# RCS friends?



## jlramir5 (Aug 29, 2011)

hi guys, what kind of fish actually find RCS shrimp to be food? in other words, what would be suitable tank mates? i have a large rainbowfish that im afraid would find rcs to be food..


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## farrenator (Dec 21, 2008)

Any non vegetarian fish that has a mouth large enough to swallow a RCS will see it as food. I have some smaller rainbows (kamakas) and they chase my ottos every once in a while thinking they are food. If a rainbow can fit it in its mouth it gets eaten.



jlramir5 said:


> hi guys, what kind of fish actually find RCS shrimp to be food? in other words, what would be suitable tank mates? i have a large rainbowfish that im afraid would find rcs to be food..


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## CL0NE1 (Jul 27, 2011)

perhaps you might consider small fish to go with your cherries.

galaxy rasboras have a nice bold color but are very timid
khuli loaches are always fun and will leave cherries alone
almost all small tetras, danios and rasboras
enders are small and very colorful
panda garras keep with them well
marble and silver hatchetfish are good

if you like galaxy rasboras or any other very timid fish, you might consider a few small peaceful barbs like checkerboard barbs to go with them...it helps them feel more comfortable in the tank

I am experiencing the same issue. I like cherry shrimp and am trying to find fish to fill a 55 gallon and my wife is giving me crap because we don't have any big/cool fish in our big fish tank.


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## farrenator (Dec 21, 2008)

I get the same story from the girlfriend. I tell her I want to keep the fish small because it gives everything a sense of scale  Not sure if she buys that one or not, but I am sticking to it!



CL0NE1 said:


> I am experiencing the same issue. I like cherry shrimp and am trying to find fish to fill a 55 gallon and my wife is giving me crap because we don't have any big/cool fish in our big fish tank.


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## asukawashere (Mar 11, 2009)

I like to keep least killifish in with my cherries. They're omnivores, but they're such tiny fish - especially that males - that they really can't be bothered with harassing the shrimp as long as they have stationary food falling from the sky every day 

Suckermouth fish - such as otocinclus and smaller plecos - don't bother shrimp, either. They're mouth structures are better suited to scraping and rasping than munching anything that moves.

Also, if you get a big shoal of a small, colorful schooling fish (I like Boraras species rasboras, myself), it can make up for the lack of big fish.


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## backflipfrontflip (Jun 17, 2011)

Totally agree with the fish-mouth size theory. If it can fit in it's mouth it might eat it, doesn't mean it will but it could.


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## Disturbed (Aug 17, 2011)

backflipfrontflip said:


> Totally agree with the fish-mouth size theory. If it can fit in it's mouth it might eat it, doesn't mean it will but it could.


+1 but even tiny fish if they are predators will nip at shrimp even if they can't get a mouthful they can swim off with a leg or 2


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## dstrong (Feb 13, 2011)

My white clouds have never bothered my rcs but I have also seen a small longfin zebra danio swimming around with half a mature cherry hanging out of his mouth because it would barely fit and he couldn't even swallow it all the way. What I found the helps is getting flake that is not red at all. When I switched to a green flake after awhile my fish stopped associating red specks in the tank as food and pretty much ignored my cherries.

That's awesome that kuhlis don't eat rcs because I was thinking about buying a couple but figured they would eat my cherries.


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## msjinkzd (May 12, 2007)

check out some of these:

boraras brigittae or merah
microdevario kubotai
microdevario nanus
yunnanilus cruciatus
corydoras habrosus
corydoras pygmaeus

those are fish I have success keepign with my various shrimp


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## koebwil (Sep 28, 2011)

I have kept harlequin rasboras and otos with mine.


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## Nat N (Jun 6, 2010)

Most rasboras, White Clowds, Thredfin Rainbows, smaller Danios (like Glowlight Danio) are all fine. They may eat some of the babies though. This is not such a bad thing though - the quickest (healthiest) baby shrimps will survive. Hiding places are essential - patches of dense vegetation, mosses, grasses, etc. I have rcs in a tank with White Clouds and in another with Harlequins and Threadfins. The populations of rcs are growing in both tanks.


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## CuLan (Oct 22, 2008)

I have several kind of fishes but the only one that I trust with RCS is Oto.


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## wHeEzO (Feb 8, 2006)

Otos are the only baby shrimp safe fish. 

However, any of the smaller fishes won't harass the adult shrimps. Just make sure the shrimps can't fit in their mouths.


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