FAQs on Freshwater/Brackish/Marine Ghost
Shrimp
Related Articles: Freshwater Crustaceans, Invertebrates for Freshwater Aquariums by
Neale Monks, Forget
Crawfish Pie, Let's Make a Crawfish Tank! By Gage
Harford
Related FAQs: FW
Shrimp 1, & FAQs on: FW Shrimp Identification, FW Shrimp Behavior, FW Shrimp Compatibility, FW Shrimp Selection, FW Shrimp Systems, FW Shrimp Feeding, FW Shrimp Disease, FW Shrimp Reproduction, &
FW Crustaceans 1,
FW Crustaceans 2,
FW Crustaceans 3, FW Crustaceans 4,
& & FAQs on:
FW Crustacean Identification,
FW Crustacean
Behavior, FW Crustacean
Compatibility, FW Crustacean
Selection, FW Crustacean
Systems, FW Crustacean Feeding,
FW Crustacean Disease, FW Crustacean Reproduction &
Terrestrial Hermit Crabs,
Hermit ID, Hermit Behavior, Hermit Compatibility, Hermit Selection, Hermit Systems, Hermit Feeding, Hermit Reproduction, Hermit Disease/Health, & Crayfish FAQs, Crayfish
2, Crayfish ID, Crayfish Behavior, Crayfish Compatibility, Crayfish Selection, Crayfish Systems, Crayfish Feeding, Crayfish Disease, Crayfish
Reproduction,
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Ghost shrimp with rock 7/15/15
Hi. We have a ghost shrimp that has been swimming around with a small piece of
rock/gravel attached to the back of its leg.
<Interesting>
We're not sure how to remove it, or if we should,
<I would leave as is... will go w/ next moult>
as we don't wish to cause it harm. We wondered if it molts, would the gravel
come off?
<Yes>
And, if the shrimp lost its leg, would it regenerate?
<IF conditions are propitious (sufficient alkalinity, nutrition.... see WWM re
shrimp health and nutrition>
The shrimp has had this gravel attached for about a week now. Even the pet store
owner wasn't sure about how to remove the gravel. Any help or suggestions would
be greatly appreciated!
<Cheers, Bob Fenner>
Feeder shrimp/ghost shrimp; and as Lionfish food
1/4/15
Hello everyone at WWM, I have a situation here. I had bought 60 feeder
shrimp from reefs2go, nice size, for a Radiata lionfish I'm getting on
Tuesday. I received the shrimp took them out of the bag and put them
into a container acclimate them. As soon as the drip line started
dripping the shrimp most of them (60) were crawling up and out of the
container. I fixed
a lid on container took drip line off and did the 1/2 cup of saltwater
every 10 minutes. Every time I opened the lid shrimp were crawling out
of container so I just through the shrimp in tank. What a nightmare most
of
them were trying to escape the tank.
<Makes sense if you're a little shrimp being thrown into a small
aquarium with a deadly predator in there! More seriously, temperate zone
(i.e., coldwater) shrimps will naturally "leap" out of overheating
tidepools and the like in a bid to land in deeper, and consequently
cooler, tidepools nearby. Makes sense if the body of water you're in is
overheating and oxygen-poor, and very likely to dry up. In the wild this
strategy makes a lot of sense, and has probably saved the butts of many
shrimps over the years, but in an indoors aquarium it's clearly
suicidal.>
55 gallon tall tank that's been running for over 3 years. Not much in
there, but a pair of maroon clowns and a pair of green Chromis. Most of
the shrimp were climbing out (not a tight cover on tank) my fish really
weren't paying any attention to the shrimp. I called the place were
shrimp were bought and the person on the phone said that "yes the feeder
shrimp were
saltwater and didn't know why my shrimp were escaping told me to check
water). I did, everything was good. QUESTION: Are feeder/ghost shrimp
fresh or saltwater animals?
<Impossible to be sure. Assuming US retailers are getting the same sorts
of shrimps as UK retailers, they're buying, in bulk, cheap shrimps
caught in river estuaries and freshwater marshes. True saltwater shrimp
are much more valuable as human food, and if you're going to the fuss of
dredging a marine habitat to catch shrimp, you're going to sell them for
the best
return aren't you? In the UK, the two species usually seen as "feeder
shrimps" are Palaemon elegans and Palaemon serratus. They're small
estuarine shrimps that tolerate freshwater for a few days and can live
in brackish and marine conditions indefinitely, but will tend to jump
out of tropical tanks after a while (they're much less jumpy in unheated
tanks,
and actually excellent denizens for such tanks). I don't know the
standard feeder shrimp in the US, but can state that a freshwater
species, Palaemonetes paludosus, is regularly sold as such for both
freshwater and marine aquaria. It can live in marine conditions for a
while but not indefinitely, usually long enough to be eaten. This is the
so-called "Grass Shrimp" of the US hobby. Identifying shrimp species is
generally extremely difficult. Can I direct you to the Smithsonian
report on freshwater Palaemonetes for example:
http://www.sil.si.edu/smithsoniancontributions/zoology/pdf_hi/SCTZ-0228.pdf
The collectors of your shrimps probably know what they are because only
a small number of species will be found at any one locality, and
typically just one or two predominate. But without knowing where yours
were collected from, actually identifying a shrimp species will probably
require expert (i.e., PhD-level) expertise.>
And how in the heck am I going to keep these live feeder shrimp to stay
in and stay alive (if freshwater) in my tank long enough for the
lionfish to catch and eat them?
<You really can't, short of a hood or mesh that keeps them in. As
stated, temperate zone shrimps, especially those from truly coldwater
areas, won't put up with tropical conditions for long. Their metabolism
will be going too fast, and the oxygen availability will be too low, for
them to feel at home.>
You can see I don't know what I'm doing with the feeder shrimp I never
had them before? Thank you for your time and knowledge. Brenda
<Do consult with the retailer; ask they what the species was, where
collected; describe your problems. If all else fails, try a few in
brackish and freshwater conditions, at room temperature, and see which
do best.
That'll be empirical evidence at least. Maintain thusly, and remove a
few.
Neale.>
Re: Feeder shrimp/ghost shrimp
1/5/15
Thank you very much for the fast response.
<Most welcome. Neale.>
At least I know a little something about these live feeder/ghost shrimp.
I'll call Reefs2go.com Monday morning and ask again where they are from.
Also to let your members know I always buy my copepods from them they
are the biggest I have ever seen on the retail market anywhere here in
the US and a lot of their cleaning crew and refugium/copepods are FREE
shipping!!!! Ghost Shrimp Proper Home Placement
6/19/14
I just ordered 10 ghost shrimp. I was planning to put 5 in my 3
gallon Betta tank, with my 1 male Betta fish and his up to 5
gallon sponge filter.
Is this too many? Could I fit all 10 in there?
<As we've discussed before, 3 gallons is marginal for a Betta. I
wouldn't keep one in such a small tank, and definitely wouldn't
recommend adding additional animals.>
I was planning on putting the other 5 in my 500 gallon pond with the 5
pond goldfish that live there, to see how they would do there. I live in
the Arizona desert and the pond is outdoors, sunken into the ground. The
pond has numerous fake plants for them to hide in and tons of algae to
feast on. Would the shrimp do ok in the pond?
<They aren't really pond animals, but assuming a brisk level of water
movement and plenty of oxygen, they might survive long enough not to be
eaten. Understand that they come from rivers and streams, often with
clear,
clean water and you've got an idea of what they need.>
I have 2 other tanks. One is a 6 gallon with 6 neon tetras and 2 guppies
in
it. Could 1 or more go in there?
<Six gallons for Neons and Guppies is unsustainable in the long term;
adding more animals isn't logical.>
The other tank is a 30 gallon with a single Oranda goldfish in it. If I
got
some good hiding places for the shrimp, could they go in this tank?
<As Goldfish food, for a while.>
Thank you.
<Most welcome, Neale.>
Ghost shrimp, guppies, and Betta fish
6/19/14
I have 10 ghost shrimp coming. They will be around .5 inches (1/2 an
inch
each). Will a 1 inch guppy be able to eat them at this size? Would a 3
inch
Betta fish be able to eat them at them at this size?
<No; potentially yes.>
Thank you?
<Neale.>
re: Ghost Shrimp Proper Home Placement
6/19/14
Thank you so much Neale!
<Most welcome.>
Sick Tetras? 8/27/13
Hi guys,
<Chelsea,>
Starting out with details and parameters: I have a 30 gallon tank
that I set up almost three months ago. A month and a half a go, I
got 3 Neon Tetras and a Ghost Shrimp. Two of the Tetras died very
shortly, so I waited two weeks, checking parameters, and then got two
more Tetras. They have been fine until about four days ago.
<I see. Well, the quality of most farmed Neons is not good, and "Neon
Tetra Disease" (or diseases plural, there's some debate on this) can be
particularly difficult to deal with. Once sick from this disease, Neons
are highly contagious but difficult (usually impossible) to treat. That
said, not all Neons die from Neon Tetra Disease, so be open minded, and
do all the usual things you do when fish get sick, in case there's
another reason they're ailing.>
My Nitrates and Nitrites are at 0, but my ammonia is at .25ppm. My tap
water reads for over 1ppm straight out of the tap, so I have been using
Prime and I get false readings for my ammonia concentrates.
<Possibly, but be open minded and review filter capacity, feeding,
stocking, etc.>
I did a 25% water change two days ago, and before that, the ammonia read
at 0ppm.
<Good.>
I am having trouble identifying a disease that my Tetras seem to have.
It started out with one Tetra hiding instead of schooling with the
others.
<Is what Neons do when stressed, though is often associated with "Neon
Tetra Disease". Such fish should be promptly removed, and to be honest,
euthanised (I recommend the Clove Oil method as cheap, easy and humane).
You see, Neon Tetra Disease is extremely contagious, and medicating
isn't possible. If you suspect there may be another explanation, you
could isolate the Neon in a hospital tank and treat for Whitespot,
Finrot or whatever, but unless you're 100% sure that your fish doesn't
have Neon Tetra Disease, I'd always medicate in a hospital tank, not in
the display tank.>
When he came out of hiding to eat, I noticed a white spot on his lip.
