Can Variatus Platy live with Snowball Shrimp?
Caution — with care
Why
- Variatus Platy is not on the verified shrimp-safe list, so we will not recommend it over a breeding Snowball 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.
- Variatus Platy is roughly twice the length of Snowball Shrimp. Adults are usually left alone in a well-planted tank, but the odd one gets taken.
- Variatus Platy will eat Snowball Shrimp shrimplets. The colony still grows if there is moss or another dense hiding place for the babies.
Sweet spot: both do well at 65–77°F and pH 7–7.8 — aim there.
Side-by-side
| Variatus Platy | Snowball Shrimp | |
|---|---|---|
| Temperature | 65–77°F | 65–78°F |
| pH | 7–8.2 | 6.5–7.8 |
| Hardness (GH) | 10–25 dGH | 4–14 dGH |
| Adult size | 2.75" | 1" |
| Temperament | Peaceful | Peaceful |
| Min tank | 15 gal | 5 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.
Sort it with: A larger tank · GH remineraliser
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Design a tank with Variatus Platy, Snowball Shrimp →Everything compatible with Variatus Platy · …with Snowball Shrimp