Can a fancy goldfish live with cherry shrimp?

No.

Fancy goldfish will hunt and eat cherry shrimp.

Why it doesn’t work

Fancy goldfish are 6–8 inches long and will hunt and eat cherry shrimp, which are only 1–1.5 inches, so the shrimp end up as food. Even if a few hide, goldfish keep foraging along the bottom where shrimp live, and shrimp are shy and stressed by that. Water is another mismatch: shrimp prefer softer water (4–8 dGH) than goldfish (8–18 dGH), so even a tank that suits one species is a compromise for the other.

If they’re already together

1. Separate them now if you see shrimp being chased or caught, or if you notice shrimp going missing. Move the shrimp (or the goldfish) to their own tank rather than waiting to see if it settles.
2. Keep the shrimp in a separate tank of at least 5 gallons, with a group of at least 6 and a mature, established tank, since cherry shrimp do best in one. Give the goldfish at least 20 gallons.
3. Check your water hardness. Keep the shrimp tank at 4–8 dGH, and the goldfish tank can sit at 8–18 dGH. Both species are comfortable at 65–74°F and pH 6.8–8.0, so temperature and pH won't need to differ.

Instead: Keep fancy goldfish in their own 20-gallon-or-larger tank, and set up cherry shrimp separately in a mature 5-gallon-or-larger tank with a group of at least 6. If you want shrimp, pair them with small, peaceful tank mates rather than goldfish.

How we reached this verdict

Side by side

Better tank mates for a fancy goldfish

Zebra nerite snail20 gal+ together

More fancy goldfish pairings