I got some Jungle "Ick Guard" and have been using it per the directions,
as well as adding aquarium salt to my tank. Over the next day or
so, the sick fish got worse and the two others began to come down with
the same symptoms. I have been using the Ick Guard for 4 days now,
and the fish are
not getting better.
<Oh dear.>
Today, I noticed that my Ghost Shrimp had white spots on him, as well
(he disappeared for 3 days and I almost thought he was dead). I
Googled to see if invertebrates can get fish parasites, and the general
consensus was that they cannot.
<Correct, but many fish medications are lethal to shrimps, particularly
anti-Whitespot and similar medications that contain either copper or
formalin. Always remove shrimps when medicating, or else remove the sick
fish to a hospital tank.>
(Btw, he molted about a week ago, and one site said spots could be a
sign of molting - would he do it again so quickly?)
<May well do.>
Between the shrimp getting spots and my fish getting worse instead of
better, could the disease not actually be Ich?
<The photos are too blurry to be sure, but the fish look to me like they
might have either Finrot or Whitespot/Ick, it's just not clear to me.
Whitespot looks like the fish fins and body have had salt grains stuck
to them. It's very distinctive. Finrot erodes the fins usually from
their edges inwards, and the fins often go cloudy, sometimes pinkish, as
the fin membranes die. Again, quite easy to identify. It's possible for
a fish to have both, by the way, and they're both common problems in
newish tanks
when un-quarantined fish have been recently added and/or existing fish
exposed to poor water quality.>
Is there another disease that they might have, or is it just a
coincidence that the shrimp also has white spots?
<The latter; shrimps can't get Whitespot. For sure they might suffer in
some way from poor water quality, but Finrot as such isn't going to
happen.
Shrimps usually just die when stressed.>
I have included pictures, but they aren't terribly great because
everyone in the aquarium moves so fast.
<Quite so. Try using a net to gently hold a fish against the glass. Use
a tripod (or a friend with steady hands) to hold the camera.>
In the pictures, I have tried to point out spots where you might be able
to see the white spots. Thanks in advance for any help, you guys are an
amazing source of knowledge, and I have learned so much from your site.
Chelsea
<Hope this helps, Neale.>
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Ghost Shrimp not reproducing 1/6/13
Hello,
<Hello Jennifer>
I have read everything I could find on Ghost Shrimp breeding and I want
to try it. However, I have plenty of ghosties but they will not produce
eggs for me at all. I have about 5 in a 26 Gal community tank along with
Rummynose Tetras, 2 Vampire shrimp, a Bamboo shrimp and some yellow
Sakuras
(which have also not produced eggs yet either to my dismay). I also have
a 2.5 gal breeding tank set up with a couple ghosts in there since I
thought maybe the presence of fish in my other tank was the reason they
were not reproducing. I learned recently from m LFS that any amount of
copper in anything can build up in the shrimps and eventually kill them.
Therefore about a month or two ago I stopped dosing any fertilizer with
copper to see if that would help. I have crystal red shrimp in another
tank and they are multiplying like rabbits (they are housed with some
Boraras briggitae). Do you have any idea why they are not producing
eggs? Have you heard they need a temperature change or presence of
plenty of food to reproduce as in the wild? Thank you for any advice!
<I wonder how hard your water is. I have ghost aka glass shrimp in a lot
of my tanks and they seem to reproduce at replacement rate for me. Mine
are housed in very hard and slightly alkaline water that I keep between
76 and 86 degrees depending on the time of year. They are housed
with fish, and I suspect that is the reason I am not overrun. Many fish
will see the baby shrimp and think dinner. So, it could be that you
actually have reproduction going on, but the offspring are quickly
eaten. - Rick>
Jen
Re Ghost Shrimp not reproducing 1/6/13
I have watched closely to watch for eggs but I will check into my
hardness I add calcium for their molts, thank you. :)
<You can usually see the eggs inside the female. Good luck with
it. -
Rick>
Ghost Shrimp Breeding Question.
4/12/12
Alright well I am trying to breed a couple Ghost Shrimp simply because
I've always kept them in my larger tanks as bottom feeders.
Anyways, I had a spare 5 gallon so I put 3 of them in there and one of
them got wonderful green eggs upon her pleopods.
<This is the easy part. Ghost Shrimp (Palaemonetes paludosus, also
known as Grass or Glass Shrimp) spawn readily, and the female carry the
eggs around until they hatch.>
Now, I have read up on the breeding of Ghost Shrimp and it says that
the eggs will turn clear when they are fertilized and I just wanted to
see if A) my setup was good and B) what stages of the eggs I should be
looking for as the guides indicated that the baby shrimp can only live
an hour and thus I want to make sure that I am prepared to do anything
I can to ensure their survival.
<You need to be able to provide lots of tiny plankton for the shrimp
larvae to feed on. Unlike Cherry Shrimps, which hatch out as
fully-formed miniature shrimps, Ghost Shrimp hatch out as larvae. These
float about in the water for a few days before metamorphosing into
miniature shrimps. Few aquarists have been able to feed these larvae.
Essentially you need a very mature aquarium that [a] doesn't have a
filter and [b] has "green" water full of floating algae.
That's a stiff list of requirements! You'd have more luck with
a pond than an aquarium, but I suppose a large water butt outdoors with
good sunlight but not excessively high temperatures could do the trick,
and just possibly an aquarium placed on a window shelf where it was
nice and sunny could work too, though again, temperature would be an
issue in such a situation. Add an airstone if you can but don't use
a filter because the filter will suck up (and kill) the larvae.>
The tank is as follows - 5 gallon, planted, very low salinity levels,
only tank buddy is a snail, temp is 80, 0 nitrates and nitrites and ph
is close to 7.0. A picture (bad) of the pregnant shrimp is here -
http://i43.tinypic.com/2ppwuo7.jpg THANK YOU
<Do search online re: breeding, reproduction of Palaemonetes
paludosus. The species is normally collected from the wild or bred in
ponds, not aquaria.
Cheers, Neale.>
Ghost shrimp overpopulation
1/5/12
Hello crew,
Thank you for all your wonderfully helpful articles!
<Welcome AJ... also the name BTW of my Jack Russell>
I have a 29gal planted tank that I got cycling about 2 weeks ago. It
has an Eheim classic canister filter, and 2 2" T5 bulbs hanging
overhead. The plants are Water Sprites, Java Moss, Glosso, and Chain
Swords. I got the tank cycling by using Glass/Ghost shrimp as the
ammonia source. They are sold as feeder shrimp at my LFS, and I put
about 15-20 of them in the tank to start cycling. Overall it went
rather well only lost about 5-6 of them.
Now that the tank is cycling they are really thriving and I am
concerned about overpopulation. (There are minimally 4 with eggs, and
aprox. 35+ shrimp in the tank at this point).
<Mmm, okay>
Originally I had planned on making this a low salinity brackish tank
for an F8 that I had in a tank that was too small for him (10gal).
Unfortunately he passed away before the tank had finished cycling.
At this point I am looking for advise <advice> on whether or not
to make this tank slightly brackish in order to accommodate Bumble Bee
Gobies, 1 F8, and possible a Rope Fish (really want one, but think the
tank may be too small).
<It is...>
(If not the Rope Fish do you think Celebes Rainbows would be compatible
with these?)
<Mmm, yes; if the salinity is kept low enough>
Or if I should keep it purely fresh water. Would a black ghost
knifefish work to keep the population under control?
<Not really, and it too really needs more room>
Do you have an suggestions for fish along these lines that would help
keep the ghost shrimp under control?
(I have had cichlids in the past and want to stay away from them).
<Most any large-enough predatory species would do... but I encourage
you to simply net out, trade back in the shrimp to your shoppe if
you're no longer interested in them>
I have been monitoring the water parameters in the tank carefully, and
the ph has been fluctuating very widely.
<How wide is wide?>
I read that it is better to use ph buffers (such as crushed coral) than
chemicals to keep the ph at comfortable 7.8-8.2 for the brackish fish I
listed.
<Mmm, there are other methods>
I added some of the crushed coral in a sand path down the middle of the
tank, and I saw what I now think was a ph spike to about 7.6 but then
it fell to around 6.6 in a matter of days.
<Whoa! This is too wide a change. Please read Neale's piece re
hardness:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwhardness.htm
You need to solve this lack of hardness (and hence dropping pH) issue
ahead of adding further livestock>
and the linked files above. You may be a candidate for his homemade
"Salts" mix>
This is very perplexing to me and makes me glad I had not yet put any
fish in the tank (the shrimp appear un-effected).
I have looked on-line and is it possible that the drift wood I used to
make a tree (java moss for the top, drift wood for the trunk) could be
acting to bring down the ph?
<Oh yes; highly likely>
Does adding marine salt drastically change the effect of driftwood on
the ph?
<Can raise a bit; but the influence of the wood may well be
"stronger" in driving pH down>
Final question is that I read while researching cave making techniques
that it may be possible to get ribbed plastic tubing from a hardware
store and bury it in the substrate to create small caves for fish that
prefer this (such as the Bumble Bee Gobies). Do you think this is a
viable idea?
<Yes... most any chemically inert (or beneficial) material can be
used thus. Small clay pots are a fave of mine>
I am slightly concerned about possible chemicals on the tubing, but
think that it may be possible to clean the tubing to the point where it
could be used.
I do like the concept, and had been thinking about nesting terracotta
pots to achieve the same effect, but think that the plastic tubing
would be much easier.
Thank you for all your help!
Keep up all the spectacular advise!
-AJ
<Do also read over the Brackish subweb... For instance the areas on
stocking:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/BrackishSubWebIndex/BrackishSubWebIndex.htm
Bob Fenner>
Re: Ghost shrimp overpopulation 1/5/12
Thank you!
-AJ
<Ah, welcome. BobF>
Grow my own live feeder shrimp?
4/17/11
This is mostly a curiosity/exploratory question. I see many, many
references here to feeding new fish with live feeder shrimp. I love the
concept of growing my own fish food, and I'm having a ball growing
copepods in my cellar as treats for my small fish. But after searching
this site for a long time, I can't find any reference to growing
them. I do see references on the web for "freshwater ghost
shrimp" as food. Is this what is meant by live feeder shrimp? Can
you direct me to any online or book references for growing live feeder
shrimp? Thanks!
