Trying something out of my comfort zone

[nvcichlids]

So I recently bought a stand to do an over under tank (40 gal L on the bottom and 33 gallon XL on the top). My thought was to do some inverts. I am putting a layer of crushed coral sand down first, then capping with red flint sand. I want to plant with vals/dwarf sag, java fern and moss. Maybe a few bulb plants (whatever those things are) for variance. I am going to do tylo snails, nirites, and shrimp.

My question is, are there any catfish (other than otos and small corydoras) taht I could squeek into this tank and not have shrimpletts end up missing? As I said, I have never done inverts before, so I don't know how small these baby ones are .

thanks guys for your help/advice.

[Jools]

You'd be amazed at what doesn't eat shrimp. What is the tank size in cm or inches?

[Triactis Trainer]

Agreed with Jools here. I have a single ghost shrimp from an old tank that went down living with several carnivorous plecos, like my L160 and L91. He eats off of them and they don't pay any attention to him!

[2wheelsx2]

Unless it was by accident none of my plecos have eaten my cherry shrimp. The plecos include Hypans, Peckoltia, Scobiancistrus, Pseudacanthicus, Ancistrus and Baryancistrus.

[naturalart]

Sounds like your TDS/GH will be through the roof. Maybe consider some of the smaller tanganyikan synos? S. lucipinnis, S. polli? Maybe someone has experience with them and their predilection or not for live shrimp?

[Jools]

Synodontis nigriventris

eats shrimp. All plecos are safe as far as I know. I've had a lot of success with larger cats but they're too big for the tank in question.

Jools

[nvcichlids]

Thanks for the response. I am staying away from synos. I was thinking maybe L134.

Both tanks are 48"long by 12"front to back.. one is 12"tall and the other is 16" tall.

I might just do otos...

What about

Hyalobagrus flavus

?

[.Plecomania.]

i recommend farowella catfish. i think most plecos will eat or harass shrimp and shrimplets. snails too, they like eating the slime off snails. If you have a lot of plecos in the tank, the problem will be worse. if you're doing a Sulawesi tank, there are no plecos there anyway.

[naturalart]

H. flavus is a great little fish. Once they settle in; mine were active during the day, could handle varying water conditions. But, even though they were small and have a small mouth they weren't very picky about what they ate. They had to work on full adult brine shrimp but they did work on them. I've never kept them with cherry shrimp, and I don't think they could subdue an adult Amano shrimp (Caridina multidentata), but I don't think they would hesitate to go after a juvenile Red Cherry Shrimp (Neocaridina Heteropoda). They are just micro bagrids after all.

[Jools]

i recommend farowella catfish. i think most plecos will eat or harass shrimp and shrimplets. snails too, they like eating the slime off snails.

Could you provide a list of plecos you've observed eating live shrimp?

Cheers

Jools

[Jools]

L134 prefer softer water so not an ideal choice. Any Hypancistrus and most Panaqolus and Ancistrus would be good alternatives.

Jools

[2wheelsx2]

Could you provide a list of plecos you've observed eating live shrimp?

Cheers

Jools

Second this. The only shrimps I've seen plecos eat are ones which were already dead.