Ghost shrimp questions...?

Question

Hi! I'm thinking about getting a few ghost shrimp for my 55 gallon tank, but really I know nothing about them...

1. Are they benificial to such a large tank?
2. What do they eat?
3. How many should I get for them to prosper?
4. Will my opaline gouramis or Betta girls eat them?
5. Can they withstand high ph? (Last checked, mine's at 8.2)
6. Are there better varieties of shrimp that I should consider instead?

I saw them at the shop last time, and thought about getting them, but didn't since I know nothing about them...

Thanks for your answers!
;o)

okay...... Not all the fish in my 55 gallon are small like neons...

Will my opaline gouramis or bettas EAT these shrimp???

Answer 1

Ghost shrimps are very cute little creatures! They are a awesome addition to your tank. They eat generaly any normal fish food you get from the store and any left over stuff at the bottom of your tank. They can detect food pretty well, no need to find them and fed them. They do mate, but kinda hard to see the tiny ones make it alive. I know small fishes dont care about the shrimps, but not so sure if your gouramins might leave them in peace. They are cheap and hardy.

You will enjoy looking at the stunts they do (crawling up and down the tank, walking backwards..) and they love plants to hide in.

Answer 2

Ghost shrimp are sometimes said to to eat algae and although if nothing else is around, they will, it is more of a last resort to them so don't get them thinking they are a "benefit". They are usually sold as food for other fish but do make nice additions to peaceful tank setups. The problem is that fish that can fit it into it's mouth will eat it and they are very prone to attack when they molt. They will eat regular flake food or anything else they can get hold of. As for prosper, even if they reproduce in your tank, the young will probably be eaten so it depends on your definition of prosper. They should be fine with that pH, they are actually pretty hardy and can survive a very wide range of conditions.

Don't expect to actually see them very often. What you will notice most is occasionally a pair of eyes on a plant or more often activity during feeding. That "ghost" effect is part of their charm though. Especially seeing the light catch them swimming through the water from a distance. It's almost like shadows where they don't belong.

Answer 3

some Bettas will devour the shrimp, yet no longer all will, so optimistically you will get fortunate! yet if you consider that they're purely 50 cents each and each, they are going to a minimum of make a severe high quality snack for the Betta if worst come to shove. a million. they are going to have greater desirable than sufficient room! it particularly is large using fact it's going to infrequently ever get grimy, and you have particularly some recommendations on adorning, plus you will be able to desire to continuously upload an Apple snail or some African Dwarf Frogs, or yet another small tropical fish. 2. sure, they the two choose warmth. 3. No, Bettas breath from a labyrinth. you will nonetheless desire a clear out, which will oxygenate the water besides, yet air pumps will purely disturb the water greater so which you're high-quality without. 4. A breeding clear out would be high-quality yet be valuable to get a gravel vacuum using fact it wont get lots waste (however nonetheless good for the water high quality). Whisper filters have worked large for my Bettas, and that they are amazingly quiet! on the larger Whisper filters my Betta had some worry by probability swimming into it is modern-day some cases yet he's located out to swim around it and it is incredibly delicate. 5. Bloodworms are large, noticeably stay ones. interior the wild they devour mosquito larvae, that's extremely reminiscent of bloodworms (fly larvae). purely approximately 3 an afternoon, and take out despite they do no longer devour (if it is pellets or flakes).

Answer 4

Wow...I learnt something new today...that ghost shrimps really exist! Maybe this site will help you http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_Display.cfm?pCatId=1468

Minimum Tank Size: 10 gallon
Care Level: Easy
Tank Conditions: 68-85°F; pH 6.5-8.0; KH 3-10
Max. Size In Aquarium: Up to 2"
Color Form: Orange, Transparent, Yellow
Temperament: Peaceful
Diet: Omnivore
Origin: Farm Raised
Family: Palaeomonidae

Answer 5

Your Gouramis will love their new tankmates (for a meal)! My Dwarf Gourami is about 2 inches and no shrimp stands a chance against him. I don't think it will work out. But if you really want to try it, your Gouramis will love the protein... The shrimp are only about 50 cents so, it wouldn't be a terrible problem if your Gouramis ate them...

Nosoop4u

Answer 6

Appropriate Home
Ghost Shrimp can live in fish bowls and aquariums with and without an aquarium heater at a temperature between 65 and 82 degrees F. Every few months a Ghost Shrimp molts its exoskeleton. When this happens, it's soft body is exposed, and it's vulnerable to being eaten. You can protect your Ghost Shrimp by putting a piece of a broken flower pot on the bottom of your Ghost Shrimp's home to form a small hiding place for the Shrimp. Put the piece of the broken flower pot with it's inside facing down on the bottom of your Shrimp's home, so there is a small cave for your Shrimp to crawl under. If this cave is not big enough for the Shrimps, prop the piece of the flower pot up with a small rock or piece of gravel, or another piece of the broken flower pot. The idea is to give the Ghost Shrimp a hiding place that is too small for the other animals. So the Shrimp will be safe while it molts.

Of course you must always be sure that everything, such as a piece of a broken flower pot, that goes into your Ghost Shrimp's home, is clean and not contaminated. Click here to read more about avoiding contamination.


Recommended Diet
Ghost Shrimp eat particles of food that they pick off the bottom and off of plants. They will also swim upside down and travel just under the surface of the water to eat food particles off the surface. Click here for more about feeding. I also feed my Ghost Shrimp a few live Black Worms every other day. Click here for more about feeding Black Worms.


Compatibility
Ghost Shrimp quarrel and spar with each other. It's fun to have a few, but when there are too many Ghost Shrimp, the bigger ones will make the smaller ones miserable. Put 3 or 4 in a large fish bowl, 6 to 8 in a ten gallon aquarium, and about one Ghost Shrimp per gallon in larger aquariums. Good tank mates for Ghost Shrimp are the Small Tetras such as Neon Tetras, Glow Light Tetras, and Black Phantom Tetras, also Harlequin Rasboras, African Dwarf Frogs, Bettas, White Clouds, Fancy Guppies, Corydoras Catfish and other fish that are too small to eat the Ghost Shrimp. Click here to read more about several groups of compatible fish.


Size and Life Span
Ghost Shrimp can live for a year or two. Female Ghost Shrimp grow to about 1.5", and males grow to about 1".



Books about
Shrimps, Crayfish, and Crabs
The books shown below are listed on Amazon.com. You can click on the title or on the image of a book to go to the page at Amazon.com, where that book is listed and discussed. In some cases you can preview several of the pages in that book.