Can Royal Pleco live with Chocolate Shrimp?
Caution — with care
Why
- Royal Pleco is not on the verified shrimp-safe list, so we will not recommend it over a breeding Chocolate 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.
- Royal Pleco is much larger than Chocolate 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 7.5–7.5.
Sweet spot: both do well at 74–80°F and pH 7.5–7.5 — aim there.
Side-by-side
| Royal Pleco | Chocolate Shrimp | |
|---|---|---|
| Temperature | 73–82°F | 74–80°F |
| pH | 6.5–7.5 | 7.5–8.5 |
| Hardness (GH) | 4–12 dGH | 8–18 dGH |
| Adult size | 17" | 1" |
| Temperament | Peaceful | Peaceful |
| Min tank | 120 gal | 10 gal |
Together, plan on at least 120 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: A larger tank
Design the whole tank, not just the stocking
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Design a tank with Royal Pleco, Chocolate Shrimp →Everything compatible with Royal Pleco · …with Chocolate Shrimp