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Cory catfishes are tough fish that can survive in a wide range of environments. However, it is smart to maintain things stable and balanced when keeping them at an aquarium. Since Cory catfish and Shrimps are two of the most popular aquatic animals to keep in tanks, you might wonder whether they can live together or not.
Well, the answer depends on different factors such as the species of the Cory catfish, the species of the shrimp, the size of the tank, and so on. So, in this article, I will discuss if you should keep shrimp with Cory catfish or not, along with some other information that will clear your confusion completely regarding the topic.
Shrimp and cory catfish get along fine. They are usually non-aggressive and friendly toward one another, making them excellent tank buddies. Well, Cory Catfish have a lot of different subspecies. You can keep Shrimp in tanks safely with all of the most common preferred subspecies.
Most cory catfish varieties are indeed very calm and peaceful and would not harm their aquarium mates. As a result, they are easy to match with the majority of community fish. Moreover, they hide instead of attacking when they are frightened.
Certain species, however, are poisonous. When they feel threatened, they can generate toxins that kill everyone in the aquarium. Other than the exceptions, Cory catfish can coexist well with shrimp. They, for most parts, do not attack shrimp and therefore will leave them undisturbed.
Furthermore, even tiny shrimps are usually safe alongside cory catfish inside an aquarium.
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Just like other species of Cory catfish, keeping Panda Corys with full-grown adult shrimps won’t be a problem. However, it is best not to keep your Panda Corys with Brine shrimps since they are one of the most favorite foods of this species of Cory Catfish.
Well, Panda Corys seem to be excellent scavengers, grabbing whatever food that drops at the aquarium’s bottom. A well-balanced diet is essential for the good health of this species. They generally eat meaty items, both frozen or alive.
They tend to eat worms, insects, crabs, and shrimps. Brine shrimp, daphnia, and bloodworms appear to be their favorites. However, they won’t generally bother big shrimps that they cannot fit in their mouth and live peacefully alongside them.
But since shrimps are one of their foods, it is better not to keep Panda Corys with shrimp, especially brine shrimps. There is a high chance that your Cory will eat the shrimps when they are hungry.
Pygmy Corys are peace-loving creatures who don’t mind sharing their space with others. Fish species that are of the same size or smaller than one inch won’t have any problem living with Pygmy Corys. So, they can easily live with shrimps since most shrimp species fall under this criterion.
Well, Pygmy Cories might be in danger living with fishes that have a mouth larger than one inch. Most shrimp species are not that huge. So, a Pygmy Cory won’t have any problem living with a Shrimp.
Now, as long as, Shrimp’s safety is concerned, following Otocinclus, Pygmy Cory is the next best shrimp-safe species of fish.
Well, even though they are peaceful and non-hunter fish, they are omnivorous. So, if newborn shrimps are small enough to fit in the mouths of pygmies, there is a good possibility they will try to eat them.
However, this does not happen very often. It is because Pygmy Cories generally stumble forward keeping their eyelids half-closed and heads down.
Moreover, shrimps older than one or two weeks would be too large for them to eat. So, Pygmy Corys and Shrimps both can peacefully live with each other without having to be in any trouble.
Can Bamboo Shrimp Live with Cory Catfish?
Bamboo shrimps are indeed a small species that is quiet and friendly. As a result, you must not keep them in the same tank as fish with different personalities. Cory catfish, however, are benign creatures that cannot swallow them. So, Bamboo shrimp can coexist peacefully with Cory catfish.
Bamboo Shrimps get along well with practically all other species of fish. Besides, being filter feeders, they are unlikely to fight for food.
However, one should make sure that the tank mates they choose for the shrimp species are not too big. If they are too big, they will probably try to devour the bamboo shrimp.
Well, Cory catfish is a freshwater fish species. And, they generally consume everything, which fits in their mouths. Corydoras, however, do not grow large enough to harm bamboo shrimp.
Most species of Cory catfish can grow to be about 2.5 inches long. On the other hand, the size of an adult bamboo shrimp is normally about 3 inches. So, the size of Cory catfish is not bigger than bamboo shrimp.
Furthermore, Corydoras and bamboo shrimp have comparable aquarium needs. So they would probably get along pretty smoothly.
