Two harlequin shrimp of same sex in same tank?

[hobbzz]

I'm sure the answer will be no, but I've only had mated pairs so I'm not sure.

Can you keep two males or two females in the same tank? I'm talking about a small tank, not a 125 where they'd never see each other. Please don't comment on tank size either. I've kept them in small tanks with no problems. I'm wondering if two males or two females will fight and kill each other. I ordered a pair on wednesday to find out they died before being shipped. Or fedex screwed up and didn't pick up the package. Either way I'm in the market for two, and don't want to wait another six months for a pair if I don't have to. Thanks.

 

[hobbzz]

Anyone?

 

[cbr600rri]

Yes, the same sex will fight

 

[hobbzz]

That's what I thought. That sucks. I never see pairs for sale more than a few times a year, and it's usually only after they've sold. Some kid at my lfs said "I think you'll be fine".

 

[cbr600rri]

Yea, I see a few paired up as well in the SF area. Although, I have seen more than a few lately. You can always buy them separately. The female is bigger, but if you purchase them when they're little, you can't tell. So look for the abdomen. It should be wider. here's a link with some info: http://www.sihawaii.com/sydkraul/harly.html

 

[hobbzz]

Thanks but the lfs's in town never have any. I know how to sex them according to the plates, but whenever I see them online they're never sexed. It always just says "harlequin shrimp". Which sucks because there are 3-4 websites selling singles right now. I guess I could talk to an lfs in town and see if they could get a male and a female that haven't been paired up already.

Is there any chance they would fight if they weren't already paired up and were thrown in the same small tank together at the same time?

 

[cbr600rri]

Ahh, ic. Yea, with online, you never know.

As for putting 2 that weren't paired up to begin with, it won't be a problem. My current pair was introduced separately. Male first, then I found a female like a few months later. Almost instantly, they were together. And full of eggs every since, but don't have the time or spare tank to rear the babies.

 

[hobbzz]

Is that normal or did you just get lucky with them pairing?

 

[cbr600rri]

I think that's normal, but I could be wrong