Can Snails and Shrimp Live Together? Your Complete Guide to a Perfect Tank Harmony

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With an established tank and a consistent maintenance routine, freshwater shrimp are fairly easy to keep. The most important thing is to keep the water quality in your tank high which means controlling the production of ammonia and nitrites.

One way to control ammonia in your aquarium is to stock it with a cleanup crew. These are simply fish or invertebrates which consume leftover fish food, decaying plant matter, and other detritus in the tank so it doesn’t break down. Snails make excellent additions to any cleanup crew, but they are particularly beneficial for shrimp tanks because they’re unlikely to disturb your shrimp.

Though freshwater snails can be a great addition to your shrimp tank, there are a few things you should keep in mind before adding them. Here’s what you need to know about keeping snails and shrimp together.

Are Snails Beneficial in a Shrimp Tank?

Freshwater snails can be beneficial in maintaining the biological balance of your tank. They can even be useful in getting a new tank established before you add shrimp.

When you’re first getting started, it’s important to make sure your tank is fully cycled before adding shrimp. Freshwater shrimp are incredibly sensitive and need a stable environment in order to thrive. Even once the tank cycles, increasing the biological load too quickly could trigger a recycle. Starting with a snail or two gives the tank time to mature and stabilize.

Once you’ve added your shrimp, keeping the snails around means you’ll have a strong cleanup crew. Your shrimp will eat just about anything they can find, but their scavenging will be limited to the bottom of the tank. Snails can help keep algae under control and they’ll eat anything your shrimp miss.

Perhaps one of the most significant benefits of snails in a shrimp tank, however, is their ability to turn over the substrate. Because shrimp are delicate, you have to avoid siphoning the substrate too hard. Unfortunately, undisturbed substrate can develop pockets of hydrogen sulfide gas which, if released in sufficient amounts, can kill your shrimp.

Snails that dig around in the substrate can help prevent these pockets from building by constantly turning the substrate. Malaysian trumpet snails are one of the best species for this particular purpose.

Why These Snails Are The Best Shrimp Tank Mates!

FAQ

What is the best tank mate for shrimp?

Otocinclus and Corydoras catfish, Ember tetras, Celestial pearl danios, and Pygmy corydoras are all great choices for tank mates that won’t harm your shrimp. By selecting the right species, you can create a beautiful and thriving shrimp tank that both you and your pets will enjoy.

Will mystery snails eat my shrimp?

Mystery snails with shrimp

They get along great with Neocaridina, Caridina, and other shrimp species. The only exception would be larger Macrobrachiums.

How many shrimp and snails are in a 5 gallon tank?

In a 5 you could have only 1 mystery snail. Regarding shrimp you may start out with 10 off if you wish, their population will regulate based on available resources; they decide when enough is enough. Regarding plants, they are always a good idea.

Why are my shrimp and snails dying?

Make sure to quarantine your aquatic plants! Many people don’t realize how susceptible shrimp are to toxins. For example, if you purchase a plant from a fish store, many times the plants will be treated with a pesticide to kill snails. These treatments often contain copper which, as we know, is deadly to shrimp.

Can snails and shrimps live in the same fish tank?

Both snails and shrimps are able to coexist in the same fish tank simply because they are both non-aggressive inhabitants of the fish tank. So, now let us look at the specific benefits that they can both realize by living in the same tank. There are significant benefits of keeping snails with shrimp in the same fish tank.

Are snails good for shrimp?

There are significant benefits of keeping snails with shrimp in the same fish tank. These benefits range from snails being a great food source for the shrimp to snails being the best choice for “cycling” a fish tank for the shrimp. Hence, let us look at what these benefits are, in more detail.

Are snails and shrimps compatible?

Despite their similarities in nature, the question of whether they are compatible might still be nagging you. The answer to this question is yes. Both snails and shrimps are able to coexist in the same fish tank simply because they are both non-aggressive inhabitants of the fish tank.

Should I add snails to my shrimp tank?

Snails can be great tank mates in a shrimp tank but deciding whether to add snails to your shrimp tank can be difficult. This article will explain both the advantages and disadvantages to help you make your decision. There are a lot of different species of freshwater aquatic snails but this article will only cover the most common species.

Do snails weather a fish tank better than shrimps?

An important thing to note here is that snails are able to weather a newly cycled fish tank better than shrimps. Shrimps are, in general, very sensitive to changes in water parameters. Hence, in this aspect, a snail is used to “restore” the good bacteria in the fish tank before shrimp are introduced to the tank.

Can you put shrimp and snails together?

The main concern when considering putting shrimp and snails together is compatibility. Although most aquatic snails won’t bother the freshwater shrimp, some kinds may be aggressive towards them or even eat them outright.