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Can Corydoras Live With Shrimp in the same Tank?

In my 20 gallon / 100 liter aquarium I was housing a small school of 5 corydoras, when my friend came to me and offered me some shrimp as he was breeding them. I did not know whether they would be able to live together, so I first did my research and this is what I found out. So, can can corydoras live with shrimp?

Quick Answer

Yes, corydoras can live with shrimp, and they generally make for great tankmates! There is a slight chance that the corydoras are going to eat a baby shrimp or two, but your shrimp population will increase.

Keep reading to find out just how compatible corydoras and shrimp are, and everything else you need to know about keeping the two together.

image of a corydoras sterbai fish

Neocaridina Shrimp (Cherry Shrimp etc)

The shrimp that I was the most worried about were the Neocaridina genus shrimp. Fancy words, but these shrimp are the common cherry shrimp and all the different colors. Other popular colors include blue, yellow, orange, ghost shrimp and more.

These shrimp are the shrimp that are able to breed in fresh water. This is why I was worried, because this means that the shrimp are going to lay eggs and have tiny little baby shrimp. I was assuming that the corydoras would hunt them all down, but this is not the case.

From experience of many other fish keepers that actually have kept corydoras together with neocaridina shrimp we can conclude that there is no problem in keeping them together. This is also what I have been doing for a couple of years now.

Now let’s quickly go through the other popular shrimp genus called caridina shrimp.

image of a blue neocaridina shrimp on a moss ball

Caridina Shrimp with Corydoras

Within the caridina genus you will find shrimp like Japonica, super crystal red, golden bee and many more. These shrimp are generally known to be more picky concerning the water conditions. More sensitive might be a better way to put it.

So can you also keep these together with corydoras? Yes, you can. I want to give you a tip to provide a lot of hiding spaces for both the shrimp and the corydoras as this will make them feel comfortable in the tank.

Also, it is only obvious that more hiding spaces and more moss/live plants will give your shrimp more spaces to feel safe and give birth to babies. This is something you want right?

Does This Go For All Corydoras?

Well, there are many many subspecies of corydoras. For all the common popular subspecies that people keep in their aquariums, you are fine to keep shrimp with them.

With common subspecies I mean the corydoras salt and pepper, panda’s, julii, sterbai and all the other species that you can find in your local aquarium store.

However, I went to a big (huge) aquarium shop recently where they kept all kinds of more exotic fish including some of the biggest corydoras catfish I have ever seen. Frankly, I don’t even know what they are called. But I know that I would not put my expensive and tiny shrimp in the same aquarium as those fish.

Just remember that size is very import when it comes to aquarium fish. Bigger fish will eat smaller fish. Where corydoras are busy all day looking and sifting through the sand, when they are big enough they will definitely eat shrimp. Find out what plants work best for cory catfish tanks right here!

Check out this page on Keeping Catfish if you want to learn more about cory catfish diet.

Looking for more information on aquarium fish?

In that case, make sure to check out our aquatic fish page. There you’ll find everything you need to know about aquarium fish, shrimp & snails.

What About Amano Shrimp?

The amano shrimp is another popular type of aquarium shrimp, and luckily, thanks to its relatively calm and peaceful behavior, it makes for a good corydoras tank mate. They generalluy shouldn’t bother each other, they won’t steal each other’s food, and they survive well in similar conditions, but make sure to keeop ammonia and nitrite levels as low as possible.

Just remember that with both species, it is usually the female that is less aggressive than the male. If the amano shrimp isn’t what you’re looking for, then maybe the red cherry shrimp, or any of the other aquarium shrimp options out there, might be suitable for your cory tank.

Keep in mind however that cory fish may eat the fry of these shrimp, just something to be aware of if you plan on breeding, in which case keeping a breeder box seperate from the main tank is recommended. .

Tips for Keeping Shrimp with Corydoras

Here are some quick tips that will make it much easier for aquarium owners to keep shrimp and corydoras in the same tank together.

  • First, make sure to give both creatures plenty of space. They can be a bit territorial, so lots of space and plenty of hiding spots will work wonders for making these two get along. Second, both of these aquarium creatures require fairly clean and stable water, so make sure that you regulalry change the water and engage in cleaning. Good water quality is important for both creatures.
  • Another important factor is temperature. To ensure that both types of aquarium animals thrive, maintaining a temperature between 72°F to 78°F is recommended. Both also like to have some plant life present, with most shrimp being huge fans of java moss.
  • Shrimp can be somewhat fragile, something that anyone in the fish forum community will tell you, so here are some great tips on keeping them alive that all enthusiasts can take advantage of. Also remember that the two may compete for food, so keeping both well-fed and giving them enough food is essential, especially as far as the shrimp are concerned, and if you do, then they’ll make for great tank mates.

My favorite fishtank products that make life easier

I am so happy you enjoy this post so far! You will also definitely like my product recommendations that will make your fishkeeping experience so much better. I’m 100% sure you’ll love them!

  • Without a gravel vacuum, like one from Aqueon, cleaning the substrate of your tanks is near impossible. Whenever I want to remove some of the sunken detritus from the bottom of my acrylic tanks I’m happy I’ve got one of these.
  • It’s no secret that I do not like nutritious aqua-soil. It makes a mess and only works for a given amount of time. Instead, I always use a liquid aquarium plant fertilizer. Everyone who keeps live plants needs it, it’s not that expensive and makes your plants grow better.
  • I love keeping plants, but planting and reorganizing my aquarium was difficult until I got a set of these tools. It’s much easier to plant any kind of plant compared to using my thick fingers.
  • Ever since I’m able to accurately test my water parameters, including the pH level, keeping fish became less stressful. Before I was always stressed that my water parameters were wrong, but with a kit such as the API Master kit, I can measure this. It really is essential to successful fishkeeping.
  • The more you know about your aquarium, the better! Temperature is crucial for the health of your fish. A thermometer will also show you whether your heaters are still working correctly. It will give you more insight and more peace of mind. It’s an easy way to ensure that you’re providing your fish with the tropical temperatures they need.