Killifish with shrimp: Yes

Aphy. exiguum killifish with red cherry shrimp.


You cam only keep very small killies with the smallest of shrimp. Pictured here, A. exiguum with a charry shrimp. These are tiny killies, an inch long and quite narrow and will of course pick off fry but they generally leave the adults alone.
These are the sorts of killies that can peacefully cohabit with algae eaitng shrimp of genera Cardinia and Neicardnia. There may be no killies safe with the tiny Sulawesi shrimp.

ANN

Epiplatys annulatus

Ps. annulatusDue to its small size and surface habits make it a good choice for a shrimp tank companion fish.

NOR

Poropanchax normani

Both ANN and NOR are good choices: they're very small at about an inch, plus or minus, when fully grown - if that big - are peaceful and in the case of ANN are surface dwellers not used to deep (more than in inch or two) water whereas NOR is a fast moving schooling fish whose safety is in numbers and speed, and not camouflage and the secretive behavior of hiding and jumping when necessary. Becasuse of this consistent behaviour among a hadfulof small procatopid pelagic killfishknown affentionasly as the "lampeyes" they are make fairly safe additions to a shrimp tank of the common small algae eating shrimp; other small members of the family do quite well also. Lacustracola pumilus (pictured) is another species sometimes imported into the hobby.

CYA

Aphyosemion cyanostictum

These have been kept successfully with Amano shrimp, bamboo shrimp and vampire shrimp long term do if one anecdotal tale, mine, means anything then there it is. I've never tested it but keeping them with small species of shrimp may be pushing your luck if they're of near equal size as these fish feed almost exclusively crustaceans and worms in the wild and are hghtly evolved experts at consuming other animals for food even ones as long as they are or longer - the CYA pictured here eating a white worm is doing so despite the fact the worm is nearly twice as big as the killifish is.

EXI

Aphyosemion exiguum

In the subgenus Kathetys which includes the better known A bualanum as well as the esoteric A. dargei, but EXI is the runt of the litter being smaller than either, barely obtaining more than an inch or 25mm.

DUB

Aphyoplatys duboisi

Fairly uncommon in the hobby it has shown up in commercial shipments and is "around" in local clubs and auctions from time to time and their small size and mostly surface habits make this fish in a genus specially mad esp for it - Aphyoplatys duboisi - to sort of indicate it's "sort of Epiplatys, sort of Aphyosemion" place in the taxonomical tree.

  • 
    
    
    
    
    
    

    Copyright 2022
    Richard J. Sexton