Generally compatible2 concerns

Cherry shrimp and Guppy

Can these two share a tank? The assessment below is derived from stored behavioural and environmental traits, not from a compatibility chart.

VerdictGenerally compatiblehigh confidence

Usually works. Minor points to watch are listed below.

Minimum volume: 60 L
Minimum length: 60 cm
Factors considered: 7

Concerns

minortemperature

Temperature requirements overlap at 22–27 °C, though the band does not sit centrally for both animals. Aim for the middle of it and keep the heater accurate.

Derived from: environment.temperature on both records

minorinvertebrate risk

Adult shrimp should be safe, but Guppy will eat shrimplets. Expect the colony to hold steady rather than grow.

Derived from: traits.predation.shrimplets

Why it can work

pH requirements overlap at 7–8.
Hardness requirements overlap at 8–15 °dGH.
Cherry shrimp needs a group of at least 10. Kept in smaller numbers it is not simply lonely — shoaling species held below their threshold show chronic stress behaviour, colour loss and, in several species, increased aggression towards tankmates.
Guppy needs a group of at least 6. Kept in smaller numbers it is not simply lonely — shoaling species held below their threshold show chronic stress behaviour, colour loss and, in several species, increased aggression towards tankmates.
The two occupy different levels of the tank, which reduces direct competition for space.

Conditions

Most interesting pairings are conditional on something. These are the things the keeper can actually change.

Dense moss or leaf litter if you want the shrimp colony to increase in number
At least 10 Cherry shrimp, counted as one group
At least 6 Guppy, counted as one group

Derived, or documented?

These are different claims and are shown separately. The verdict above is derived from stored traits — arithmetic on AquariumHQ's own records. Whether the pairing is actually reported to work is a separate question, and for most pairs the honest answer is that we hold nothing.

Environmental compatibility

Derived from stored traits

Temperature, pH, hardness, size and behavioural traits compared between the two records. Sound as far as it goes, and it is not evidence that the pairing works.

Behavioural evidence

Widely reported in practice

Reported consistently across aquarium practice without a single citable source. Treated as real but not as measurement.

AquariumHQ's overall position

Environmental compatibility is strong and genuinely mutual. Behaviourally the adults coexist reliably and the colony will not increase without dense cover. AquariumHQ records this as generally compatible with a stated qualification about recruitment.

Factor by factor

Predation on shrimpletsReported
Guppies are micropredators and take anything small enough. Adult shrimp are generally safe; the young are not.
HardnessDerived
An unusually good match. Both do well in harder water, and cherry shrimp need the minerals for moulting that guppies also prefer — one of the few pairings where the water suits both rather than compromising for each.

What the answer depends on. A single cell in a compatibility chart cannot hold any of these.
Depends on	How much
Tank size and dimensions	none
Life stage	none
The individual animal	minor

How good is the overlap?

Whether two ranges intersect is a necessary condition, not evidence. What matters is WHERE the shared band sits: an overlap at the top of one animal's range and the bottom of the other's is a forced compromise however wide it looks, and it is the case a simple intersection test cannot see.

Each dimension assessed for the quality of the overlap, not merely its existence.
Dimension	Assessment	What that means here
Temperature	Workable	The shared band 22–27 °C is usable, though it does not sit centrally for both animals.
pH	Comfortable for both	The shared band 7–8 pH sits centrally in both ranges, with room to drift.
Hardness	Workable	The shared band 8–15 °dGH is usable, though it does not sit centrally for both animals.

Factor by factor

Every factor states what it rests on. Most are derived from the traits stored on both records — sound arithmetic on AquariumHQ's own data, and not a report about how the pairing actually goes. Where a factor says 'not known', the data is missing and saying so matters, because a missing factor and a favourable one look identical once both are absent.

3 evidence-backed16 derived0 not known

Factor	Basis	Finding
Temperature	Derived from stored traits	Workable. The shared band 22–27 °C is usable, though it does not sit centrally for both animals.
pH	Derived from stored traits	Comfortable for both. The shared band 7–8 pH sits centrally in both ranges, with room to drift.
Hardness	Derived from stored traits	Workable. The shared band 8–15 °dGH is usable, though it does not sit centrally for both animals.
Body size	Derived from stored traits	Adult sizes are comparable at about 4 cm and 6 cm, so neither is a mouthful for the other.
Predation	Evidence-backed	Highest predation risk in either direction is "none". Reported: Guppies are micropredators and take anything small enough. Adult shrimp are generally safe; the young are not.
Territoriality	Derived from stored traits	Neither animal holds a territory.
Breeding aggression	Derived from stored traits	Neither becomes notably more aggressive while spawning.
Fin-nipping	Derived from stored traits	No nipper-and-target combination between these two.
Aggression	Derived from stored traits	Strongest intraspecific aggression across the pair is "none". It bears on the pairing because a fish under pressure from its own kind redirects.
Social requirements	Derived from stored traits	Cherry shrimp needs at least 10; Guppy needs at least 6. A shoaling species held below its threshold shows chronic stress and, in several species, increased aggression towards tankmates.
Group-size dependency	Derived from stored traits	The outcome depends on group size as much as on the pairing: under-grouped shoalers nip more and hide more.
Tank zone	Derived from stored traits	The two use different levels of the tank, which reduces direct competition for space.
Activity level	Derived from stored traits	Activity levels are compatible.
Food competition	Derived from stored traits	Different feeding strategies, so direct competition is limited.
Risk to shrimp and snails	Derived from stored traits	Highest risk either animal poses to dwarf shrimp or snails is "moderate".
Effect on plants	Derived from stored traits	Neither animal damages planting.
Tank dimensions	Derived from stored traits	The more demanding of the two needs at least 60 L and 60 cm of length before anything else is in the tank. Volume alone does not describe a home for a fish that swims in straight lines.
Life stage	Evidence-backed	Life-stage dependency: none. See the documented record.
Individual variation	Evidence-backed	Individual variation: minor.

Environmental overlap

Parameter	Shared range	Reading
Temperature	22–27 °C	Aim for the middle of the shared band.
pH	7–8	Stability matters more than the exact figure.
Hardness	8–15 °dGH	Check your source water before committing.

What this assessment cannot tell you

Individual temperament varies, particularly in cichlids and in bettas, and can override a favourable verdict for Cherry shrimp or Guppy.
The assessment is for the pair in isolation. A third species can change the outcome in either direction.
Both animals are assessed at adult size, not at the size they are sold.
A verdict is a statement about probability, not a guarantee.

The two species

Cherry shrimpNeocaridina davidiThe most forgiving dwarf shrimp in the hobby and the usual first one. Colour strains — red, yellow, blue, green, orange — are all the same species, which is why mixing them produces wild-type brown offspring within a few generations.GuppyPoecilia reticulataDomestic guppies are hard-water fish, which is the opposite of what most people assume. They are also among the most widely introduced fish on Earth — released deliberately for mosquito control and now established across the tropics with documented harm to native species.