Tim
<Hello Tim. Yes, "feeder shrimp" are any sort of
freshwater shrimp. At least here in the UK, brackish water ones are
quite widely sold as live foods for tropical freshwater and marine
fish. Since the brackish water shrimps can survive for a long time in
either set of water conditions, they're ideal for that. Now, while
it is possible to breed *some* shrimps at home -- Cherry
Shrimps are perhaps the easiest -- not all shrimps can be bred
at home -- Amano Shrimps are the famous example. The non-breedable ones
typically have a larval stage to their life cycle, and while the
females will mate and produce eggs, the larvae that emerge from those
eggs are difficult to rear and may need brackish or marine conditions
to develop
even if the adults are freshwater animals. It's turned out to be
very difficult to rear things like Amano Shrimps. As a very broad rule,
Neocaridina tend to be breedable, Caridina spp. are a mix of breedable
and non-breedable species, and Palaemonetes non-breedable. The bottom
line is that breeding breedable shrimps is easy -- Cherry Shrimps for
example will take care of breeding without any effort on your part,
provided the tank has plenty of green algae, no predators, and gentle,
ideally air-powered filtration. But even so, you're very unlikely
to produce meaningful quantities of them that might be used as live
food. Each female produces a few dozen offspring every month or so, and
those offspring take a few months to mature, and the adults themselves
only live about a year, so you'd need to reserve some to keep your
population going. There are much, much easier live foods you can
produce at home, most notably earthworms for big predators, and perhaps
just as crucially, earthworms lack Thiaminase, which crustaceans
contain, so they'd be healthier too. Cheers, Neale.>
Re: Grow my own live feeder shrimp? 4/17/11
Neale - Thanks for all the info! After researching the Web on
freshwater Ghost Shrimp, I, too, came to the conclusion that this would
be a difficult project. Oh well. I guess I've just got to get a
grip on my enthusiasm for new things!
Tim
<Glad to help. Cheers, Neale.>
Re: Shrimp query 3/30/11
Hi Guys,
<Hello,>
So its been over a week now since the quarantine and I've
introduced the shrimp to my tank. All seemed well until yesterday where
we noticed that our original ghost shrimp seemed to
have suffered some eye damage (was almost like its left eye had been
slightly crushed!!). After keeping an eye on her we have noticed her
complete eye is now missing!!
<Does happen; usually physical damage on the part of fish.>
I did wonder if the new ghosties have had a pop at her (pecking order),
but she is almost 2yrs old and almost twice as big as the new
shrimp.
<I see.>
I'm going to 'scoop' her out and pop into a small holding
tank so as to minimise any stress. Have you come across any such
injuries before - and are shrimp capable of surviving on one eye.....I
know that some breeders mutilate females in order to promote
breeding!!
<Yes, the shrimp will be fine without one of her eyes.>
Poor thing keeps spinning around in circles - I'm hoping that she
can adjust to the single eye.
<She uses her antennae to find food, so should do okay.>
Look forward to hearing from you.
Best Regards,
-Steve
<Cheers, Neale.>
compatibility 11/24/10
Hello, I was wondering if ghost shrimp, Amano (algae eating)
shrimp and fiddler crabs would be compatible with each other.
I know fiddler crabs require brackish water, but what salinity can the
shrimp tolerate? If they get along, what SG would be best for all
species? They would be in a 30 gallon tank. I would provide sufficient
habitat/hiding spots for all species including water plants for the
shrimp and adequate land for the fiddler crabs. Thanks.
Zach
<Funnily enough Amano shrimps develop in the sea, but the adults
mostly live in freshwater. But they will tolerate slightly brackish
conditions just fine, certainly SG 1.003 to SG 1.005 at 25 C/77 F, and
perhaps a
little higher. In fact most shrimps tolerate slightly brackish
conditions, and I have some Cherry Shrimps in a tank at 1.002 at 25 C
alongside some Limia nigrofasciata. But Uca species may need more
saline conditions depending on the species. Plus, Uca are
opportunistic, and while their diet is primarily algae and organic
detritus sifted from mud, they may catch shrimps given the chance. So
by all means try it out and see what happens, but don't invest a
huge amount of money in this just in case it doesn't work. I'd
try out the brackish water Palaemonetes sold as live food -- at least
here in England -- before investing in more ornamental shrimp species.
Cheers, Neale.>
shrimp problem? 9/6/2010
Dear WWM crew
<Hello Francesca,>
I have a 60 litre BiOrb set up for tropical fish.
<Unfortunately "BiOrb" and "tropical fish" is a
contradiction in terms. The BiOrb is a very, very bad aquarium.
It's overpriced for what it is, and in particular has a very
limited surface area at the top that limits the exchange of oxygen
between the air and water. The filtration system is pretty basic as
well. You will always be better off with traditional rectangular
aquaria than any other shape, whether spherical, hexagonal, or anything
else.>
I have three ghost shrimp and they have seemed very
happy over the 2 months in residence. I have recently lost my blue
Gourami with some sort of ulceration and it happened while was away and
my neighbour did not notice so its rotting body was left in the tank
for a few days.
<Indeed. Blue Gouramis, and indeed Gouramis generally, CANNOT be
kept in this aquarium. It's simply too small for them. Assuming by
"Blue Gourami" you mean Trichogaster trichopterus, that's
a species that needs a 90-litre aquarium at the very least, and I'd
argue 150 litres given how aggressive the males can be. As for the
Powder Blue Gouramis and suchlike that are Colisa lalia, this species
is so delicate and so ridden with problems that I never recommend
anyone buy them unless they can source locally-bred specimens through
friends or fish clubs. The ones pet stores sell very commonly come with
"free gifts" like Dwarf Gourami Iridovirus and Mycobacteria
infections.>
The water did not look pleasant although the tests were all in the OK
range but I did a Hoover and a 20% water change and all looks well
again.
<I see.>
This morning however, one of the shrimp has back legs covered in a pale
fluffy substance and he is flicking them about. Is this part of a
moulting cycle?
<Not really. Moulting shrimps tend to hide away for a day or two,
and then reappear. It's rare to see moulting shrimps in the open.
The moult itself looks slightly cloudy, clear, and usually comes off
almost in one piece, and you will often see the shrimps eating the
moult so that they can recycle the minerals. It doesn't come off
one piece and a time, and it always looks like the skin of a shrimp,
not fluff or mould or whatever.
Although Shrimps are fairly hardy, copper-based medications in
particular will kill them. They also dislike very soft water. For best
results, feed them foods designed specifically for shrimps and other
crustaceans, though a varied diet of algae wafers and catfish pellets
will do too.>
He certainly does not look as ghost like as the others which is why I
am hoping he is moulting as one fatality this month is enough!
<Quite so.>
I would be grateful for your advice.
Thanks
Francesca
<Wish I could say something positive about the BiOrb, but I really
can't. They're terrible aquaria. A few Cherry or Ghost Shrimps
might be happy in them, perhaps a couple of Dwarf African Frogs or a
male Betta, but that's about it.
Cheers, Neale.>
Ghost Shrimp Breeding Help 02/14/10
Hello,
<Hello,>
I'll start out with a general idea of my tank: 46 gallon,
established for 2 years, currently housing 9 sidthimunki loaches, 3
Otos, and is quite heavily planted. There are some Malaysian trumpet
snails to keep the sand moving and the plants healthy, but I only see
them when the loaches decide to dig one up and play soccer with it.
<OK.>
About 6 months ago, I had purchased several ghost shrimp for my tank. I
had never kept shrimp before, and I admit they were intended as a snack
for my green spotted puffer. The humanitarian of a puffer decided to
befriend the shrimp instead (in fact, the morning after I added them to
the tank, I awoke to find him resting on the bottom with three shrimp
cleaning him off). The GSP has now moved on to a larger saltwater tank,
and I still have the shrimp!
<I've noticed some Puffers tend to eat small shrimps but ignore
larger ones, even if they could in theory slice up the larger ones with
their sharp beaks.>
I've become a huge fan of them, and would like to help them expand
their population.
<Easier said that done. Palaemonetes paludosus is the standard Ghost
Shrimp of the US hobby, which is the one I assume you have judging by
your e-mail address. Anyway, female Palaemonetes paludosus carry the
fertilised eggs
under their swimmerets, but the eggs hatch into larvae, not miniature
shrimps. The larvae need to drift about for a few days feeding on tiny
plankton (essentially infusoria). They then metamorphose into tiny
shrimps, and start feeding on algae and detritus just like the adults.
You can contrast this with Cherry Shrimps, which hatch from their eggs
as perfectly formed miniature shrimps. These are easy to rear, provided
nothing eats them. Given the right conditions, Cherry Shrimps will
breed even in community tanks with filters, but Palaemonetes paludosus
can only breed in tanks without filters and away from anything likely
to eat the larvae from the water.>
They're fun to watch and certainly do their part with cleaning (my
moss balls are sparkling!). I believe I have 5 females and 4 males, and
I've seen the females carrying eggs. Unfortunately, I've never
seen any evidence of "shrimplets"- the females have eggs one
day, none the next, and the population never goes up.
<Precisely. The filter sucks up the larvae, and that's
that.>
I suspect my sids may know something about this, though they never
bother the adults at all. I have a breeder net, but I'm not
entirely clear on the best way to use it for shrimp. I don't want
to keep the females in the net for an undue length of time, as it seems
it would only stress them. Is there a fairly reliable way to predict
when the eggs are close to hatching without knowing when fertilization
took place?
<Not really, no.>
Is it ok to keep the female in the net for a long period of time,
possibly a week or more?
<Sure, but the larvae will drift right out of the net.>
Do the young shrimp have any special requirements like additional salt,
temperatures, etc, beyond the typical needs of the adults?
<Contrary to myth, no, Palaemonetes paludosus don't need
brackish water to reproduce. But the females do need to be kept in an
unfiltered tank (ideally, a pond) with plankton-rich (i.e., green)
water.>
Would Hikari First Bites be an acceptable diet until they're ready
for something bigger?
