Ghost Shrimp A to Z Care Guide
Ghost shrimp belongs to a freshwater crustacean. It is also known as glass shrimp and is very popular with fish keepers of all levels of expertise.
They are very easy to care for and a good addition to a tropical
community tank containing non-aggressive and small fish.
The life span of Ghost Shrimp is just one
year, so they are not for the sentimental fish keepers; however, it makes them
more affordable.
Typically they perform two roles, as an
efficient tank cleaner or as feeders to larger fish.
Here we will cover everything you require
to know about ghost shrimp, including diet, compatibility, care, and a lot more.
Category |
Rating |
Care Level: |
Very Easy |
Temperament: |
Peaceful Nature |
Color Form: |
Clear |
Lifespan: |
Maximum 1 Year |
Size: |
1.5” |
Diet: |
Omnivore |
Family: |
Palaemonidae |
Minimum Tank Size: |
5 to 10 Gallons |
Tank Set-Up: |
Tropical Freshwater: Plants
and Caves |
Compatibility: |
Peaceful Small Fish |
Overview of Ghost Shrimp
Originally Ghost shrimp are from the North American
region and have been very popular in home aquariums since it is being described in the year 1850.
The name ‘Ghost shrimp’ is used for some various
species of shrimp and the most popular of which is the “Ghost Shrimp”
freshwater genus. It belongs to the Palaemonetes family.
Here in this article, we will particularly focus
on the freshwater Ghost Shrimp.
There are various ghost shrimp species belonging
to the Palaemonetes genus. A lot of fish stores only use the common name ‘Ghost
Shrimp’.
In these days they could be found all over the
world, although a lot of populations are reared in farms to deliver home
aquariums or as feeder fish.
Being used as bait by some fishermen, for the
fishing industry, the wild populations could be problematic. It is because they
work as pests in the aquaculture.
Ghost shrimp make your life a little bit easier in
a fish tank. Being a prominent scavenger, they can clean up any unconsumed food
and also keeping
the level of algae down. The
cleaning process will keep the aquarium looking clean. The shrimp do
this activity throughout the day and are always busy and active.
The Ghost shrimp’s behavior ranges from cleaning/feeding
and free-swimming all around the aquarium.
A group is not important though, an individual
shrimp can perform happily in its own way.
At the time of getting your shrimp make sure to
check whether they are bred for a home aquarium or as feeder fish. Feeder fish
are treated in a poor manner and are unlikely to live
as long.
The appearance of Ghost Shrimp
As the name “ghost shrimp” suggests, in order to evade predators they are mostly clear in color.
It permits the inner-functioning of their
body to be viewed as its food is processed, a big reason as to why these
shrimps are an attractive addition to a fish tank.
Various specimens of shrimp can have
various colored dots on their backs. They can grow up to roughly 1.5 inches in
length, however, the females can become relatively bigger than the males.
The Ghost shrimp possess two types of
antenna, one is long and the other is short. These antennae act as sensory
organs that help to detect chemical information or tactile such as food or
toxins in the water. Also, the antennae have social uses, however, it is less understood.
They have a beak-like extension called a rostrum.
The rostrum is between their eyes and in front of the carapace.
But what is carapace? The carapace is a protective
hard shell which encases the softer organs of shrimp for defense purpose.
There are six numbers of flexible
abdominal segments behind the carapace that house a couple of pleopods “swimming
limbs”. The 6th abdominal
segment connects to their tail, in the center of which is the telson. It is the
final segment.
There are four other segments under the
telson that embody the uropod. It is forming the iconic
tail fan.
Ghost Shrimp Lifespan and Molting
As mentioned above, ghost shrimp can survive for around one year, however, it may
change depending on the place of origin and the species.
Since they are easy to breed and so
cheap, these shrimp are often used in the home aquarium as feeder fish for the
bigger species. As a result, they are often kept with poor filtration and in
high densities.
This causes them more likely to die while
transporting and increases the rate of mortality. For some shrimps, it is common to die within a few days into life in their new aquarium, even though the aquarium is healthy.
Although they have a very short life, the
specimens can molt on a regular basis as they grow and eat, becoming very big
for their previous shell.
These all depend on how fast they grow
and how much they eat and this becomes
fairly frequent.
While their old shell is shaded, they
will be especially vulnerable until the shrimp’s new shell hardens. While this
must not be a reason to worry, don’t be surprised if your ghost shrimp is
damaged by the rough behavior from some boisterous
fish.
Make sure that your aquarium has plants or
crevices for the molting shrimp to
hide in.
If you notice a molted shell which is
sitting on the sediment its normal to panic and assume this is a dead shrimp,
however, with close monitoring, their hollow interior could clearly detect this
as a discarded exterior.
When the shell of a shrimp is shed you
don’t require to separate it from your fish tank immediately, the reason is
they typically become food
for another shrimp in your aquarium.