Can Cherry Shrimp Live With Common otocinclus?

Otocinclus are small, peaceful catfish, about 3.3 cm long, that do well with dwarf shrimp, and cherry shrimp have been kept with them successfully.

Their diets overlap more than their temperaments. Both graze soft algae and biofilm, so in a new tank they compete for the same thin film of food, and it is the otos that show it: a hollow or pinched belly means starvation. Set this pairing up in a mature tank where algae and biofilm have had time to grow, and add the otos last.

The water overlaps at 20 to 25 °C and pH 6.5 to 7.5, which includes the 22 to 24 °C where cherries are most comfortable. Keep the otos in a group of six or more in at least 60 litres. Cherry shrimp need moderate GH and KH for clean molts, so in soft water add a mineral supplement for them.