<No, too big.>
Can you recommend a healthy limit on the number of shrimp in a 46
gallon (long) tank?
<Easily one per gallon, probably twice that, but the number of fish
you have in the tank will reduce that, and if you decide to breed the
shrimps, then the number will be reduced significantly because
you'll be relying on plants for filtration rather than a
filter.>
I was also wondering if there are any other types of shrimp that would
get along well with the ghosts. I've seen red cherry shrimp in the
stores locally, but they're usually quite small and I understand
the ghosts may pick on/ eat them.
<Can happen, but rare, if plenty of space and food for all
concerned.
Cherry Shrimps are an infinitely easier species to breed, and overall,
the best shrimps for the casual hobbyist.>
It would be fun to have a few species, but I'm also happy with the
ghosts and I don't want to risk any problems. Sorry for all the
questions, and thank you (in advance) for the help!
<Happy to help.>
PS, I believe it was this site that convinced me to move my GSP into
saltwater when he reached a certain age. Great advice! He's never
looked better, bright white belly and growing quite rapidly.
<That would be Jeni's advice rather than mine. But I'm glad
it's worked out well.>
And yes, he's made friends with a coral banded shrimp... for now.
Thanks again!
<Cheers, Neale.>
Ghost Shrimp in a Community Tank Disappearing.
8/22/09
Hello Crew, long time no see, all well here, hope all is well across
the
pond.
<Hello,>
Ghost Shrimp Q's please, for a community 120 gallon tank: several
Corys, 1 rubber lips catfish, 1 Pleco catfish, and assorted swords,
platys, mollies, guppies. And 4 glass catfish. There is lots of cover
(plastic foliage, rocks, slate), even floating 'grass'
(plastic) mats we use to hide livebearer babies. Water is brackish at
constant 1.002 salt. Water is excellent all respects. pH 7.6. Temp is
80. Food is alternated between flake, algae tabs, shrimp pellets (!),
and tiny spectrum pellets.
<Sounds fine.>
We started with about 8 ghost shrimp of good size from the LFS, now
down to one we can find after 3 months.
<Often brackish water shrimps... limited lifespan in freshwater
tanks.>
Some small evidence of shells once in a while (molting? eaten
alive?
natural death?) we can't tell as we have never found a
'whole' body over the time period of losing them.
<I see...>
The shrimp seemed to spend a lot of time high in the floating grass mat
or high on the UG filter tubes of the 3 pumps bodies when not crawling
the bottom or hiding under rocks or in the created caves. Our one
remaining shrimp goes high but makes forays across the bottom, too.
<Shrimps are super-sensitive to low oxygen concentrations, or at
least, poor bottom water circulation.>
Questions, please: Would they have crawled out of the tank, since they
can hang onto the slick uplift tubes easily?
<Can, will jump out of open tanks.>
Would any of the 3 types of catfish above eat the shrimp critters?
<Not normally alive... though glass catfish are of course predatory,
and will eat very small fish/shrimps.>
Do they normally go high in the tank or remain on the bottom (the tank
is two feet tall), or do you think they were running from the catfish?
What is with iodine use; we saw related info on treating/feeding iodine
in your forum.
<Iodine not normally necessary for shrimps, though can help with
crabs and crayfish.>
Is this necessary for us? If so, please advise the amount per ten
gallons and the frequency, and whether there is harm to the community
fish in the tank from iodine. Is the salt content to the liking of the
ghost shrimp?
<Difficult to say... if true brackish water species, will likely
need more saline conditions than your other fish. Would recommend
unambiguous species, e.g., Cherry Shrimps.>
If ghost shrimp are wrong for our tank, please advise what kind to look
for of the other two choices mentioned in forums (cherry and bamboo).
Is a 5 inch long bamboo shrimp ok with our catfish and other smaller
guppies or will they become prey for the bamboo shrimp?
<Bamboo shrimps (Atyopsis spp.) fairly delicate, so do review their
needs; need fast-flowing water and suitable particulate foods.>
Many thanks,
Don and Rosemary
<Cheers, Neale.>
Re: Ghost Shrimp in a Community Tank
Disappearing. 8/22/09
Thanks, Neale for the speedy reply below.
<Happy to help.>
Just to clarify as a follow-up: I neglected to mention that in addition
to the 3 UG power head pumps, we also run two Fluvals (305 & 405)
so our H20 turnover and movement is quite good, we think. Our tank is
fully covered with only slots for pump hoses and wires.
We do have good water movement.
<Still, there's a difference between lots of water current and
good, thorough mixing of water at all levels. Put some flake at the
bottom of the tank in various places. See how well the flake is carried
along by the current. The results may surprise you. Things like plants
and large rocks can restrict the flow of water, creating pockets of
still water. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but if the
sediment is dirty as well, lack of oxygen in these pockets as organic
decay proceeds could cause problems.>
The glass cats stay mid water column all to themselves and skim the
surface for food then hover in one end; I never see them descend below
midlevel in the tank or explore much, unless it is after dark, so I had
discounted them as a threat to the ghost shrimp. They seem rather
reclusive and shy.
<Indeed often the case, even when maintained in large
groups.>
It would be helpful to us if you could look at the follow-up questions.
In comments below in your last email reply:
Are you saying that the typical LFS ghost shrimp prefer saltier water
than our constant 1.002? I didn't quite follow you there, but I am
protecting the Corys by keeping salt at this level, and the Mollies are
very healthy and huge. So changing the salt content is not an
option.
<At least some of the shrimps sold are brackish/marine species, and
their longevity in freshwater will be limited. Another issue is that
sometimes coldwater shrimps will be sold, and again, these will not
live long in a tropical aquarium. I'd tend to avoid shrimps unless
you can be sure they're something suitable, i.e., Cherry Shrimps,
Amano Shrimps, etc.>
Are you saying that for 1.002 SG, the Bamboo Shrimp would be a better
choice than ghost shrimp?
<On the contrary, Bamboo Shrimps are, when mature at least, strictly
freshwater animals. They may tolerate slightly brackish conditions like
those in your tank, but they do prefer neutral, moderately hard water.
For what it's worth, Cherry Shrimps seem to tolerate brackish water
well, and I keep this species in a slightly brackish planted tank
alongside gobies and snails. They breed normally, and show no signs of
stress.>
Would you advise not buying more ghost shrimp, even given their true
inexpensive cost and the pleasure they give us in watching them in the
tank? We don't want to harm any fish by trying to make something
work that isn't meant for our conditions. They can pick up a shrimp
pellet and run like crazy with the whole thing; lots of fun to see.
<There's some wisdom to what you're saying here: If you
can't keep Species X in your tank, despite repeated attempts, then
perhaps it's not worth keeping. For whatever reason they aren't
doing well. With shrimps, there's a bunch of factors beyond the
usual. For example, copper is highly toxic to them, so medications will
kill them quickly, as will traces of copper in your pipe work.>
Are you saying that the shrimp were going high in the tank due to
possible lack of Oxygen near bottom; or is the high/low behaviour
normal for ghost shrimp? I wasn't sure.
<Yes, shrimps are sensitive to the lack of oxygen at the bottom of a
tank.
Since most of the shrimps sold come from fast-flowing habitats where
water temperature is quite low, even in the case of tropical species,
oxygen sensitivity can be acute in warm aquaria. If your shrimps stay
all the time at the surface, it's a good sign oxygen is an issue.
This isn't in itself a disaster; my Cherry shrimps often behave
this way in summer, but still breed like mad. But it's a factor,
and coupled with others, could cause failure in the long term.>
Lastly one of your colleagues strongly supported a temp max of 77
degrees F for a community tank (our fish list is below) when another
person stated their tank was kept at 80 degrees F, and urged that the
temp be dropped to 77. We can pin-point the temp with the two heaters
we have. What temp would you strive for, given a precise choice?
<For most community tanks 25 C/77 F is ideal.>
Many thanks, Neale, much time was spend on the forums last evening, and
as always, the entire Crew's all encompassing knowledge much
admired and appreciated. Happy autumn.
<Thanks for the kind words.>
Cheers,
Don and Rosemary
<Cheers, Neale.>
Re: Ghost Shrimp in a Community Tank
Disappearing. 8/22/09
Neale,
Knowing full well you and Crew are deluged with email (and not wanting
to add to the deluge), I did want to reply with Thanks In A Big Way for
these thoughtful answers. No more questions for now, you fully
covered it and guided us in the right direction.
<Glad to have helped, and thanks for the thanks!>
You are appreciated here.
Don and Rosemary
<Best wishes, Neale.>
Shrimp Tonight ... adding to FW 1/22/06 I am going
to setup a 29 gallon freshwater aquarium. I was thinking about putting
in 7 Zebra Danios, 9 Harlequin Rasboras, 4 Dwarf Gouramis, and about 10
Ghost Shrimp. I have a 50 gallon AquaClear Power filter and a 30 gallon
undergravel that I will be using with air to circulate the undergravel.
Would the Ghost Shrimp be ok with these other species? Would I be able
to put in more fish or is this the max I should go? Any suggestions on
other fish if possible? < The problem with adding shrimp is the fact
that every once in awhile they need to shed their exoskeleton as they
grow. When they do this their skin is soft and they have no protection
and become mobile banquet blocks. Go with this set up at first and see
how it goes for awhile. Meanwhile check out some other fish and check
the nitrates periodically. If you can continue to keep the nitrates
under 25 ppm between water changes then i think you can add a few more
fish depending on the species. If the nitrates exceed 25 ppm then you
need to increase the frequency of the water changes or increase the
amount of water changed.-Chuck>
Iodine And Freshwater Shrimp - 12/15/2004 I
recently picked up some ghost shrimp for my two aquariums. <Yay,
welcome to the world of freshwater crustaceans!!> All is well, but I
want to be prepared for molting if/when it occurs. <No
"if" about it - ghosties molt a lot and often.> I know
iodine is important for crustaceans. Is there some sort of Iodine
supplement the shrimp will need or is the weekly 10-20% water change I
do going to be enough for them? <Some SERIOUS kudos to you for
thinking of this! Yes, freshwater shrimp require iodine to facilitate
calcium uptake and successful molting. Though you *might* be able to
get by with your regular water changes alone, I have found that adding
iodine *dramatically* reduces the chance of a "bad molt".
