Can Molly live with Shadow Panda Shrimp?
Caution — with care
Why
- Molly is not on the verified shrimp-safe list, so we will not recommend it over a breeding Shadow Panda 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.
- Molly is 3.3× the length of Shadow Panda Shrimp and big enough to swallow one. Some keepers get away with it in a heavily planted tank; it is a real risk.
- Almost no shared temperature: Molly wants 72–82°F and Shadow Panda Shrimp wants 62–72°F, so only 72°F suits both — too fine a margin to actually hold.
- No overlapping pH: Molly wants 7–8.5 but Shadow Panda Shrimp wants 5.8–6.8.
- No overlapping water hardness: Molly wants 12–30 dGH but Shadow Panda Shrimp wants 0–4 dGH.
- Molly will eat Shadow Panda Shrimp shrimplets. The colony still grows if there is moss or another dense hiding place for the babies.
Side-by-side
| Molly | Shadow Panda Shrimp | |
|---|---|---|
| Temperature | 72–82°F | 62–72°F |
| pH | 7–8.5 | 5.8–6.8 |
| Hardness (GH) | 12–30 dGH | 0–4 dGH |
| Adult size | 4" | 1.2" |
| Temperament | Peaceful | Peaceful |
| Min tank | 30 gal | 10 gal |
Together, plan on at least 30 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 · An adjustable heater
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 Molly, Shadow Panda Shrimp →Everything compatible with Molly · …with Shadow Panda Shrimp