Ghost shrimp

Water parameters

Tolerated range for this species. Aim for the middle of each band rather than the extremes.

Tank and habitat

Substrate: any.

Behavior

Plant interaction: plant safe.

Typically wild-caught; acclimate slowly.

Feeding

Scavenger that eats anything organic: fish food, algae, biofilm, decaying plant matter, dead fish, dead shrimp. In a community tank, they clean up whatever settles on the bottom. Supplemental feeding with sinking pellets, algae wafers, blanched vegetables (zucchini, spinach), and occasional frozen food keeps them healthy. They're not effective algae cleaners despite the marketing; their algae consumption is modest compared to Amano shrimp or nerite snails. Feed every other day if the tank has other food sources. In dedicated shrimp tanks, feed a small amount of shrimp food or blanched vegetable 2-3 times weekly.

Compatibility

• The cheapest and most expendable freshwater shrimp in the hobby. Sold for pennies as feeder shrimp and as 'algae cleaners.' The low price means they're frequently impulse purchases with little research.
• Safe with small peaceful fish. Any fish large enough to eat them will. Angelfish, cichlids, and most fish over 8 cm treat ghost shrimp as food, which is their intended purpose in the feeder trade.
• Can be aggressive toward smaller shrimp species. Ghost shrimp (Palaemonetes paludosus and related species) are larger and more assertive than cherry shrimp or Amano shrimp. They'll harass and occasionally kill smaller Neocaridina in shared tanks.
• Useful as live food for predatory fish. Their low cost and availability make them the standard feeder shrimp in the hobby.

Origin and habitat

Palaemonetes paludosus, native to freshwater ponds, lakes, and streams across the eastern United States: from Massachusetts to Wisconsin in the north, and Florida to eastern Texas in the south. Described by Gibbes in 1850. Also called glass shrimp or eastern grass shrimp. Wild-caught from southeastern waterways in large quantities for the feeder trade. USGS notes they are omnivorous nocturnal feeders that mainly eat algae, vascular plants, aquatic insects, and detritus. Nearly transparent body. True P. paludosus have orange bands on their legs and antennae, plus a fine pepper-dot pattern across the body. This matters because of a widespread misidentification problem: Macrobrachium whisker shrimp (a different genus) are frequently sold under the same "ghost shrimp" label. Whisker shrimp have significantly longer arms with larger claws that surpass leg length, lack the pepper-dot pattern, and are more aggressive. If a "ghost shrimp" is attacking tankmates, it's likely Macrobrachium, not Palaemonetes. USGS reports an annual life cycle: the species dies post-spawning from April to October in northern populations. Breeding is year-round in Florida's warmer waters.

Breeding

Females carry green eggs under the abdomen for 2-3 weeks before releasing larvae. Whether the larvae survive depends on the species: some Palaemonetes species sold as 'ghost shrimp' have a planktonic larval stage that requires brackish water to survive, while others develop directly into miniature shrimp in fresh water. This inconsistency is because 'ghost shrimp' isn't a single species. If the larvae need brackish water and you're keeping them in fresh, you'll see berried females repeatedly but never any surviving young. For fresh-water-breeding populations, larvae develop into tiny shrimp within 1-2 weeks and are immediately free-living. They eat biofilm and microorganisms. Population growth is slower than Neocaridina shrimp because clutch sizes are smaller and larval mortality is higher. Breeding without knowing which species you have is a guessing game.

Common problems

Short lifespan is the main limitation. Ghost shrimp typically live 1-1.5 years, much shorter than cherry shrimp (2-3 years) or Amano shrimp (3-5 years). They're also less hardy than they appear: sold as feeder shrimp under stressful conditions (overcrowded, unheated tanks in stores), many die within days of purchase from accumulated stress. Buying from a store that maintains them in reasonable conditions improves survival. Molting problems from mineral deficiency (low GH) kill them the same way as other shrimp: they get stuck in the old exoskeleton. Maintain GH above 6. Copper sensitivity applies to all shrimp; avoid copper-based medications in tanks with ghost shrimp. The aggression toward smaller shrimp species surprises keepers who assume all shrimp are equally peaceful. Ghost shrimp can catch and kill small Neocaridina, especially during molting when the smaller shrimp are vulnerable.

Bioload

Further reading

• How to cycle a fish tank
• Stocking ideas by tank size