View Full Version : Ghost Shrimp
fishdaze
12-17-2008, 1:44 PM
So... I probably run the risk of being attacked by any extreme invert lovers for posting this but I recently bought some of these little guys at petsmart as a little "treat" for my leopard bush fish. They were being sold extremely cheap and the lady told me they're used by many people as feeders. My bush fish is fairly small still and it seems that to my surprise one of the larger shrimp made it through the night and is being left alone. For the time being it seems that he might become a new addition to the tank lol. Any tips on feeding or care?
jackiomy
12-17-2008, 1:52 PM
They are pretty resilient. They eat just about anything that hits the substrate. If he has somewhere to hide and is eating you have a new pet. I kept ghost shrimp with my Rainbow crab until they finally died. Of old age I think!
DarrylR
12-17-2008, 2:10 PM
Yay another person from Maryland :O.
The shrimp will just graze in the tank and really does not need any special care.
fishdaze
12-17-2008, 2:15 PM
Haha awesome. What part of MD? I'm in College Park.
Bubbles2112
12-17-2008, 2:17 PM
They will help keep the bottom clean as they pick at anything--even small snails!! I have added bunches (as feeders) to my 75g and they are really fun to watch. Many get eaten but some manage to hide out and now I have a small community of glass shrimps! It adds another dimension for tank watching and visitors (especially children) love to discover them!
fishdaze
12-17-2008, 2:26 PM
Hmm they are pretty cool. I never got shrimp before because I was afraid of them being eaten but now that I put some in for that purpose and a couple made it... I kind of like them. I may be going back to get another handful of the larger ones in hopes that they might make a small community and if they reproduced it would be pretty cool as well as appreciated by the fish. They're fairly cheap and the worst that can happen I suppose is that they would fall victim to their original purpose.
I would hope that no one would attack you for using feeder shrimp for feedings :)
fishdaze
12-17-2008, 6:27 PM
Haha yea I just figured there might be the potential for a shrimp lover to take a stab at me. They are very cute though.
deondrec
12-17-2008, 8:48 PM
im impressed by ghost shrimp. i set up my first planted tank about a month ago. i had an algae out break and freaked. i was looking for a true siamese algae eaters but the only place that had them was far away in phoenix and it was night time. i did however want a 2 liter of A&W root beer so i went to walmart and decide to check on their fish. i wasnt surprised to see dead fish and crappy looking fish but i was surprised to see ghost shrimp. at 46 cents i thought it was a deal so i but 9. but them in the tank and they cleaned house on the algae in the plants and string algae floating around. however last week i bought excel and put that into the tank and it killed 6 of the 9 shrimp and an ivory mystery snail. bought i still have 3 hardy guys left.
fishdaze
12-17-2008, 11:25 PM
Yea, they're definitely growing on me. BTW... they were only 33 cents a piece!!! (at petsmart)
Sounguru
12-17-2008, 11:39 PM
How could you .... I think maybe we need to throw you to the lions and see how you like it... Maybe you might be to big to swallow and get a chance to live in the cage for awhile.....
Viva LA Shrimp.........
kayla25690
12-18-2008, 12:00 AM
they are only 36 cents at my walmart
fishdaze
12-18-2008, 12:23 AM
How could you .... I think maybe we need to throw you to the lions and see how you like it... Maybe you might be to big to swallow and get a chance to live in the cage for awhile.....
Viva LA Shrimp.........
Hahahaha... I knew there would be one somewhere! Anyway, I do have a thing for crayfish and am now starting to have the shrimp grow on me as well. It's not a big stretch. Think of it as a small sacrifice made to convert another fish owner into an avid shrimp enthusiast as I'm sure I'll soon be setting up a small 5-10g tank for shrimp sometime in the near future. Hopefully this winter.
Sounguru
12-18-2008, 3:31 AM
Hahahaha... I knew there would be one somewhere! Anyway, I do have a thing for crayfish and am now starting to have the shrimp grow on me as well. It's not a big stretch. Think of it as a small sacrifice made to convert another fish owner into an avid shrimp enthusiast as I'm sure I'll soon be setting up a small 5-10g tank for shrimp sometime in the near future. Hopefully this winter.
I'm just surprised I was the first...... :dance:
I actually raise cherry shrimps for food for my dwarf cichlids....:lipssealedsmilie:
fishdaze
12-18-2008, 12:17 PM
I'm just surprised I was the first...... :dance:
I actually raise cherry shrimps for food for my dwarf cichlids....:lipssealedsmilie:
The raising for food thing was another reason I was thinking a tank with shrimp of some sort would be a good addition. I have some guppies that were bought partially for that purpose.
yikesjason
12-18-2008, 12:29 PM
I always have fun with ghost shrimp. They are a lot of fun to watch and kids love to look for them and find them in the tank. I occasionally buy a few as a treat for my angles, but they don't last very long anymore.
fishdaze
12-18-2008, 12:34 PM
My bush fish is really funny about stalking them. I'm pretty sure he grabbed all the smaller ones the first night they were in there but he hasn't touched the larger ones. He drifts right up next to them when they're close to cover but as soon as they move into the open he won't follow them. I suppose his "leaf" disguise doesn't work so well when he's not around other leaves. He's pretty small though so I'm sure if the shrimp make it long enough, he'll eventually get big enough to eat them. I'll enjoy their presence in the meantime.
captmicha
12-19-2008, 4:23 AM
I'm from MD too. :headbang2:
They're really easy to care for. They're supposed to be more carnivorous than cherry shrimp but I've always kept live plants in my tanks and I think they may have nibbled on them. They lived off of anything the fish didn't eat. They appreciated a small piece of thawed fish once in a while. I think they're what got me started with shrimp. I don't have those anymore, I think they were eaten, now I have cherries and I want other kinds.
If you want to set up a shrimp tank and want more species than just ghosts, I read that it's not advised. http://www.theshrimpfarm.com/dwarf_shrimp_compatibility_chart.shtml
fishdaze
12-19-2008, 10:27 AM
I'm from MD too. :headbang2:
They're really easy to care for. They're supposed to be more carnivorous than cherry shrimp but I've always kept live plants in my tanks and I think they may have nibbled on them. They lived off of anything the fish didn't eat. They appreciated a small piece of thawed fish once in a while. I think they're what got me started with shrimp. I don't have those anymore, I think they were eaten, now I have cherries and I want other kinds.
If you want to set up a shrimp tank and want more species than just ghosts, I read that it's not advised. http://www.theshrimpfarm.com/dwarf_shrimp_compatibility_chart.shtml
Yea I meant I would set up something other than ghost shrimp. They're ok I just would rather have something a little more interesting. Sorry for the confusion.