Ghost shrimp Die?

[isaac newton]

Anyone here have experence keeping Ghost shrimp alive for more then 1 month.. I buy about 20 of them at 20cents a piece in wal mart and a majority die in about 5 days and the rest in about a month. I got sick of them dieing and just bought crabs for a reliable bottom feeder.. Any reasons why they die

[Sumpin'fishy]

I have had some alive for about 2 months, maybe a bit longer. I have them in a planted tank. The largest has been carrying around eggs under her tail for quite a while now. I wish I knew how long it took for the babys to hatch (become free swimming).

I did have one die just the other day, but I had added an incorrect fertilizer to my water and this may have been the culprit. Everyone else seems fine. This same Ghost Shrimp had been getting milky-colored (whitish) instead of translucient. He had been whitish for about 2 weeks then I found him laying upside down and barely moving. He fed and swam around fine until this occurance, though. I thought maybe he was molting, and that was just the skin falling off of him, but I guess not. Or maybe his new skin absorbed too much of the incorrect fertilizer I added (it was a Herbicide, and I thought is was Potassium Nitrate!)
:rolleyes:

PS: Stay away from Greenlight Cut Vine and Stump Killer!!!!
(correct fert is Greenlight Stump Remover - a powder)

[OrionGirl]

Ghost shrimp tend to do better in harder water with higher TDS than the average FW tank will have. They can thrive in BW setups, and will live in full marine water if acclimated slowly. I never had the eggs hatch in FW.

I have kept them alive in FW tanks for about 6 months (I never really tracked it--I'm guessing that 6 months is about the average time between buying groups). I too purchased mine at Walmart, and have always been very careful to avoid transferring the water into my system. I pour the shrimp into a net, then pour fresh tap water over them for about 1 minute before putting them in my tanks.

[scott]

I got mine at Wal-Mart also and now have had them about eight or nine months. I started with six and now have three accounted for although I have never scooped out a body. Ph 7.8 and KH 5°

[tricksterpup]

Along with every one else I have kept mine from any where from 1 week to one year. The average length of time for me is about 9 months. Any more, i prefer to get Amano shrimp for tank clean up. I have had a pair for about 4 years now. They are fantastic cleaners and more fun to watch than the ghost shrimp. Plus, large ghost shrimp may get a little grabby with smaller fish or fry. So my recommendation is to buy some amano shrimp, they may be more expensive but with proper care, they will live longer.
jim