Can Black King Kong Shrimp live with Variatus Platy?
Caution — with care
Why
- Variatus Platy is not on the verified shrimp-safe list, so we will not recommend it over a breeding Black King Kong Shrimp colony. It may well be fine — it simply has not been confirmed by a source, and an unverified guess is not worth the colony.
- No overlapping pH: Black King Kong Shrimp wants 5.8–6.6 but Variatus Platy wants 7–8.2.
- No overlapping water hardness: Black King Kong Shrimp wants 2–5 dGH but Variatus Platy wants 10–25 dGH.
- Variatus Platy is roughly twice the length of Black King Kong Shrimp. Adults are usually left alone in a well-planted tank, but the odd one gets taken.
- Variatus Platy will eat Black King Kong Shrimp shrimplets. The colony still grows if there is moss or another dense hiding place for the babies.
Side-by-side
| Black King Kong Shrimp | Variatus Platy | |
|---|---|---|
| Temperature | 68–74°F | 65–77°F |
| pH | 5.8–6.6 | 7–8.2 |
| Hardness (GH) | 2–5 dGH | 10–25 dGH |
| Adult size | 1" | 2.75" |
| Temperament | Peaceful | Peaceful |
| Min tank | 5 gal | 15 gal |
Together, plan on at least 15 gallons.
How to make it work
- Keep a large, established shrimp colony in a heavily planted tank with moss and cover so enough survive to breed.
- Target the overlapping water-parameter range and acclimate slowly.
Sort it with: GH remineraliser · A larger tank
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Design a tank with Black King Kong Shrimp, Variatus Platy →Everything compatible with Black King Kong Shrimp · …with Variatus Platy