Ghost Shrimp

[SkylarrRyann]

Hey all...Just wanted to know a little bit about Ghost Shrimp and breeding them. I've had a ghost shrimp with alot of eggs still inside her, and I put her in a breeding tank one day and the next day there were no eggs to be found either on top of the water, inside her or on the bottom of the tank. I was so looking forward to having baby shost shrimp. :( Does anyone have any information on homw long ghost shrimp are pregnant for? What should I do for the pregnant mother? Should I put a sponge on top of the water for the eggs to float to? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank You.

Skylarr

[YuccaPatrol]

Ghost shrimp brood their eggs (carry them until they hatch). But they can only breed in brackish water. Usually, you will buy some that are carrying eggs at the LFS, but these eggs will typically be abandoned by the mother since they cannot be hatched in regular freshwater aquariums.

If you want to breed freshwater shrimp, you should either get a true freshwater shrimp species or set up a brackish breeding tank for the ghost shrimp.

[monkey_toes]

Some information here:
http://www.centralpets.com/animals/fish/freshwater_inverts/fwi4997.html

Some species do need brackish water, others don't. I catch mine locally and the best spot I've found is a series of retention ponds. It would be monumentally difficult for the shrimp to routinely leave the ponds to breed. The ponds are also home to sailfin mollies, several species of killie, native sunfish and feral jewel cichlids. Regardless, I've had no success in rearing ghost shrimp — one day a female has eggs, the next she doesn't. Too many mouths in the tank, I think.

[budrecki]

Monkeytoes

Uh, what retention pond was that? I might like to go "shopping" :dive:

[Larissa]

I have two ghost shrimp in my tank that have eggs. They did not have them when I bought them. I figure that they'll be good live food for my betta if they hatch and survive. I think that to rear them (if they don't need brackish water) you would need only a sponge filter in the tank and lots of green water. This is only an assumption.

[Emg]

When the female ghost shrimp "lets go" of the little shrimp..they are free swimmers. I only know this because I had one ghost shrimp successfully carry a batch of eggs to hatching.....only to have the little tykes get eaten by my betta...lol. If you have gravel in that tank, they could be hiding there.

Perhaps, the reason my shrimp hatched her eggs successfully in my freshwater tank, is because I add 1/2 teasp of aquarium salt per gallon to my change water.... :huh: but I have to say...it only happened just that once ! I have yet to see any other baby shrimp, though I have seen several of my females carrying eggs........of course, if there were any, they would probably get eaten before I ever noticed them.

[aquarob]

Perhaps, the reason my shrimp hatched her eggs successfully in my freshwater tank, is because I add 1/2 teasp of aquarium salt per gallon to my change water.... :huh: .

curious, EMG, why do you add the salt during your water changes?

[monkey_toes]

Monkeytoes

Uh, what retention pond was that? I might like to go "shopping" :dive:
lol - I'm about 3 hours south of you. Long drive for shrimp, but the ponds are along Kings Highway in Port Charlotte (I-75, exit 170). The vegetation along the edges is loaded with shrimp. And jewel cichlids. I also net Heterandria formosa, golden ear and bluefin killies, American flag fish and sailfin mollies. There are also some big-*** plecos in there (maybe 18" or so), but I've only caught one and it was about 2.5" long.

[misopeenut]

so is ghost shrimp like amano shrimp??
i dont knwo what ghost shrimp is...
shrimps that i had were crazy.. like they make babies a lot, i started off with 5 shrimps and in couple of month i would have like close to 100..without any fish in the tank that is. and i bought those as ghost shrimp at LFS...
and someone japanese, please help me out
ghost shrimps = minami numa ebi, or jsut numa ebi
amano shrimp= yamato numa ebi

[chinnp]

I've never tried to keep ghost shrimp, but I've heard they're pretty rapid breeders. I've also heard if there aren't a lot of hiding places in the tank that the young get gobbled up pretty rapidly.

[Emg]

curious, EMG, why do you add the salt during your water changes?


Well, no reason other than my brother in law keeps a few tanks and he does......when I started the hobby I did just because he did, figured he knew what he was doing.

