Can Blue Phantom Pleco live with Orange Eye Blue Tiger 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 Orange Eye Blue Tiger 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.
- Almost no shared temperature: Blue Phantom Pleco wants 75–82°F and Orange Eye Blue Tiger Shrimp wants 65–75°F, so only 75°F suits both — too fine a margin to actually hold.
- Blue Phantom Pleco is much larger than Orange Eye Blue Tiger 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 water hardness overlap — keep both around 5.5–7 dGH.
Sweet spot: both do well at 75–75°F and pH 6.5–7.2 — aim there.
Side-by-side
| Blue Phantom Pleco | Orange Eye Blue Tiger Shrimp | |
|---|---|---|
| Temperature | 75–82°F | 65–75°F |
| pH | 6.5–7.6 | 6–7.2 |
| Hardness (GH) | 5.5–7 dGH | 3–8 dGH |
| Adult size | 7" | 1.2" |
| Temperament | Peaceful | Peaceful |
| Min tank | 55 gal | 10 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: An adjustable heater · A larger tank · GH remineraliser
Design the whole tank, not just the stocking
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Design a tank with Blue Phantom Pleco, Orange Eye Blue Tiger Shrimp →Everything compatible with Blue Phantom Pleco · …with Orange Eye Blue Tiger Shrimp