How to care for a Ghost Shrimp!!!!!

[DwarfPufferLover]

So I have decided to take the risk and try out a ghost shrimp with my DP. But the problem is...there isn't a lot of info out there that explains care for these shrimp. And PLEASE don't tell me to just search google! I've already done that. Some things I require is: tank size, temperature requirements, food, water parameters, etc....

[jus85411]

i would assume the same care of the DP. since puffers are sensitive to water conditions you would be able to provide the shrimp with good care as long as you provide the puff with good care. although i dont think they would last too long because the shrimp would need hideouts if they are constantly being hunted and not many spaces are going to be small enough for them to fit without the DP being able to fit either. your puff might not even go after them, who knows? but i have had ghost shrimp live in my tank and my roommates tank when he had it and they have thrived for months before being eaten eventually. im no expert on ghost shrimp but i think they are kind of hardy too

[Pufferpunk]

Search & you shall find!
library/misc/ghostshrimp/

[jus85411]

lol you know, i have browsed the articles countless times in my down time at work and have never come across that!

[DwarfPufferLover]

Search & you shall find!
library/misc/ghostshrimp/

I read this article and I am interested by something. Is it true that ghostshrimp climb out of the water?? If they do...won't they just die or something?

[xrayjeeper83]

I have some in with my fahaka(he is to lazy to chase em) and they have never climbed out, they go maybe half way up the tank and thats it.

[Ohyouknow]

I had ghost shrimp that were indeed suicidal. Most recent batch, one out of four flicked itself right out (only way I can think of to describe it's movement). I have had a few batches in the past that had a few escapees- I found them dried crispy behind the tank.

[RTR]

Yup, ghost shrimp can and do leave tanks - sometimes by "flicking" (good description! I like it!) which is an escape technique when approached by a predator, Or sometimes shortly after introduction to a new home, either by "flicking" or just climbing out. But so do a number of other shrimp species.

Locally I have gotten at least 4 different species of ghost shrimp (and some small macrobrachium shrimp) sold as Ghosts, all being very difficult to tell apart. Only one of those is easy to breed, but it is one of the commonest we get around here.

They are quite interesting in their own tank IME, and worthy of a tank to themselves - especially planted. They are scavengers and to a small extent only, algae grazers - but thy cannot handle filamentous algae and are not very good grazers of even soft green algae. Keep the tank just as if it were for fish, but they are a bit less demanding of heat. I do let the tank(s) for them cool down to ~70F in the winter. It may extend their life a bit. At tropical temps,about 18 months is my average life for them.

HTH

[DwarfPufferLover]

I was concerned because I have a pretty big gap in my tank for the cover for ease of feeding. Does the fact that ghost shrimp sometimes climb out mean that I need to seal in the gap?? Or not...

[jus85411]

my roommate has had them even just jump out of the water and wind up sticking to the glass to dry up and die there stuck lol

[xrayjeeper83]

wow i guess ive been lucky lol

[jus85411]

i have found a few before behind my tank but they mostly get eaten and picked off one by one. havent tried any in my new tank though and it has a tighter fitting lid than my 75 did

[RTR]

My dedicated shrimp tanks all have pretty tight lids. These are also mostly heavily planted tanks. Escape is not an issue there.

For me, escape is an issue much more when shrimp are added to a mixed tank with fish and in partly or fully open-topped tanks.