Can Blue Bolt Shrimp live with Cherry Barb?
Caution — with care
Why
- Cherry Barb is not on the verified shrimp-safe list, so we will not recommend it over a breeding Blue Bolt 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.
- Cherry Barb is roughly twice the length of Blue Bolt Shrimp. Adults are usually left alone in a well-planted tank, but the odd one gets taken.
- Cherry Barb will eat Blue Bolt Shrimp shrimplets. The colony still grows if there is moss or another dense hiding place for the babies.
- Only a narrow temperature overlap — keep both around 73–74°F.
Sweet spot: both do well at 73–74°F and pH 6–6.6 — aim there.
Side-by-side
| Blue Bolt Shrimp | Cherry Barb | |
|---|---|---|
| Temperature | 68–74°F | 73–81°F |
| pH | 5.8–6.6 | 6–7.5 |
| Hardness (GH) | 2–5 dGH | 2–15 dGH |
| Adult size | 1" | 2" |
| 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: A larger tank · GH remineraliser · An adjustable heater
Design the whole tank, not just the stocking
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Design a tank with Blue Bolt Shrimp, Cherry Barb →Everything compatible with Blue Bolt Shrimp · …with Cherry Barb