Compatability of fish with shrimp

Question
Hello,
I have nematodes, planarian, snails, and water fleas that I want to rid off the aquarium.
Well, I've got some information that Kuhli loaches can solve this problem but there seems to be a lack of them in the aquarium trade currently. So, I'm here to ask what other fish can help me solve this problem. The only thing is my tank would be a shrimp tank(red cherry shrimp and more)and I can't clean the gravel due to plants. I'm fine with a little of the baby shrimp being eaten up but not the adults.
Another thing, I read somewhere that dicrossus filamentosus can live with shrimp due to their small mouths. Is this true? Because I might want to have them in my tank in the future too. I'm thinking that maybe I should let the shrimp breed to quite a massive amount before adding the dicrossus in. That way, the breeding rate might be faster than the consumption rate.

Thanks!

Answer
Hello Arron:


I would personally be a little hesitant to use Dicrossus filamentosus/Checkerboard Cichlids in the tank.  First, while these are peaceful fish I would still worry about aggression towards the shrimp.  Secondly, these fish really prefer very soft and acidic (PH~5) water that might not suit your shrimp.

Cleaning the gravel would be one of the best ways to eliminate the planaria, but since that is not an option for you there are several other things that you could try. The harmless water fleas, or daphnia, may be harder to remove.

1) You could make a "planaria trap" using a film canister, or similar, baited with raw meat or a high-protein fish food.  Basically, the bait is put in the container, covered with gauze or mosquito netting, and left in the water for an hour or two before being removed.

2) You could also try a "mostly shrimp safe" fish such as a small corydoras cat or a guppy which may eat the planaria/water fleas.

3) You could try a medication containing either flubendazol or febendazol to kill the planaria and nematodes.

Removing the snails would probably best be accomplished by hand.  You can make this easier by baiting them with a piece of cucumber (or similar) and removing.  Just a note - I have used assassin snails to kill other snails but these may kill small shrimp as well.

Hope I could help,


Brian.