Can Cardinal Shrimp live with Zebra Pleco?
Caution — with care
Why
- Zebra 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: Cardinal Shrimp wants 8–18 dGH but Zebra Pleco wants 2–6 dGH.
- Zebra 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.
- Zebra Pleco will eat Cardinal Shrimp shrimplets. The colony still grows if there is moss or another dense hiding place for the babies.
- Only a narrow pH overlap — keep both around 7.5–7.5.
Sweet spot: both do well at 79–84°F and pH 7.5–7.5 — aim there.
Side-by-side
| Cardinal Shrimp | Zebra Pleco | |
|---|---|---|
| Temperature | 79–84°F | 79–86°F |
| pH | 7.5–8.5 | 6–7.5 |
| Hardness (GH) | 8–18 dGH | 2–6 dGH |
| Adult size | 0.8" | 3.5" |
| Temperament | Peaceful | Peaceful |
| Min tank | 15 gal | 30 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.
- 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 Cardinal Shrimp, Zebra Pleco →Everything compatible with Cardinal Shrimp · …with Zebra Pleco