Will Cory Catfish Eat Shrimp?
The majority of Cory Catfish won’t eat shrimps, especially when there are other options of food. The Shrimps are too big to fit inside the mouth of a Cory Catfish. In fact, Cory Catfish are calm fish who get along well with Shrimp. However, they may eat newborn shrimp and Shrimp eggs occasionally.
Well, Cory catfish will eat most primary foods, like flake food. Moreover, bottom feeder tablets, algal wafers, and shrimp pellets would also appeal to such fish.
Bloodworms and daphnia are also tasty goodies to Cory Catfish. Besides, they tend to consume the little eggs of other aquarium species. So, keep that in mind if you want to breed anyone of your tankmates.
As I have mentioned earlier, Cory catfish will not harm adult shrimp. And, although they might eat the eggs and babies, it will not have an adverse influence on the population of shrimp in your aquarium.
Moreover, if you keep enough food options for your Corydoras, they are less likely to bother shrimps and their babies too. Keep in mind that you must feed these fishes once a day, and only the amount they can consume in three to five minutes.
Will Cory Catfish Eat Cherry Shrimp?
Because of the tiny size of Cory catfish, their mouths are unable to completely swallow cherry shrimp. So, Cory catfish won’t be able to eat Cherry Shrimps. They might only be able to eat the babies and the eggs. However, you can protect your cherry shrimps using plant overgrowth.
For a valid reason, cherry shrimp are among the most common pet shrimp. They have a beautiful crimson hue, which varies based on the quality of shrimp you buy.
They are a wonderful starting shrimp because they are very hardy. Because many fish regard these tiny shrimps as a native food source, finding a good tank mate for them might be difficult.
It is possible to keep cherry shrimp and Corydoras in the same aquarium together. However, the babies and the eggs can be a matter of concern here.
However, the population growth of your shrimp in the aquarium won’t get affected much even if your Corydoras eat the eggs or newborns. But if breeding your Cherry shrimps is your main concern, it is best to keep them in a separate tank.
Will Cory Catfish Eat Ghost Shrimp?
Aggressive or territorial fishes are most likely to eat Ghost shrimps. Being a non-aggressive small species of catfish, Cory catfish normally won’t eat ghost shrimps. Cory fish mouths are not big enough to chow down on these critters. But do consider the other inhabitants in the tank.
For example, Betta fish is one of the most common tank fish that might be aggressive enough to eat ghost shrimps.
Well, there are numerous types of fish, which you must avoid if you don’t want your shrimp to get eaten. You have to avoid keeping fish in the same aquarium that has a big enough mouth for swallowing your shrimp.
Thankfully, Cory catfish are neither aggressive nor do they have enough size of mouth to swallow a ghost shrimp. So, in most cases, Cory catfish won’t eat ghost shrimp.
Will Cory Catfish Eat Shrimp Fry?
There is a high chance that Cory catfish will eat shrimp fry. Although adult shrimps are not small enough to fit in their mouth, they can easily swallow shrimp fry and eggs. However, they will only eat them if they are either too hungry or the fries come close to their mouth.
Well, fry fish means the baby fishes, which are recently hatched. Since they are too little and are not adults, they are termed as fry. Like I have said, Cory catfish might eat shrimp fries if it comes near their mouth. However, if the cory catfish is not hungry, it won’t likely eat shrimp fry.
Conclusion
In short, Cory catfish and shrimp can live alongside each other peacefully. If you feed your Cory catfish regularly, it won’t even bother to eat the eggs and babies of Shrimp. And, even if your Cory catfish eats the shrimp eggs and babies, it won’t highly affect the overall shrimp population.
I hope this article answered all your queries regarding whether Cory catfish and shrimp can live together or not. Remember to feed your Cory catfish and shrimp on time to ensure good living conditions for both of them. Also, if you want to add a completely new species to your aquarium, don’t forget to learn about it properly.
Hi! I’m Praveen Ghoshal, the founder of eFishkeeping.com. Inspired by my Dad, I got interested in fishkeeping when I was a kid. Since then, I have been involved with this hobby. Currently, I have 3 fish tanks at our home, and I enjoy this hobby with my full family. Read more about me here.
