Ghost Shrimp

Palaemon paludosus

Also known as glass shrimp

FreshwaterShrimp

Ghost Shrimp (Palaemon paludosus) — Enziarro / Joseph Stansbury Rosin · Public domain

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 (20 L)
Temperament: Mostly peaceful
Social behavior: Social
Swim level: Bottom
Difficulty: Easy
Breeding: Medium
Rarity: Very common
Origin: North America
Family: Palaemonidae

Overview

These are social, mostly peaceful bottom scavengers, fine to keep in groups. They clean up leftover food, algae, and detritus, which makes them useful in a planted tank. Keep them with small, calm fish, since larger or nippy fish will eat them, especially when they are soft after molting. They are not picky eaters and take sinking pellets, flake, algae, and bits of blanched vegetable. Avoid copper-based medications, which are toxic to shrimp.

In the wild

Ghost shrimp come from fresh and slightly brackish waters across the southeastern United States, including weedy ponds, ditches, and slow streams thick with plants. They forage along the bottom among vegetation. In a tank, they are easy to please: a small setup from about 20 liters, plants or moss for cover, and stable, clean water in the neutral to slightly alkaline range. Cover helps the most right after they molt.

Good to know

Palaemon paludosus is a freshwater shrimp in the family Palaemonidae, growing to roughly 4 cm. Its body is nearly clear, which is where the common name comes from. Breeding is moderately doable, though the larvae are small and need fine food and careful conditions to survive past their first days. It tolerates a wide temperature band, from about 18 to 29 C.

Did you know

Because their bodies are see-through, you can watch food move through the gut and even see a female's eggs developing under her tail. They are also often sold as feeder shrimp, so the ones in the cleanup crew and the ones in the feeder tank are frequently the same species, just put to different uses.