Ghost shrimp
Palaemon paludosus
Also known as glass shrimp
FreshwaterShrimp
Care at a glance
- Temperature
- 64–84°F
- 18–29°C
- pH
- 7.0–8.0
- Adult size
- 1.6 in
- 4 cm
- Minimum tank
- 5 gal
- 19 L
- Temperament
- Mostly peaceful
- Social behavior
- Social
- Swim level
- Bottom
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Breeding
- Egg carrier · Medium
- Rarity
- Very common
- Family
- Palaemonidae
- Origin
- North America
Overview
The ghost shrimp is a social, mostly peaceful scavenger for the bottom of the tank. It is easy to keep.
Did you know
The ghost shrimp's body is see-through, so you can watch food move through its gut. You can even see a female's eggs developing.
Caring for the ghost shrimp
Keep ghost shrimp alone or in a group in a tank of at least 5 gal (19 L). Give them plants or moss for cover, which helps the most right after they molt. They forage along the bottom and are easy to please.
Ghost shrimp tolerate a wide temperature band, from 64 to 84°F (18 to 29°C). Keep the water stable and clean, neutral to slightly alkaline, with a pH of 7.0 to 8.0. Avoid copper-based medications, which are toxic to shrimp.
Ghost shrimp clean up leftover food, algae and detritus, which makes them useful in a planted tank. They are not picky and take sinking pellets, flake, algae and bits of blanched vegetable.
They are mostly peaceful, so keep them with small, calm fish. Larger or nippy fish will eat them, especially when they are soft after molting.
Females carry their eggs under the tail, and breeding ghost shrimp is moderately doable. The larvae are small and need fine food and careful conditions to survive past their first days.
Good to know
Palaemon paludosus is a freshwater shrimp in the family Palaemonidae. Its nearly clear body gives it the common name, and it is also sold as the glass shrimp. It is often sold as a feeder shrimp too. The shrimp in a cleanup crew and in a feeder tank are frequently the same species, put to different uses.
In the wild
Ghost shrimp come from fresh and slightly brackish waters across the southeastern United States. They live in weedy ponds, ditches and slow streams thick with plants, foraging along the bottom among the vegetation.
Common questions
What size tank does a ghost shrimp need?
A ghost shrimp needs at least 5 gal (19 L). It spends most of its time in the bottom.
What temperature and pH does a ghost shrimp need?
A ghost shrimp is comfortable at 64–84°F (18–29°C) with a pH of 7.0–8.0.
What does a ghost shrimp eat?
A ghost shrimp is not a picky eater. It takes sinking pellets, flake, algae and bits of blanched vegetable, and it cleans up leftover food and detritus.
How big does a ghost shrimp get?
An adult ghost shrimp reaches about 1.6 in (4 cm).
How does a ghost shrimp breed?
A female ghost shrimp carries her eggs under her tail. Breeding is moderately doable, but the small larvae need fine food and careful conditions to survive past their first days.
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