Before adding iodine to my tanks, I would lose a few shrimp each month.
After adding iodine, I haven't lost any shrimp to bad molts, that I
know of - and they started breeding right away, as well. I use, and
heartily recommend, Kent marine iodine, at a rate of one drop per ten
gallons each week. This amount may seem insignificant, but it has
proven seriously beneficial in my tanks.> I feed a varied diet of
plant and animal foods, they also have in the tank a piece of real
driftwood and several species of live plants. <Sounds perfect.>
Thanks for your help guys! :-) (Almost forgot, they are also in the
tank with some Zebra Danios and Otocinclus algae eaters in one tank,
and a Betta and Otocinclus in the other tank.) <All sounds good.
Wishing you and your shrimp well, -Sabrina>
Ten Gallon Shrimp Hello there! This is Molly
here, avid fish enthusiast. I currently have a 10 gallon aquarium
housing 5 White Cloud Mountain fish and 3 Zebra Danios. As you can
probably guess, there is a fair amount of algae in this tank. I have
tried to keep a small Pleco in the tank but sadly he died approximately
a week and a half after I purchased him. I wonder if I could keep at
least one African Dwarf frog in the tank, I have done a good amount of
research on them and have figured out that they can (and will, given
the chance) escape from tanks. I have a hooded light fixture on my tank
so I am considering purchasing one....or more, depending. I have also
read that they don't get too large so they will not eat my small
ornamental fish. Do you think this would work? I was also considering
ordering a ghost (glass) shrimp. They don't get much bigger than
1-1.5 inches so I thought they would also do well cleaning up the tank.
I have had snails in the past, but they don't do too much to combat
the algae problem unless I buy several...which I don't really want
to do. What do you suggest? Would some Cory cats survive in an unheated
tank? I did not have luck with Corys with goldfish.. but I think that
is because of the large ammonia output of such fish. Any advice you
could give would help me greatly. Thanks, or should I say, Tanks!-Molly
<I'd go with shrimp over fish. Eight fish of this size are about
all you want in a ten. The frog would work, but he will not eat algae.
And I always warn, he may eat a fish. Any frog will eat any fish it can
catch and fit in it's mouth. But the Dwarfs usually don't. And
he would like it warmer, as would a Cory. The fish you have are OK
unheated. And you are 100% correct in your reasoning about goldfish in
small tanks. Shrimp add little ammonia to the water. You could handle
about a half dozen. Make sure you feed them after the algae is gone.
Any baby shrimp produced will make excellent food for the fish.
Don>
Awesome Shrimp Question - 04/05/2005 Hey
awesome team at WWM! <Hey, awesome reader!> Can ghost shrimp be
slowly acclimated to saltwater at 1.025 SG.? <Honestly, it depends
entirely on the species. There are many, many shrimp that fall under
the name "ghost" shrimp. To be quite honest, you could try it
with just a few and see how they fare. Don't raise the salinity
more than 0.002 a day.> I want to raise them, should I aim for a
larger say 55 gal, or could I do this with a 25? They don't seem to
mind being crammed. <They sure don't mind being crammed, but the
larger you go, the more likely you are to be successful. The ghosties
most commonly offered for sale can be easily raised and bred in
freshwater.> I also think that they don't eat their offspring so
farming these little guys shouldn't be too much of a problem?
<Not difficult at all. Been there, done that. They breed like
bunnies.> UGF, air stone, water changes... Will everything just
happen on it's own if I start with a good population, vary
foods...? <Pretty much. A word of caution - if you don't add
iodine, they may not breed, and may slowly die off. I use Kent marine
iodine at a rate of one drop per ten gallons each week (note that this
is NOT the marine dose!). I went from losing a few shrimp each month to
breeding profusely after a few weeks of adding iodine. When your
populations get very high, you may wish to increase the dosage. Good
luck with your shrimp! Wishing you well, -Sabrina>
Shrimp Discrepancy? - 01/19/2005 Hey,
<Hola.> I was just admiring your site and I noticed you mentioned
P. kadiakensis, a freshwater shrimp. There you mentioned it as a marine
species; <Mm, no, just that this particular individual was living in
a marine aquarium.... A few freshwater Palaemonetes shrimps can be
pretty easily acclimated to brackish or saltwater environments. After
looking at the photos that I have available (including a higher res pic
of the one in question), I am not convinced that this is (or, for that
fact, is not) P. kadiakensis - the only solid information I can find on
its tolerance of salinity suggests 20ppt is okay, but 25ppt is
lethal.... I also assume that, like with other Palaemonetes shrimps,
this tolerance may differ with different geographical populations of
the species.> however, it is true freshwater species, not needing
salt or brackish water to breed, as I raise them successfully.
<Agreed wholeheartedly. The same can be said for other Palaemonetes
which can be acclimated to saltwater, as well (though some species have
a much lower survivability in larvae in lower brackish or fresh
conditions, and vice verse). But, taking into account the areas that P.
kadiakensis can be found in the wild, I am inclined to agree - the
species of this animal is, in fact, in question.... Unfortunately, I do
not have other clear photographs of "known" P. kadiakensis
for comparison.... Sigh. Perhaps you have some that I could take a peek
at?> The shrimp on your site (bottom pic) was most likely P. pugio
or P. vulgaris. <Alas, I do not have access to any clear photographs
of either of these - but from the small pic on the site, I think
identification is impossible.... The high-res version we have is very,
very clear - if you have any photos of pugio or vulgaris, or
kadiakensis for that fact, I would be very eager to see, and perhaps
get this fellah correctly named! Or maybe I should take a road trip and
find some to see with my own two cute little eyes.> It might even be
Macrobrachium or a related Palaemonid species. <Mm, if in saltwater,
I find it very, very unlikely that it's a Macrobrachium - perhaps
I've got this wrong, but I'm not confidant that there are any
saltwater Macrobrachiums, or any species of the genus that can take
fully marine conditions?> If you have any questions, email me.
<Thanks very much for your comments - if you can get any clear
photographs of your kadiakensis, I would very, very much like to have a
peek! Wishing you and your shrimp well, -Sabrina>
Ghost Shrimp, marine I would like to add
fresh water ghost shrimp to my tank for algae control and they are
neat. All I can find in the stores are salt feeder ghost shrimp. Is
there any way to adapt the salt shrimp to live in fresh water and what
is the difference. Thank you <With some species of Palaemonetes this
can be done... see WWM re. Bob Fenner>
Shrimps, FW Hi there I got a 5gal. tank for
Christmas last year. It brought back memories of my childhood almost 50
years ago. I quickly went down to a local fish store and to my
amazement found a $.79 tank (just before the store owner would get new
fish on Thu. he would go threw the tanks and any single fish he would
put in this tank just to get rid of them.) I was like a kid again every
few weeks going down to the store and seeing what was there. I have 3
neon's, 3 white clouds, 3 zebras, and a white vial tetra in the
tank. few weeks ago I got 3 ghost shrimp but they seemed to die during
there mullet. <?> I went down and bought 3 more and again they
seem to be dead one at a time on the bottom of the tank. I went out and
got Kent's Iodine the label said 1 drop per 50 gal. so took a cap
full and cut it with 10 caps of water. I add 1 drop per. week with my
gal water change. And of course went out and got (yes you guessed it )
3 more shrimp. 1 seemed to die but I lost the other 2. <?> My
tank is pretty heavily planted with Java moss and ferns, swords plants,
and several other types of plants I got from the fish store. I really
like the different shapes and colors of the plants with the fish
swimming around them but my real joy is the shrimp. I just got 2 bamboo
shrimp but 1 is a fan feeder about 1.5 inches in length (I think you
call it that) and the other is a long armed shrimp about 2 .5 inches in
length. They were in the same tank about 5gal with about 12 other
shrimp of the same types. After I put them in my than I noticed at
least 4 ghost shrimp come from some place to investigate the newcomers
everyone seems to be getting alone wonderfully. Now to cut to the chase
am I adding the right amount of iodine to the water or should I just
add 1 drop per gal. as you said in the past? <Not able to tell w/o
testing... this material is transient depending on water chemistry,
bio-load...> Should I buy shrimp pellets for the bamboo shrimp or is
my testament and live plants OK? <Please read on the Net re... not
able to live on pellets> What is the best way I could care for OTTO
& HERMAN they are so cool? <Who are they?> I really think my
tank is perfect until I get a bigger tank with more plants and shrimp.
Is there any types of shrimp or invertebrate I should stay away from in
the future? Thank you so very much for your time and please keep up the
good work Walter. <Walt... please read over, have someone there
review your writing before you send it... Some doesn't make sense,
a bunch is mis-spelled. I do wish our "shrimp queen" were
with us more often (Sabrina). Will cc her here in the hopes she will
respond. Bob Fenner>
More Mystery Shrimp! - 10/04/2005 Hello,
<Hi! Sabrina the slightly shrimp-obsessed with you today.... And
please let me apologize for the extreme lateness of my reply; on top of
having been sick and missed some emails in my box a few days back,
you've really given some perplexing pictures! Excellent photos, I
must add.> I have seen this question before ("Mystery Shrimp -
Fun with Freshwater Inverts") but I would like to ask it once
again... is what I have actually a ghost shrimp? <Not what is
commonly considered to be a ghost shrimp, but it does look like a
Palaemonetes species to me. Perhaps P. antennarius - your shrimp seems
to have the same bizarre iridescence that they exhibit. They do develop
markings like yours shows as they grow, but yours is more prominently
marked than ones I've seen.> or is it a "long-arm" -
Macrobrachium... because this guy's arm's aren't longer
then his body, but he is a bit big to be a ghost shrimp. He is about
4.5cm (1 3/4"). <Not a Macrobrachium, as far as I can tell, but
not a "common" "ghost shrimp".> I have posted
photos here: http://www3.telus.net/public/al_s/ShrimpPhotos/ I am
wondering what the morphological difference is between the
Macrobrachium and the Palaemonetes? <Well.... See, you're asking
tough questions now! Just kidding, this is a good one. To be quite
honest with you, I do not know the difference in systematics between
these two genera. They are both in family Palaemonidae, though
Palaemonetes shares the subfamily Palaemoninae with a few other genera,
whereas Macrobrachium is not in that (or other) subfamily.> is it
just the length/size of the pincer arms or am I missing some other key
item? <Macro = big, brachium = arm .... All of the shrimps of genus
Macrobrachium do have very prominent "arms". Some more so
than others, to be sure, but all are quite big. This can be somewhat
less noticeable in females, but even most females have really big arms.
