Can Discus live with Cardinal Shrimp?
Not recommended
Why
- Discus is 10.0× the length of Cardinal Shrimp — easily mouth-sized, and anything that fits in the mouth is a predator.
- Discus is not on the verified shrimp-safe list, so we will not recommend it over a breeding Cardinal 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: Discus wants 5.5–7 but Cardinal Shrimp wants 7.5–8.5.
- Only a narrow water hardness overlap — keep both around 8–8 dGH.
Side-by-side
| Discus | Cardinal Shrimp | |
|---|---|---|
| Temperature | 82–88°F | 79–84°F |
| pH | 5.5–7 | 7.5–8.5 |
| Hardness (GH) | 1–8 dGH | 8–18 dGH |
| Adult size | 8" | 0.8" |
| Temperament | Peaceful | Peaceful |
| Min tank | 55 gal | 15 gal |
Together, plan on at least 55 gallons.
Compatible alternatives
Instead of Discus (to keep Cardinal Shrimp):
- Black Neon Tetra — 1.5", peaceful
- Harlequin Rasbora — 1.75", peaceful buy at The Shrimp Farm · The Shrimp Farm live-arrival guarantee
- Hengel's Rasbora — 1.2", peaceful
Instead of Cardinal Shrimp (to keep Discus):
- Flower Shrimp — 2.5", peaceful
- Vampire Shrimp — 6", peaceful buy at The Shrimp Farm · The Shrimp Farm live-arrival guarantee
- Amano Shrimp — 2", peaceful buy at The Shrimp Farm · The Shrimp Farm live-arrival guarantee
Design the whole tank, not just the stocking
Skapelab plans a complete, buildable planted aquarium around your fish — a hand-illustrated layout, the exact plants and hardscape, a placement map, and a full equipment and shopping list. Free.
Design a tank with Discus, Cardinal Shrimp →Everything compatible with Discus · …with Cardinal Shrimp