Can Blue Phantom Pleco live with Cardinal Shrimp?
Caution — with care
Why
- Blue Phantom Pleco 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 water hardness: Blue Phantom Pleco wants 5.5–7 dGH but Cardinal Shrimp wants 8–18 dGH.
- Blue Phantom Pleco is much larger than Cardinal 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 7.5–7.6.
Sweet spot: both do well at 79–82°F and pH 7.5–7.6 — aim there.
Side-by-side
| Blue Phantom Pleco | Cardinal Shrimp | |
|---|---|---|
| Temperature | 75–82°F | 79–84°F |
| pH | 6.5–7.6 | 7.5–8.5 |
| Hardness (GH) | 5.5–7 dGH | 8–18 dGH |
| Adult size | 7" | 0.8" |
| Temperament | Peaceful | Peaceful |
| Min tank | 55 gal | 15 gal |
Together, plan on at least 55 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: GH remineraliser · A larger tank
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Design a tank with Blue Phantom Pleco, Cardinal Shrimp →Everything compatible with Blue Phantom Pleco · …with Cardinal Shrimp