Also, all of the Macrobrachiums (Macrobrachia? Uhh, I don't know
the pluralization of this word!) that I have met seem to have an
impressively large rostrum. Some Palaemonetes do as well though,
including P. antennarius, whose rostrum can be quite wicked-looking.
Physically, those two pincer arms will tell all. Or most, at least.
Yours is not a Macrobrachium, as far as I can tell. Now, that
doesn't mean it's not aggressive! P. antennarius, if it were
just the size of a dog, would take over the world and wipe out
humanity. And you'd hear an evil laugh while they did it.
Fortunately, they stay at or under 2", so hopefully we're
safe. Or maybe that's just what they want us to think....>
Thanks, -Rose <And thank you for showing us these great images; I do
hope you enjoy this animal. Wishing you well, -Sabrina>
Differences between Palaemonetes and Macrobrachium species
shrimps.... 9/21/05 Hey Bob! <Sabrina> I know I should know
this, or at least be able to find it, but I don't and I can't.
I wonder if you know, or can point me in the right direction. <Will
try> What, physiologically, ARE the differences between these two
genera? I mean, aside from the (macro) big (brachia)"
arms"/pincers, what really makes a Macrobrachium a Macrobrachium?
What makes a Palaemonetes a Palaemonetes? Both are of the same family
(Palaemonidae), though Macrobrachium is in sub-family Palaemonidae....
But.... What determines this? I've struggled a couple days to try
to find *something*.... hobby-related websites and the few books that
mention shrimps (including Uwe Werner's Aqualog) just talk about
care, and those big honkin' arms.... and I can't seem to find
any scientific websites that really explain what makes a Macrobrachium
a Macrobrachium, or a Palaemonetes a Palaemonetes. Any thoughts? I
wish/hope it could be as simple as counting scales, rays in fins, tooth
shapes and pharyngeal bones.... Fish are so easy <. <Don't
know... w/o "looking"... likely at SIO... but here is the
feedback from Google on Systematics of the Palaemonidae: http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&rls=GGLD,GGLD:2004-27,GGLD:en&q=systematics+of+the+palaemonidae
Looks like there are some useful bits here... and I would try the (not
ready for prime time) "Google Scholar" as well... Next time
you're in town, let's make a sojourn down to the Scripps
Library... am facile at searching "the literature". Bob F>
Thanks much.... -Sabrina
Discus Tankmates 11/28/05 Hello. I was
wondering if the blue tetra (Boehlkea fredcochui), the glass blood fin
tetra (Aphyocharax anisitsi), and some shrimp (Palaemon pantanal) would
be able to be housed with 3 discus and not be eaten. If so would these
be able to coexist with each other in a 55 gallon tank. CJ <All
should get along fine. The tetras are too fast for the discus to eat
even if they wanted too. When the shrimp shed their exoskeleton they
will be soft and very vulnerable for awhile so they will need a place
to hide until their new outer skin hardens.-Chuck>
Freshwater shrimp? Dear Crew, We have
unfortunately had a small tragedy in our freshwater tank (240L,
ph6.5-7, temp 75-77, nitrates 0, hardness 3-4)...in with our neon
tetras (11), black widow tetras (6), Otos (5), Rams (3), Corys (6) we
had had 5 "red claw shrimp". Now from the pictures on your
site and on all of the other freshwater shrimp sites, they look like
ghost shrimp, but are a reddish/orange color. We bought them from one
of the LFS staff who lives in our area and breeds them in her tank. The
biggest of these fellows is about 2 inches long, and the smallest about
1 inch. Until yesterday all was well (how can you tell there's
going to be a but) but yesterday evening I noticed small red shrimp on
its back, scrabbling a bit. I thought this was strange, so turned him
over and moved him into a sheltered corner, he seemed to be struggling,
so I wondered whether he was molting and turned off the tank lights to
minimize stress and left him to it. This morning at work I have
received an e-mail from home telling me that small red shrimp is no
more. So now I have 2 questions, first of all, do you have any ideas
what species these fellows might be? and secondly, what could have
killed small red? his legs and claws looked strangely pale and he
seemed sort of bunched up (cramp?) but apart from that we have no
clue... Any suggestions would be useful, we want to prevent the same
happening to the other 4. Thanks for your time. Nicola <Hey Nicola,
sorry to hear about your shrimp. It is hard to get a positive ID
without a good picture. The common ghost shrimp will not reach 2in.
Take a look at the link below, is it one of these guys?
http://www.calacademy.org/research/izg/SFBay2K/ghostshrimp.htm My first
concern would be water quality. I would do a good water change, and add
a poly filter to absorb metals and many other contaminants. Keep an eye
on the other shrimp, if it starts happening to the others we will know
that it was not a molting complication and can start troubleshooting
from there. Let us know how it goes, Best of Luck, Gage.> Nicola
Blay, BSc, MSc
Unidentified Shrimp... Perhaps a Ghost Shrimp 9/11/07 This
is Paul again. <Hola Paul, Mich aqui> I just wanted to send
you a picture of one of the shrimp in my tank. I have another
just like it. I am currently living in Brazil (Curitiba) and this
was a shrimp offered at the aquarium store (www.aquabetta.com.br)
I thought you guys might like to look at it. <Always nice.>
Maybe you haven't seen one like it before. If you have, can
you tell me what its name is? <I could be wrong, but it looks
like a pretty glass or ghost shrimp to me. Ghost shrimp are often
used as feeders More here:
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.fishlore.com/Pictures/
Profiles/ghost_shrimp_2.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.fishlore.com/profile- ghostshrimp.htm&h=150&w=250&sz=6&hl=en&start=16&
um=1&tbnid=mn4UJo7N5z_kqM:&tbnh=67&tbnw=111&prev=/images%
3Fq%3Dglass%2Bshrimp%26svnum%3D10%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Doff%26client%3Dsafari%26rls%3Den%26sa%3DG
> Thanks a lot. <De nada! Mich>
Re: Unidentified Shrimp... A Ghost Shrimp 9/12/07
Buenos Dias Paul, Mich here again.> I thought ghost shrimp
were freshwater. <Can be fresh... can also be salt... I have
collected myself from saltwater in the Belmar NJ inlet.> They
have been living in my saltwater tank for 7 months now. <Yes,
there are several species. Many can tolerate great ranges in
salinity. RMF is in agreement with this ID.> Paul
|
|
Crawfish and Shrimp 06/14/07
Howdy. < Ave.> > I have 2 10 gallon tanks. One of them holds
my 4"inch crawfish, Bojan and four (used to be 5) guppy
"friends". He is happy and healthy and hilarious. < So,
you have discovered that crayfish can and do eat small fish, given the
chance.> > The other tank holds 3 Cory catfish, a couple of
guppies and three TINY crawfish (one temporarily named "grain of
rice") which I know will get bigger and will need to be either
moved to separate tanks, or returned to the creek from whence they
came. < Returning animals "to the wild" is at least the
wrong thing to do, and at worst illegal. If in doubt, <<My value
systems switch these. RMF>> consult with your local Fish &
Wildlife Bureau. The problem is that those crayfish have no been
exposed to pathogens and bacteria than native crayfish (and other
aquatic organisms) may have no resistance to. American crayfish got
loose in the UK, likely from farms, and carried a fungal disease that
has basically wiped out our native crayfish. The American crayfish is
somewhat resistant, and so takes over vacated territory. See here:
http://www.defra.gov.uk/fish/freshwater/crayfish.htm . Moral of the
story: never, ever release captive animals back into the wild.> >
Here is my question. My friend has the cutest little ghost shrimp. I
was thinking of getting some to put in with the Corys and baby
crawfish. I am guessing that ghost shrimp and crawfish are not
compatible, but thought I would ask you guys and gals to see what you
thought. If these two are not compatible, are there any shrimp that
would be compatible with baby crawfish or would I need to choose
between having crawfish or having shrimp? (What a delicious question!)
> Thanks! < Crayfish and small shrimp are indeed incompatible.
Crayfish are omnivores, feeding primarily on plant material and
detritus, but small animals are also on the menu. In the confines of an
aquarium their clumsiness isn't a problem, and eventually they
corner smaller tankmates, usually at night. Obviously baby crayfish
smaller than the shrimps won't be much of a problem, but as the
crayfish grow, expect them to become more predatory *and* more
territorial towards one another. The only shrimps I would keep with
crayfish would be large Macrobrachium spp, (Freshwater Tiger Prawns)
because they are pretty nasty animals themselves. Given crayfish
don't move about much, I personally think they look best kept in
their own small aquarium. Cheers, Neale.>
Killer Ghost shrimp?!?!
03/09/07 Hi there! <<Hello!.>> I don't have a
question, I just wanted to share what I thought was kind of surprising.
I turned the light on in my 10 gal tank this morning, just in time to
watch my ghost shrimp "pounce" on a neon tetra. Before I went
to bed the neon looked perfectly healthy, and seemed to be pretty
strong after the attack this morning...at least initially. I would have
intervened but I was far too shocked and amazed by what I was seeing.
The neon struggled to get away, "dragging" the shrimp with
him, but the whole time the shrimp had a hold of him he shredded his
tail and fins. Eventually the neon stopped struggling and the shrimp
was able to settle on a piece of driftwood and eat the neon at his
leisure. He held the fish tightly and moved it up and down his legs
ripping and tearing with tiny little pincher claws that I never noticed
before. I just could not believe what I was seeing! I have two
particularly large crayfish in my 30 gal, and I have neons there, as
well as some Glowlight tetras, and in the past 6 months have not lost a
single fish to the crayfish. I have had the shrimp since January, and
he has already caused a loss... NOT what I expected! <<Thank You
for sharing. I have not experienced this, but I have heard similar
cases.>> Many Thanks for all the time and money this site has
saved me with free education. My tank losses have never been lower
since I started my research here 2 years ago! <<Happy to hear it!
