Can Royal Pleco live with Yellow King Kong Shrimp?
Caution — with care
Why
- Royal Pleco is not on the verified shrimp-safe list, so we will not recommend it over a breeding Yellow King Kong 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 Yellow King Kong 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 temperature overlap — keep both around 73–74°F.
- Only a narrow pH overlap — keep both around 6.5–6.6.
- Only a narrow water hardness overlap — keep both around 4–5 dGH.
Sweet spot: both do well at 73–74°F and pH 6.5–6.6 — aim there.
Side-by-side
| Royal Pleco | Yellow King Kong Shrimp | |
|---|---|---|
| Temperature | 73–82°F | 68–74°F |
| pH | 6.5–7.5 | 5.8–6.6 |
| Hardness (GH) | 4–12 dGH | 2–5 dGH |
| Adult size | 17" | 1" |
| Temperament | Peaceful | Peaceful |
| Min tank | 120 gal | 5 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 · An adjustable heater · GH remineraliser
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 Royal Pleco, Yellow King Kong Shrimp →Everything compatible with Royal Pleco · …with Yellow King Kong Shrimp