Will Zebra Loaches Eat Cherry Shrimp, Can They Be Tank Mates?

Last Updated on August 4, 2022 by cmoarz

Loaches are great little fish that can make a big difference in your aquarium. They are very active and will help keep the tank clean. Cherry shrimp are also great little creatures that can add some color and pizzazz to your aquarium. So, can these two be tank mates?

The answer is yes! Zebra loaches and cherry shrimp can definitely be tank mates. In fact, they make a great team! The loaches will help keep the tank clean and the shrimp will add some color and personality. Plus, both of these fish are very peaceful and won’t bother any of the other fish in your tank.

Will Zebra Loaches Eat Cherry Shrimp?

As far as zebra loaches makeing dinner of your cherry shrimp, there isn’t much to worry about.

Zebra loaches are not known to be shrimp eaters, so your cherry shrimp should be safe. In fact, most loaches will leave shrimp alone altogether.

So you can rest assured that your zebra loach will not make a meal out of your adult cherrry shrimp.

However, Baby shrimp are a different story. If you have baby shrimp in your tank, let’s just say you won’t have them for long.

Those little baby shrimp are just small enough to be a tasty snack for your zebra loach. So if you have baby shrimp, you might want to remove them from the tank or keep a close eye on them.

Keeping baby cherry shrimp safe in a zebra loach tank

Keeping baby cherry shrimp safe isn’t too much of a task. Just make sure you have plenty of hiding spots for them to go.

Cherry shrimp like to hide among plants, so make sure you have plenty of plants in your tank. You can also add some driftwood or rocks for them to hide under.

As long as you provide plenty of places for the baby shrimp to hide, they should be safe from being eaten by the loaches. Loaches don’t like to get into thick plants.

We recomend plants like guppy grass which grows quickly and thickly, giving the baby shrimp plenty of places to hide and grow up in peace.

Haveing a larger tank is also a good idea. The more space you have, the more places the baby shrimp can hide, and the less likely they are to run into a loach.

A 20 gallon tank is a good size for keeping cherry shrimp and zebra loaches together. This will give you plenty of room to add plants and hiding spots for the shrimp.

But 30 gallons or higher is recomended, especially if you plan on keeping a lot of shrimp.

It also gives the guppy grass way more room to grow out while still maintaining enough swiming space for the loaches.

That’s not to say a few stray shrimp won’t end up getting eaten, but as long as you have plenty of hiding spots, most of them should be fine.

Cherry Shrimp and Zebra Loach Tank Mates

Now that you know that these two can be tank mates, let’s talk about why they make such a great team.

As we mentioned before, zebra loaches are very active little fish. They are constantly swimming around the tank and looking for food. This helps to keep the tank clean and free of debris. (Although keep in mind, the zebra loach eats a lot and has a large bioload!).

Cherry shrimp are also very active. They are constantly cleaning the algae off of the plants in your tank. This helps to keep your plants healthy and looking their best.

Together, these two fish make a great team that will help to keep your aquarium clean and healthy.

Plus, both of these fish are very peaceful and won’t bother any of the other fish in your tank. They are the perfect addition to any community aquarium.

So, if you’re looking for a few new fish to add to your aquarium, be sure to consider zebra loaches and cherry shrimp.