Keep up the good work. Glad to help. Lisa.>> Doug
Ghost shrimp, Acanthocephalans,
worms in general... 1/15/07 I just bought a few ghost shrimp and
everything appeared to be going fine until today, when I noticed one of
the shrimp had a worm in it. <You have good sight> After a mild
freak-out I managed to do some research on the internet and found out
that it was most likely a horsehair worm. <Yes, possibly an
acanthocephalan...> Unfortunately, I haven't found much useful
information regarding my situation beyond the initial identification.
The infected ghost shrimp was in a tank that contained some guppies as
well as other ghost shrimp. Could the worm have possibly laid eggs in
my tank? <Could...> Would I be able to see them? <No, too
small> Should I worry about the larva (assuming there are eggs and
that the eggs will hatch) infecting my fish and other ghost shrimp?
<Mmm... possibly the shrimp... not likely the fish... May well be
that the life cycle of this parasite is "complex" and that
your tank is missing an/the intermediate host... likely guppies are not
definitive here> I know that the young are parasitic, yet I am not
completely sure if they use fish as hosts. The ghost shrimp was in my
tank for less than 24 hours. Are they dangerous to my fish? <Again,
not likely> Should I assume that my whole tank has been infested? Is
there anything I can do to stop the infection, assuming there is one,
without harming my fish? <... I would do nothing... but there are
some useful Anthelminthics... Praziquantel, Levamisole... you can
search re these on the Net, WWM...> Currently, all of the other
inhabitants of my tank seem fine, and there is no evidence of other
horsehair worms infecting my tank. I hope I am overreacting to this
tiny worm. <Mmm...> Please set my mind at ease. Should I be
freaking out about the possibility of infestation of my other fish and
ghost shrimps? Thanks, Lauren <How to put this... there are actually
several... as in many, species of worms... living in your system... in
your own personal world... This one is likely only detrimental to the
shrimp that are hosting large individuals... in non-propitious
circumstances. I would not panic here. Bob Fenner>
Keeping Ghost Shrimp 7/24/06
Hello! <Hi Cathrine, Pufferpunk here> I am hoping you can help me
understand why my ghost shrimp keep dying hours after being added to my
5 gallon aquarium. In this tank I have 1 male Betta and 1 Otocinclus.
Originally the shrimp was to be the cleaner but since I am not having
any luck with them I got the Otocinclus. I would like to add at least 1
ghost shrimp because in the short time they have been alive I find them
fascinating. I suspect something with my water is not compatible with
the shrimp because they are fine until they have been added to the
tank. This tank is heated and stays around 77 degrees (unfortunately it
can not be adjusted). I have a hang on the back filter rated for 2-5
gal and an under gravel filter. The tank has been running for 2 months.
Nitrate is at 20ppm, Nitrite is 0, Hardness was at 0 but since the
shrimp seemed to do well in the spring water they were in before being
added to the tank, I added some to the tank and it is now at 75ppm.
Alkalinity is 300ppm. pH is 8.4 (Both of these are high and I am
wondering if one or both might be the problem.) Ammonia is 0. I have
been using treated tap water only, which is softened with potassium
chloride. (Possibly another cause?) The beta and Otocinclus are doing
fine so I am not sure where the problem might be. The first time I
added 1 shrimp (had only treated tap water in the tank so hardness was
at 0), he died within an hour and half. A few weeks later I added two
more thinking maybe the first one was just a "bad" shrimp.
They both died within 2 hours. After that I started adding the spring
water, topping off my tank so my hardness had increased to 75ppm. Two
more weeks later I added four shrimp trying to increase my chances of
one surviving but they only lived up to 5 hours. They seem fine then
all the sudden fall on their side and finally end up dead on their
backs. Neither the beta or Otocinclus are bothering them. So not
knowing where the problem lies I am beginning to wonder if I should
drain the tank and refill it with all spring water. Sorry for such a
long email but I wanted to give you as much information as possible.
Thanks so much for your time! <Here is an excellent article in
keeping & breeding ghost shrimp: http://www.thepufferforum.com/articles/other/ghostshrimp.html
HTH, ~PP> Cathrine Daily
African Dwarf Frogs and fish
medications 7/13/06 Hello, my name is Robin. I have a 45 gallon
tank that houses one African Dwarf Frog, 4 Ghost Shrimp, and 12 Bronze
Cory Catfish. Yesterday I noticed that some of the baby (I say baby, my
original three bred successfully in my aquarium about four months ago)
Corys have fuzzy fungus growth. I have Applus+ Anti-Fungus Fungus and
Fin Rot Treatment, whose main ingredients are Malachite Green and
Hydrochloride. <Toxic to your Frogs and Shrimp> I wanted to check
before I add anything to the tank, because I'm concerned about the
frog and the shrimp. Will I have to move them to a different tank while
treating the catfish? <Yes... and do check your water quality... The
Corydoras would not "get" a fungal/bacterial infection if all
was well here> Is there a more "frog friendly" treatment
for the catfish? I know that the Anti-Fungus treatment is potentially
harmful to scaleless fish, and frogs absorb things through theirs, so I
don't want to poison the frog. Thank you very much. Robin <You
need to separate the non-fish. Bob Fenner>
Platy fry and ghost shrimp fry
4/9/06 I really need help. My ghost shrimp had babies about a month
ago and now my "Minnie" platy is going to. I need to know if
i can put all the fry in the same breeder net. As of right now I can
afford to get another tank. I also need to know if i really need to get
another tank do to overcrowding. At this point I have 1 frog, 1 Betta,
2 Kuhli loach, 3 Cory cats, 2 platies and 2 adult shrimp plus i
don't know how many baby shrimp. I know I am pushing over crowding
and really don't want that... Please tell me what to do. Can the
fry go into one net and how long before I really have to get a bigger
tank? Thank you Leeann <Mmm, the shrimp and platy fry can go and
stay in the net as long as both are fed (small amounts a few times
daily). The Betta and others will consume both if they are small enough
to ingest... You will eventually need another tank if these animals
keep reproducing. Bob Fenner>
Bettas and Ghost Shrimp comp., incomp. 4/1/06 Hi.
<Hello> Do you know why my fighting fish ate my ghost shrimp?
<Are you sure he did?> My fighting fish was a male <And still
is, I'm thinking> and he ate 2 ghost shrimp. I bought 6 but he
ate 2. I have 4 left. <Your math is correct. :)> E-mail me back
when you get this. <We always do> Thank you very much! <First,
Danielle, I don't have any way of knowing, one way or the other, if
your Betta actually ate your Ghost Shrimp. I'm a bit skeptical
about this for a few reasons. First, Ghost Shrimp are pretty fast when
they need to be and Bettas aren't known for their speed (this makes
them quite compatible together). Additionally, at warm temperatures
such as your Betta requires, Ghost Shrimp are known to be far more
active and aggressive than they would at cooler temperatures making it
more likely that it would be they who would take a swipe at your Betta
rather than the reverse. Finally, Ghost Shrimp regularly shed their
outer shells (exoskeletons) and then hide until new exoskeletons form.
This, all too frequently, leads folks to assume that their shrimp have
fallen prey to a hungry tankmate when, in fact, no such thing has
happened. I'd keep an eye on your tank and see if your
"missing-in-action" shrimp don't magically reappear.
Tom> International Zoo Veterinary Group
Ghost Shrimp Hi! Can you tell me what ghost shrimp
eat? <Just about anything you offer them meat based.> Thanks,
David Muir <You are welcome. -Steven Pro>
Sexing ghost shrimp I'm trying to breed ghost
shrimp and I was wondering how to tell the difference between a male
and female ghost shrimp. <Mmm, is this the ghost shrimp of the
family Callianassidae? Or the Palaemonids that are sold as food animals
in the pet-fish trade? For the latter please see here: http://fish.orbust.net/ghostshrimp.html
Bob Fenner>
A worm question (Horsehair worms;
stingrays) 10/17/08 Hello, <Hi,> was
just wanted to know I notice some of my ghost shrimp have worms in
there intestines are to believe they are Gordian Worm, a.k.a. Horsehair
Worms...one died bc the worm killed it but I never notice them b4 on my
shrimp I feed these shrimp to my Motoro stingray which I have had for
about a week I know they are prone to roundworms and tapeworms but I
was wondering if I did feed some shrimp that had these in them can they
kill my ray I called the pet store where I got my ray and they never
really heard of these worms really and are not sure if they will harm
the ray they feed there ghost shrimp to there rays and had no prob but
they never looked at there shrimp to see if they had worms so they
could be feeding ones that do so I don't know what I should do I
don't want my ray to die and I don't know if I should get new
shrimp the other ones seem to not have these worms in them..should I
continue to feed them to my ray or go and get new ones??????
<Sheesh... not even a period or comma. Do please review our very
modest "fee" before writing: we expect e-mails to be spell
checked and written with proper grammar. Not much to ask, and the point
is that we depend on properly formatted messages so that we can share
them with other site visitors. The better Google can index our pages,
the more people will view our pages, and the more revenue our
advertising generates to pay for bandwidth. It's a simple deal
really.> HELP!!! PLEASE KINDA SCARED FOR MY RAY I LOVE HIM!!!
