Do Ghost Shrimp Eat Snails????

Hmmm that might be different than mine as well... mine do have a claw appendage but it doesn't look like anything very menacining on the end. (hard to tell- they stay in a shallow cave at the back when it's hard to see them).

Besides the internal organs they're almost colourless. I recall a yellowish line between each segment in their body though- and they have a little bluish on them a few specs here and there.

Without catching one I don't think I'll be able to take a photo of them since they stay hidden.

Maybe a different species and I may be safe.

The thing that stands out the most on them are the dark blue eggs in the females.
 
Since there are like thirty different species from glass to grass to ghost shrimp that are commonly confused, it's really a matter of monitoring behavior. Their feeding behaviors are going to vary. I'm certain that the OP in the thread I linked is being sincere and the photos look genuine, so at least one species does eat snails. It wouldn't surprise me if others did too, as well as small fish etc. Bigger shrimps and crays certainly do.

Can you get us a pic of your shrimps for comparison? Also what about netting out one of your bigger shrimp, and a baby snail, put them in a viewer box, sit back and see what happens. Just a thought.
 
Big for me is 3/4 inch at the moment! LOL... eggs definately not green. I'd call them navy or black. I'll try catching one so I can take a photo.

Wifes got the camera with her so it'll have to be a camera phone photo!
 
This is what mine look like, and they are most assuredly NOT eating snails. I have not found a single dead snail, not one, no empty shells.

KristinaspicturesDONOTDELETE1001.jpg


KristinaspicturesDONOTDELETE1010.jpg


These have also successfully bred and grown to adulthood in pure freshwater. I have three young adults out of the female pictured.

Kristina
 
Yes it looks like the American Glass shrimp is more menancing than the Ghost fish, there are several species that are refered to as "ghost" The most common one is the American Glass shimp which from what I have been reading will eat anything it can get it's claws on, may it be fry or snails. The only clear way to tell which you have is to get alot of good pictures and start comparing to known pictures.

Mike
 
OK... photos taken- I'll figure out how to get them off my phone now.

Caught a berried female and held the net close to the glass. Not very good photos but still... I'd say Kyrah's look more like mine- but unless it's the photos- or hers are just more settle mine are more transparant.

Maybe my eggs are greenish- they to have a greenish tint to them when held up close to the light with my net... The eggs are a much darker colour than most I've seen online.

Anyhow- let me figure away to get these on here and you can judge for yourself.
 
Hmmmm... I'll have to try this again tonight with the wife's camera. :(

I'm tempted to go to Petsmart and examine their shrimp closely to see if they are the same species as stocked by Superpetz (where I got mine)...


... incidentally- found it amusing- had the Danios (as mentioned above that keep my ghosts in hiding) three days- they're already familiar enough with me that a couple of them came up to me and started "kissing" my arm as I reached in to remove a cave to get at the shrimp.
 
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Most ghost shrimps in US are Palaemonetes sp. (paludosus). They are not really aggressive.
However, some Macrobrachium sp. are also sold as ghost shrimp. Macrobrachium shrimps are much more aggressive than other species. They sometimes attack small fishes and sure will eat some snails.

It is extremely difficult to distinguish juvenile Macrobrachium sp. form Palaemonetes sp when they are young.

The shrimp in kyryah's photo is indeed Palaemonetes paludosus.
 
I think it is safe to say I don't have Macrobrachium because mine must be adults, they're berried. Mine do look very similar to Kyryahs- just more transparant. It could just be a different varient... mine also are probably quite stressed after their time in the petstore- and now moving to a new tank inhabited by crazed Danios- so probably would be less coloured.

Superpetz would be missing out on some funds selling Macros for just 33cents each... If they really were I'd have to stock up on them! ;) If I'm not mistaken- Macros are normally considerably more expensive than that.



BTW- the photo here:
http://www.theaquariumwiki.com/Ghost_shrimp

Looks almost identical to mine- it is noted as a Palaemonetes paludosus so I guess that's what mine is.

Only difference is- mine have darker eyes and darker eggs... other than that- that looks just like my shrimp.
 
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