest starting point for this question is uncomfortable: to most fish, a dwarf shrimp is not a tankmate, it is a snack. Cherry shrimp and other Neocaridina are small, soft, and slow, and the majority of aquarium fish will eat shrimplets at minimum and adults if they can fit them in their mouths. That does not mean a shrimp-and-fish community is impossible — it absolutely works with the right fish and the right setup — but it means the list of genuinely shrimp-safe fish is shorter than most stocking lists suggest, and "compatible" almost always means "the adult colony survives while the babies get eaten." This guide gives you the real safe list, the fish to avoid, and how to keep a colony thriving alongside fish.

For scored, individual pairings, see the Compatibility Database; this is the shrimp-keeper's overview.

The Core Truth: Most Fish Eat Shrimp

Before the lists, internalise the principle, because it explains every recommendation: fish predation on shrimp is about mouth size and opportunity. A fish that can fit a shrimp in its mouth generally will, eventually. Even "peaceful" community fish will hunt shrimplets. So shrimp-keeping with fish succeeds through three levers:

1. Choose fish too small or too peaceful to be a real threat to adult shrimp.
2. Run an established, breeding colony so it out-produces the predation on babies.
3. Provide dense cover (moss, plants, leaf litter) so shrimp — especially shrimplets — can hide and graze out of sight.

Get those right and you keep a visible, persistent colony. Get them wrong and the colony quietly disappears over weeks.

If guaranteed survival of every shrimp matters more than keeping them with fish, the safest answer is always a species-only shrimp tank — no fish at all. Everything below is about the next-best thing: a community that a colony can survive in.

The Best Shrimp-Safe Fish

These are the fish most likely to leave adult shrimp alone. None are guaranteed to ignore shrimplets, but a breeding colony with cover persists alongside them.

• Small rasboras (chili/mosquito rasbora, harlequin) — tiny mouths, peaceful, occupy the upper water. Among the best choices, especially the truly nano chili rasbora.
• Pygmy and dwarf corydoras (Corydoras pygmaeus, habrosus) — peaceful bottom-dwellers that forage detritus and largely ignore shrimp; keep in groups.
• Otocinclus — peaceful algae grazers with no interest in shrimp; need an established tank with algae/biofilm.
• Ember tetras and other small, peaceful nano tetras — small-mouthed and upper-water; will eat shrimplets but coexist with a colony.
• Small killifish (some species) — varies, but several smaller, peaceful species coexist with cover.
• Snails (nerite, mystery) — not fish, but the truly zero-risk "tankmate" for shrimp.

The pattern: nano, peaceful, small-mouthed, and not bottom-aggressive. The smaller the fish's mouth, the safer your adults and even some shrimplets.

Fish That Can Work — With Care

These are higher-risk but possible in larger, heavily planted tanks with an established colony, accepting heavier shrimplet losses:

• Bettas — possible with a planted tank and an established colony, but individual temperament varies and many will hunt. See the full assessment in Betta and Shrimp.
• Guppies and endlers — small-mouthed livebearers that mostly cannot eat adult shrimp but will hunt shrimplets; a colony with cover can stay ahead.
• Larger peaceful tetras and rasboras — workable in bigger tanks with dense cover, with more shrimplet predation.

For these, the difference between success and a vanished colony is cover and colony size. A bare tank with a few shrimp and one of these fish ends one way.

Fish to Avoid With Shrimp

Some fish will simply eat your colony — adults included — and are not worth attempting:

• Cichlids of almost any size (including rams and apistos for a small colony) — predatory and shrimp-hungry.
• Goldfish — eat shrimp and want cold water anyway.
• Larger barbs, larger tetras, gouramis, angelfish, discus — big enough mouths to take adults.
• Loaches (most) — active hunters that root out shrimp.
• Bettas in a small or bare tank — high odds of hunting; only attempt in the right setup.
• Anything large, predatory, or fast that can corner and eat adult shrimp.

If you keep any of these, plan on a shrimp colony as occasional food, not a population.

A Note on Amano Shrimp

If you want shrimp in a community that includes some of the riskier fish, amano shrimp are far more robust than dwarf Neocaridina: at 4–5 cm they are too large for most community fish to eat, so they survive where cherry shrimp would not. They will not breed in freshwater (their larvae need brackish water), so you will not get a self-replacing colony, but as durable algae-eaters in a fish community they are the safer shrimp. For a breeding colony, stick with Neocaridina and shrimp-safe fish.

How to Keep Shrimp Safe in a Community Tank

The setup matters as much as the fish list:

• Establish the colony first. Add shrimp to a mature, planted tank and let them breed before adding fish, so there is a producing population.
• Plant heavily and add botanicals. Dense moss (java moss especially), plants, driftwood, and leaf litter give shrimp and shrimplets cover and grazing out of sight. This is the single biggest factor after fish choice.
• Keep fish well fed. A well-fed fish hunts shrimp less than a hungry one.
• Choose the smallest-mouthed fish you are happy with, and keep schooling fish in proper groups so their attention is diffused.
• Mind your water for the shrimp, not just the fish — Neocaridina need adequate GH for moulting; see Best Live Food for Shrimp for the husbandry that keeps a colony strong enough to withstand a community.

Do these and a cherry shrimp colony not only survives but stays visible and breeding alongside a peaceful nano community. Start from healthy, hardy stock — Blackwater Aquatics ships Canadian-bred cherry shrimp, amano shrimp, and other Neocaridina lines.

Frequently Asked Questions

What fish can live with cherry shrimp?

The safest fish for cherry shrimp are small, peaceful, small-mouthed nano species: chili and harlequin rasboras, pygmy and dwarf corydoras, otocinclus, ember tetras, and some small killifish, plus snails as a zero-risk option. None are guaranteed to ignore shrimplets, but an established, breeding colony with dense cover persists alongside them. The smaller the fish's mouth, the safer your shrimp.

Will fish eat my shrimp?

Most fish will eat shrimp if they can fit them in their mouths — at minimum they eat shrimplets, and larger fish eat adults too. Predation comes down to mouth size and opportunity. You keep a colony alive by choosing nano, peaceful, small-mouthed fish, running an established breeding colony that out-produces predation, and providing heavy cover so shrimp and babies can hide.

What fish should never be kept with shrimp?

Avoid cichlids (including rams and apistos for a small colony), goldfish, larger barbs and tetras, gouramis, angelfish, discus, most loaches, and any large, predatory, or fast fish — all can eat adult shrimp. Bettas are risky and only workable in a planted tank with an established colony. With these fish, a shrimp colony becomes occasional food rather than a population.

Can shrimp survive in a community tank?

Yes, with the right fish and setup. Choose small peaceful nano fish, establish and let the shrimp colony breed before adding fish, plant heavily with moss and leaf litter for cover, and keep the fish well fed. Under these conditions a Neocaridina colony stays visible and breeding. If guaranteed survival of every shrimp matters most, a species-only shrimp tank with no fish is the safest choice.

Are amano shrimp safer with fish than cherry shrimp?

Yes. Amano shrimp grow to 4–5 cm, too large for most community fish to eat, so they survive in fish communities where cherry shrimp would be picked off. The trade-off is that amano shrimp will not breed in freshwater, so they do not form a self-replacing colony. For a breeding colony choose Neocaridina with shrimp-safe fish; for durable algae-eaters in a riskier community, amano shrimp are the safer option.