When you think of shrimp, I bet food comes to mind. For a fish-keeping enthusiast though, shrimps remind them of a clean tank. Yes, these active and tiny creatures do a fair job of cleaning an aquarium. But, shrimps are vulnerable little creatures who are easily gobbled up by incompatible tank mates. And, if you have Platy fish in your tank, you might wonder if Platy fish eat shrimp.
Platy fish are omnivorous who can eat shrimp if given the chance to. Platy fish eat shrimps if the Platy fish is hungry, aggressive in temperament, and of course if the shrimp is small enough to fit in its mouth. However, you can provide hiding spots to protect the shrimps from being eaten up by Platy fish.
Shrimps are incompatible tank mates for predatory fish. And although your Platy fish may look all sweet, it may hide some aggressive temperament in presence of a vulnerable invertebrate like shrimp.
You should protect the shrimp if you want them to actively clean the debris in your tank. Or else, you can get a compatible shrimp who can escape the Platy fish. To know more about Platy fish and shrimps, you can hop on this boat where I’ll explain the relationship between these two tank creatures.
Typical Platy Fish Diet
Your Platy fish is an omnivore which means it eats both plant and animal matter. Wild Platy fish eat up algae, invertebrates, planktons, Daphnia, etc.
Moreover, Platy fish have voracious appetites. In curiosity, your Platy fish gobbles up anything in their environment to feel satiated.
Even if you feed your Platy fish well, they always gobble up algae, extra food, and nibble on plants to get extra nutrition. Obesity is a common problem in Platy fish for this very reason.
Your Platy fish is so food-obsessed that it even eats its own fry! So, protecting a Platy fry is really important if you want the fry to survive.
For ease, you can feed pellets and flakes to your Platy fish. But, if you have time on your hands, you can feed your Platy fish with brine shrimps, frozen blood worms, blanched carrots, peas, zucchini, etc.
So, Do Platy Fish Eat Shrimp?
If you are in the fish keeping hobby, you may know about Brine shrimps. These are tiny baby shrimps that are just a few days to weeks old.
Brine shrimps make an excellent protein source for your Platy fry. That’s why Platy fish go berserk for this tasty food.
Since the shrimp fall in the food chain for Platy fish, shrimp and Platy fish don’t fit well as tank mates. If the shrimp is small enough to fit in the Platy’s mouth, sooner or later, the shrimp will be eaten up by the Platy fish.
I have seen aggressive Platy fish harassing large adult shrimps till the shrimp die of stress too. Thus, it is a challenge to keep shrimps together with Platy fish for this very reason. Well, Platy fish eat their babies when hungry, so we can’t argue much when it comes to shrimp, now can we?
To sum up, yes, Platy fish eat shrimp. But, you can protect the shrimps by providing dense foliage and plants in your aquarium.
P.S.: You might even find your platy fish munching on small snails present in the tank.
Why You Shouldn’t Keep Shrimp In A Platy Fish Tank?
There are many reasons why Shrimps don’t make an ideal tank mate for a Platy fish. And they are:
Feeding Shrimp Is Tough
The shrimps in your tank won’t be able to get the food that you give them. Your Platy fish will eat all the food you try to give to the shrimps.
See, your shrimps can’t feed on the leftovers alone. They need a good diet for their growth too. If they don’t get sufficient nutrition, they will fall weak and die soon. Ultimately, becoming a tasty snack for the Platy fish.
Platy Fish Will Hunt The Shrimp
Shrimps are on the low chain of the circle of life. And Platy fish have a strong predatory instinct to hunt down shrimps for this reason. (Especially if the shrimp is red like Cherry Red Shrimp!)
Even if the shrimp is too big to fit in your Platy’s mouth, the Platy fish will harass the shrimp severely. Sometimes, even injuring and tearing down the shrimp.
Shrimp Are Small And Defenseless
Shrimps are active cleaners of an aquarium. These peaceful creatures exist solely for cleaning. And unlike lobsters, Shrimps don’t have claws to defend themselves. Perhaps this is the reason why shrimps are so vulnerable and become bullied by so many fish.
Moreover, Shrimps are mostly very small and grow about an inch long. A small shrimp can thus easily fit in Platy fish’s mouth.
Say if you provide a hiding spot for your shrimps. If they wander off in the wrong place, they’ll easily become Platy fish’s meal for the day.
