Ghost shrimp

Overview

Ghost shrimp (Palaemonetes paludosus) are cheap, near-transparent scavengers you can watch digest their last meal through their own body. Often sold as feeders, they’re hardy, active and useful for mopping up leftovers. Quality is variable — feeder stock can arrive stressed — but for an inexpensive, easy cleanup crew in a peaceful tank they’re hard to beat. Their transparency is a genuine novelty too — you can watch food move through the gut and even see a female’s developing eggs — which makes them a surprisingly engaging first invertebrate.

Tank & water

A 19 litre (5 gallon) tank suits a small group. Ghost shrimp are tolerant but appreciate stable, slightly harder water than dwarf shrimp:

• A cycled tank — cycle first; they still dislike ammonia and nitrite spikes.
• No copper — lethal to all shrimp; check medication and fertiliser labels.
• A gentle or sponge filter — so shrimp and any young aren’t sucked in; see our filter picks.
• Plants and cover — hiding spots for moulting, when they’re soft and vulnerable.

Feeding

Ghost shrimp are omnivorous scavengers that eat almost anything — biofilm, algae, leftover flakes, blanched vegetables and sinking shrimp or fish food. In a community they largely feed themselves on leftovers; supplement lightly so they stay healthy without fouling the water. Because they’re active, opportunistic feeders, they’ll quickly find and clear leftovers that settle in corners, which is exactly why they earn their keep as scavengers even when you feed them almost nothing directly.

Tankmates & breeding

Ghost shrimp are mostly peaceful but larger and bolder than dwarf shrimp, so avoid mixing them with tiny, delicate shrimp they might harass. They suit peaceful community tanks with fish too big to swallow them. Breeding is possible for true freshwater strains but unreliable, as many trade shrimp have brackish-dependent larvae.

Compare them with hardy cherry shrimp and see the best shrimp tank.