Can Crystal Red Shrimp live with Royal Pleco?
Caution — with care
Why
- Royal Pleco is not on the verified shrimp-safe list, so we will not recommend it over a breeding 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.
- Royal Pleco is much larger than Crystal Red Shrimp but is not a shrimp hunter — it may take a shrimplet or clean up a moult. Adults are safe with cover.
- Only a narrow pH overlap — keep both around 6.5–6.8.
- Only a narrow water hardness overlap — keep both around 4–6 dGH.
Sweet spot: both do well at 73–76°F and pH 6.5–6.8 — aim there.
Side-by-side
| Crystal Red Shrimp | Royal Pleco | |
|---|---|---|
| Temperature | 68–76°F | 73–82°F |
| pH | 5.8–6.8 | 6.5–7.5 |
| Hardness (GH) | 3–6 dGH | 4–12 dGH |
| Adult size | 1" | 17" |
| Temperament | Peaceful | Peaceful |
| Min tank | 5 gal | 120 gal |
Together, plan on at least 120 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
Design the whole tank, not just the stocking
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Design a tank with Crystal Red Shrimp, Royal Pleco →Everything compatible with Crystal Red Shrimp · …with Royal Pleco