How Do You Protect The Shrimp?
Platy Fish are fast swimmers. Thus, Platy fish can easily catch up with the defenseless bottom-dweller shrimps. Thankfully, you can take some precautions to protect the shrimps from Platy fish.
Put the shrimp first
After you complete the nitrogen cycle in your tank, you can add the fish and shrimp in. But, here’s a catch. When you keep the shrimps first, they will have time to establish a colony. The shrimps can get familiar with the tank and find hiding spots to keep themselves safe. Moreover, the baby shrimps get time to grow too.
A colony of Adult shrimp won’t become a target of your Platy fish. Thus, keeping the shrimps first will protect them from the grasp of Platy fish.
Include Plenty Of Plants
Shrimps are tiny creatures. Thus, you can provide hiding spots like dense plants, decorations where your Platy can’t reach.
Java moss, Guppy grass, Water Wisteria, Java Fern, Water Lily are plants that are perfect hiding spots for shrimps. These plants have structures within which the shrimps can hide. Thus, escaping the Platy fish.
Maintain The Ratio Of Platy Fish And Shrimp
When you keep few shrimps for decorating your tank, the Platy fish can hunt down the few shrimps. Due to this reason, the shrimps will disappear from your tank in a few days.
If you want the shrimps to thrive in your tank, you should limit the number of Platy fish. Moreover, a large colony of shrimps can evade the hunger of Platy fish. Because, hey, who likes to eat shrimps who live in unity?
Shrimp Compatible With Platy Fish
Brine shrimp, Cherry shrimps should not be kept in a Platy tank due to their size and color respectively.
But, did you know that Amano Shrimps can live in a Platy tank with ease? Amano shrimp is a large shrimp with a transparent body. An Amano shrimp can, thus, easily camouflage itself from the predatory Platy fish.
You should provide a nutritious diet for the Amano shrimp to grow. For more enclosure, you can provide Amano Shrimps with dense plants too.
Besides Amano Shrimp, you can keep snails with your Platy fish. But, Platy fish eat small snails. So, you need to selectively choose the snail for Platy fish. Fish like Swordtail, Guppy, Molly, Endlers, Bristlenose Plecos, Neon Tetras, and other peaceful fish are perfect tank mates for Platy fish.
Can You Breed Shrimp In Platy Fish Aquarium?
Shrimps breed really quickly and easily. So, you might think that breeding shrimp in your Platy fish aquarium will be an easy task. But, you’re mistaken. Even if you provide dense vegetation, breeding shrimp in a Platy tank is impossible according to me.
Female and baby shrimps are especially vulnerable when you try breeding shrimp in a Platy tank. Since the female shrimp is laden with eggs, she will swim slow and the fast Platies will instantly eat her up. Moreover, small baby shrimps easily fit in a Platy fish’s mouth.
In case if you want to breed shrimp, I suggest you get a separate shrimp breeding tank. This allows the baby shrimps to grow into adults. Thereafter, you can keep the adult shrimps in a large colony into the Platy fish tank.
In your Platy fish tank, you can get adult male or adult female shrimps. But, don’t get both female and male shrimps as they tend to breed and get baby shrimps. And as you already know, baby shrimp get eaten by Platy fish.
FAQ
Do Platy Fish Eat Shrimp Eggs?
Platy fish eat most things that fit in their mouth. And Shrimps eggs are really tiny. So, yes, Platy fish eat shrimp eggs.
What Are Ghost Shrimps?
Ghost shrimps are carnivorous shrimp that grow around 1.5 inches long. Although ghost shrimps, like their names, are transparent, they are not suitable for a Platy fish tank. Ghost shrimps’ diet consists of blood worms and small aquatic animals. An adult ghost shrimp can easily eat a Platy fry or a weak adult Platy fish. So, Ghost shrimp is not suitable for a Platy fish tank.
Conclusion
I don’t think Platy fish are compatible with shrimps in their tank. And I hope I helped convey this information to you; about why shrimps are bad tank mates for your Platy. But, you can keep Amano shrimp in your Platy tank as they evade Platy fish’s sight. Moreover, you can keep dense vegetation for your shrimps to evade Platy fish too. After all, who doesn’t like to protect the cleaner Shrimp doing its job? Happy fishkeeping.