Can German Blue Ram live with Cardinal Shrimp?
Caution — with care
Why
- German Blue Ram is one of the animals to keep away from a breeding shrimp colony — either it hunts them, or it out-competes and harasses them until the colony stops replacing itself. A Cardinal Shrimp colony will not hold its numbers.
- German Blue Ram is 3.1× the length of Cardinal Shrimp and big enough to swallow one. Some keepers get away with it in a heavily planted tank; it is a real risk.
- No overlapping pH: German Blue Ram wants 5.5–7 but Cardinal Shrimp wants 7.5–8.5.
- German Blue Ram will eat Cardinal Shrimp shrimplets. The colony still grows if there is moss or another dense hiding place for the babies.
- Only a narrow water hardness overlap — keep both around 8–8 dGH.
Side-by-side
| German Blue Ram | Cardinal Shrimp | |
|---|---|---|
| Temperature | 78–85°F | 79–84°F |
| pH | 5.5–7 | 7.5–8.5 |
| Hardness (GH) | 1–8 dGH | 8–18 dGH |
| Adult size | 2.5" | 0.8" |
| Temperament | Peaceful | Peaceful |
| Min tank | 20 gal | 15 gal |
Together, plan on at least 20 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.
- Add only full-grown adults — never juveniles, which will be eaten.
- Target the overlapping water-parameter range and acclimate slowly.
Sort it with: A larger tank · GH remineraliser
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Design a tank with German Blue Ram, Cardinal Shrimp →Everything compatible with German Blue Ram · …with Cardinal Shrimp