Now it's just force of habit and I have had no reasons NOT to.....and of course, also..........just to be a butt pain to those who reason that I aught NOT to... :D

Seriously, I see no DIRE results to my fish by adding it......in fact, I have VERY few health issues in any of my fish so I figure it doesn't hurt...and, most important of all.........

Murphy's law being what it is.........the very day I decide to STOP putting it in my tanks (of course, gradually, not all at once)........they will all effectively CRASH....and my stock will systematically shrivel and melt before my very eyes. :eek:

Sounds to me like plenty of good reasons to keep doing what I'm doing.... :D

[Roan Art]

Interesting. I guess you never read RTR's article on long-term salt use:

http://www.thepufferforum.com/articles/water/salt.html

or did you and believe otherwise? Just curious because this is the first time I've heard of an "long time" AC member using salt on a permanent basis.

Roan

[SkylarrRyann]

I have another question about ghost shrimp....and by the way, thabnks to all who helped me with the other questions. I find my ghost shrimp do very well at cleaning the tropical tank, and my goldfish tank could use some cleaning...do you think it would be ok to put a few ghost shrimp in the goldfish tank? The associates at petsmart told me not to put a snail in with goldfish but I forgot to ask about ghostshrimp. Thanks again!

[Emg]

But, what would be considered "long term"....and what quantity of salt would be "excessive" or add to the "detrimental" effects of using salt regularly ? I only add 1/2 teasp. per gallon.

Perhaps the fact that my water is VERY soft...with a KH of 40 and GH of 60...the PH runs high at about 7.8-8.2 instead of low with these KH readings too.....and the fact that I rarely just "top off" my tanks, but do frequent regular water changes instead.....has something to do with the reason I have not had any issues related to salt....so far.

And no...I have never read that article but will do so when I get the chance. Thanks for the link Roan. My adding salt doesn't really have anything to do with a "belief" I have........it's just something I started doing as a newbie because some who kept fish, told me I should... and thus far have had no reasons to stop doing. The only serious health issues I've had to deal with was when I purchased my first batch of rams and they came with a case of camalanus nematodes...that was a pain, but it certainly didn't have anything to do with me having salt in the water. My fish seldom come down with anything, I can't remember the last time I had to deal with an "issue"........and..........I have great success in breeding and raising any fry my fish have put out for me...and I can say that isn't because of any special "skills" or "knowledge" I have in doing so. They practically raise themselves !

It's been 3 years of this regime...with no change on my part. If I was going to have problems with it, I would certainly think it would have cropped up by now.....no ?

I don't know....... :huh: I'm not trying to thumb my nose at anyone either....but I will not suggest regular salt additions to anyone else from here on in.


BTW....sorry...this is definitely :OT: to the intent of this thread...I guess if anyone wants to discuss it further.....should open another thread....sorry for the hijack Ryann.... :o

[monkey_toes]

do you think it would be ok to put a few ghost shrimp in the goldfish tank?
I don't see any reason why not.
The associates at petsmart told me not to put a snail in with goldfish
Your first mistake: Listening to advice from an associate at Petsmart. If you want good advice, find a trustworthy LFS or ask on the forum. Did you ask them why you can't put a snail in with your goldfish?

[Cuvier]

so is ghost shrimp like amano shrimp??
i dont knwo what ghost shrimp is...
shrimps that i had were crazy.. like they make babies a lot, i started off with 5 shrimps and in couple of month i would have like close to 100..without any fish in the tank that is. and i bought those as ghost shrimp at LFS...
and someone japanese, please help me out
ghost shrimps = minami numa ebi, or jsut numa ebi
amano shrimp= yamato numa ebi

Several species of transparent freshwater or brackish shrimp from North America are referred to as "ghost shrimp" or "glass shrimp". These are similar to Japanese Palaemon paucidens (http://www002.upp.so-net.ne.jp/ecofront/hotoke/zukan/pic/sujiebi_b.jpg) - スジエビ.

[Gumby131]

hey those ones look like myne

[SkylarrRyann]

I was told not to put snails in the golfish tank because the golfish would try and pull them out of their shell and eat them. If anyone has any information on what kind of tank cleaner I can put in the goldfish tank it would be appreciated. thanks