Can Common Pleco live with Super Crystal Red Shrimp?
Caution — with care
Why
- Common Pleco is not on the verified shrimp-safe list, so we will not recommend it over a breeding Super Crystal Red 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.
- Almost no shared temperature: Common Pleco wants 72–82°F and Super Crystal Red Shrimp wants 62–72°F, so only 72°F suits both — too fine a margin to actually hold.
- No overlapping water hardness: Common Pleco wants 5–20 dGH but Super Crystal Red Shrimp wants 0–4 dGH.
- Common Pleco is much larger than Super Crystal Red Shrimp but is not a shrimp hunter — it may take a shrimplet or clean up a moult. Adults are safe with cover.
Sweet spot: both do well at 72–72°F and pH 6–6.8 — aim there.
Side-by-side
| Common Pleco | Super Crystal Red Shrimp | |
|---|---|---|
| Temperature | 72–82°F | 62–72°F |
| pH | 6–8 | 5.8–6.8 |
| Hardness (GH) | 5–20 dGH | 0–4 dGH |
| Adult size | 24" | 1.2" |
| Temperament | Peaceful | Peaceful |
| Min tank | 150 gal | 10 gal |
Together, plan on at least 150 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: An adjustable heater · GH remineraliser · A larger tank
Design the whole tank, not just the stocking
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Design a tank with Common Pleco, Super Crystal Red Shrimp →Everything compatible with Common Pleco · …with Super Crystal Red Shrimp