keeping ghost shrimp

[sharpie]

if i were just going to keep some ghost shrimp as food for my larger fish (not to breed them) would i have to go out and buy a 10g tank and a sponge filter and all that stuff or could i keep them in a kritter keeper with some java moss? also. would ghost shrimp eat green algae? if so. how many of them would i need to help clean out a 10g planted tank?
-thanks so much :dance:

 

[monkey_toes]

could i keep them in a kritter keeper with some java moss?

Yes, at least for a while. The length of time would depend on the number you plan to keep in there. I've kept two dozen for a couple weeks in a two-gallon bucket with a couple bunches of ludwigia before. I wouldn't want to keep anything like the density you see in the stores, though. And keep them FED.

would ghost shrimp eat green algae? if so. how many of them would i need to help clean out a 10g planted tank?
-thanks so much :dance:

They do eat algae (I know they do because I can see their little green stomachs) but I wouldn't be able to say how much. Mine really seem to prefer flake food and shrimp pellets (little cannibals), but they nosh on algae between mealtimes. The algae in my tank stays cropped pretty close, but I also have otocinclus cats and mollies in there. Mine also eat java moss. I thought they were just scavenging bits of food, but then I noticed the java strands getting shorter.