<Horsehair worms are not likely to cause your Ray any harm. Most
parasites are species-specific, and while they may be harmful to the
shrimp, they are unlikely to adapt to the particular anatomy of your
Stingray. If you're really that bothered, don't use the
shrimps. Earthworms are a very safe food if collected from an area that
is "organic", i.e., not sprayed with chemicals. Most rays
love earthworms. There's no reason to use live food with most
Stingrays anyway, and a varied diet of mussels, prawns and squid is
easily provided using foods sold for humans.> thanks Maria
<Cheers, Neale.>
Ghost shrimp/jewel anemone hlth/ID - 07/19/08 I can't
seem to find an answer for my questions.#1 I bought some ghost
shrimp from my LFS and I noticed they had some white dots on
their body, is this normal or some sort of disease? <Mmm,
likely more the latter... not communicable though. These sorts of
markings show up in specimens that have been kept in poor
conditions> #2 I have a large colony of jewel anemones
<There are a few species that go by this name... Is this a
Corynactis? Which do you have? and can't find any info on
them any where can you tell me or give me a link to some
information on them? Thanks for any help! <Bob Fenner>
Re: Ghost shrimp/jewel anemone 07/20/2008 Wow I
didn't think I would even get a reply yet alone a reply so
quick! So then it would be safe for my fuzzy dwarf lion to eat
said ghost shrimp his health is of great importance to me. #2 yes
my jewel anemones do resemble Corynactis and now I have their
scientific name I'm finding a lot on them. I saw tanks full
of them at Chicago's Shedd aquarium that's were I got the
jewel name from. thank you very much. I'm sure your words of
wisdom have prolonged the lives of many of our aquatic friends!!!
<<Yes, the ghost shrimp are fine for the lionfish. Really
glad you found the correct name for your anemone, all helps
towards providing a better environment for them. Thanks for the
follow-up, hope this helps. A Nixon>>
|
Glass shrimp
05/20/08 Hi, I have some FW glass shrimp I would like to adapt
to NSW. Can you give me some guidance about how rapidly this can be
accomplished and how? Mike <Hi Mike. What does "NSW" mean?
All I can think of is New South Wales! So get back to us with this, and
we'll try and answer your question. Cheers, Neale.> <<Near
Sea Water? As in saltiness is my guess.
RMF>>
Re: glass shrimp
05/21/2008 Hi, I have some FW glass shrimp I would like to
adapt to Normal Salt Water. Can you give me some guidance about how
rapidly this can be accomplished and how? Mike <Mike, unless these
are truly euryhaline shrimps, then acclimating them to saltwater
conditions may not be possible. It all depends on the precise species.
Here in the UK, the common "glass shrimp" sold as food for
marine/freshwater fish is the euryhaline species Palaemon serratus, and
while it doesn't last long in freshwater (a few days at best) in
brackish or salt water it does equally well. Acclimating euryhaline
invertebrates from estuaries to variations in salinity is generally
very easy, and can be done via the drip method (or similar) across an
hour or so. These animals come from areas where the salinity will vary
very rapidly, so they don't need to be "pampered". But if
the shrimps aren't truly euryhaline, then this isn't going to
work. You (probably) can't acclimate a freshwater/salt-tolerant
shrimp to marine conditions. Palaemonetes paludosus for example is one
of the shrimps sold as the "glass shrimp" in the US, and to
the best of my knowledge is not amenable to high-end brackish or
saltwater conditions. Cheers, Neale.>
Internal Parasites... In ghost shrimp...
possible??? 2/6/08 Hello crew! I'm back with another
question... sorry... So today I went to my LFS and picked up
about 20 ghost shrimp with hopes of keeping them in a tank and
possibly breeding for my GSP to munch on... Well I was looking in
the bag before I dumped them in the net I noticed a long stringy
thing... pure white... by long I mean about 4.5" and upon
further inspection two of the shrimp themselves had these things
INSIDE of them... what are they and should I be worried? The tank
itself is fully cycled and running at tip top shape and I kept
the 2 infected ones out in a separate 1 gallon tank for
observation... Thanks! Jess <Hello Jessica. Without seeing the
"long white things" it's difficult to say what they
are, but they certainly sound like could be tapeworms or
something similar. Shrimps are of course transparent, and they
have a digestive tract (the "vein") running along the
dorsal surface (the back) of the animal. Depending on what the
shrimp has been eating, this can be a variety of colours.
Obviously, this isn't harmful. Tapeworms are segmented and
very flat, while nematodes, the other possibility, tend to be
smooth, cylindrical, and with obviously tapered or pointed ends.
In any case, I wouldn't use the infected shrimps to feed your
puffers; at least, not raw. Boiling should kill the parasites (if
that's what they are). Cheers, Neale.>
Ghost shrimp, horsehair worms.... -02/06/08 Heya
Bobster (and Neale, and all), <Howzit Sab?> Regarding
"Internal Parasites... In ghost shrimp... possible???
2/6/08", the answer is most assuredly YES, it's
possible. The animals Jessica saw, the "long white
things", are almost certainly horsehair worms. These strange
critters affect crustaceans and insects; to my limited
understanding they do not often affect fish. Apparently larvae
can bore into most any aquatic animal and encyst, but that's
it. And you need both a male *and* female worm to make eggs.... I
would only be slightly concerned for a fish that consumes a
parasitized shrimp; in the following link are videos of the worms
exiting animals that have consumed parasitized hosts of these
worms (not for the faint of heart):
http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v440/n7085/suppinfo/440756a.html
<Ahh!> I have seen more than a hearty handful of ghost
shrimp with these bizarre parasites. Often you can see the worm
moving about within the host.... Freaky, freaky, freaky. In my
experience, about 50% of the shrimp with these worms died when
the worms left the host, and thereafter, did not have a great
survival rate. I *have* had shrimp survive after the worms
exited, but not a great many. The worms can leave the water on
their own - I've seen it happen - but I assume they die
quickly if they do so. All the same, I wouldn't put a
container or tank with parasitized shrimp next to or near tanks
with healthy shrimp or even pet or feeder insects. Some nifty
links: http://www.amonline.net.au/factsheets/gordian_worms.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nematomorpha
http://mrw.interscience.wiley.com/emrw/9780470015902/els/article/a0001594/current/abstract
<Fab> Bob, by your leave, I'll log on, recreate a
folder for myself.... I believe I have the capacity to answer one
or two questions daily, though likely not much more than that
right now. <Yay!> Best regards, -Sabrina C. Fullhart <Be
seeing you, BobF>
|
2 questions. Glass shrimp repro.,
gold barb comp. 7/13/08 Hi guys. I noticed that my ghost/glass
shrimp had eggs the other day!! I'm excited about possibly having
babies! Unfortunately I have not found a lot of info on raising the
fry. I have a 1gal tank with a bubble filter and some gravel to isolate
the moms and babies (my nursery!) I noticed tonight when I was trying
to catch the moms-to-be that there was a "bug" floating in my
tank. I fished him out and discovered to my delight that it was a
shrimp fry!! So he is now in my nursery. What can/do I need to feed the
fry? I don't want to starve them to death. I put some algae pellets
and 1-2 fish flakes, is this enough for the fry? <The American Glass
Shrimp is Palaemonetes paludosus, a species with a planktonic larval
stage (albeit quite a brief one). As such, it is virtually impossible
to breed in aquaria. The mother will carry the eggs for a period of
weeks, but once they hatch the fry float about in the water column
feeding on microscopic organisms including algae. Unless you are able
to both feed them and make sure they don't get sucked into the
filter, the fry will die. The Amazonian Glass Shrimp Palaemonetes sp.
is similar. Only those shrimps that produce fully-formed juveniles
(such as Cherry Shrimps) are breedable in aquaria -- and how! Cherry
Shrimps will multiply almost as quickly as snails under the right
conditions.> And one question not shrimp related. I have one more
too. I have a Gold barb in an 2.5 gallon tank because he didn't
play nice and killed 8 of my other fish. <Did it have any tankmates
of its own kind? Most Barbs tend to be aggressive and/or nippy when
kept in groups smaller than six, and though it sounds odd, they become
more peaceful the bigger the school. In any case, this tank is far too
small for what I am assuming is Puntius
semifasciolatus.><<Likely Puntius sachsii. RMF>>
I did a water change and went home for the weekend and came back to
find him in horrible shape. His fins were almost gone, and he had some
red/bloody patches on the front of his lip, and at the base of his
tail. He was very "twitchy." <Surely poor water quality.
In a tank this small, maintaining the essential zero nitrite and zero
ammonia at all times will be next to impossible given the size/activity
of this fish.> I tested my water, and everything was normal, except
for the water being hard, the pH about 7.8, making it alkaline. I
treated the water I researched it and everything matched up with fin
rot. <Would agree.> I got him some Melafix.... <Garbage; use
something that actually works, e.g., eSHa 2000 (in Europe) or Maracyn
(in the US). Melafix appeals to some aquarists and retailers because it
is "homeopathic" and cheap. But it isn't tested either,
and doesn't pass anything like the standards required by proper
veterinarian drugs.> ...and it seemed to start to work, and the
twitchiness decreased. Today he has some new open sores. He has a small
in tank filter, 2 plastic plants and a decoration to hide under. Could
he be "scratching" against his hiding spot? Or have I
misdiagnosed him? He's not my favorite fish, but I don't want
him to die a slow painful death. I can send a pic of him. <First of
all, treat him appropriately. Then monitor water quality, and act
accordingly. He can't possibly live in a 2.5 gallon system, so
moving him to another tank is essential. If he is aggressive with your
other fish, that's likely because he's bored. Barbs are
intensely social, and like humans, become cranky and unpredictable when
kept "in solitary". Consider six specimens the minimum
number, and ten or more the ideal.> Thanks guys. Michelle
<You're welcome, Neale.>
Unidentified Shrimp... Perhaps a Ghost Shrimp 9/11/07 This
is Paul again. <Hola Paul, Mich aqui> I just wanted to send
you a picture of one of the shrimp in my tank. I have another
just like it. I am currently living in Brazil (Curitiba) and this
was a shrimp offered at the aquarium store (www.aquabetta.com.br)
I thought you guys might like to look at it. <Always nice.>
Maybe you haven't seen one like it before. If you have, can
you tell me what its name is? <I could be wrong, but it looks
like a pretty glass or ghost shrimp to me. Ghost shrimp are often
used as feeders More here:
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.fishlore.com/Pictures/
Profiles/ghost_shrimp_2.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.fishlore.com/profile- ghostshrimp.htm&h=150&w=250&sz=6&hl=en&start=16&
um=1&tbnid=mn4UJo7N5z_kqM:&tbnh=67&tbnw=111&prev=/images%
3Fq%3Dglass%2Bshrimp%26svnum%3D10%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Doff%26client%3Dsafari%26rls%3Den%26sa%3DG
> Thanks a lot. <De nada! Mich>
Re: Unidentified Shrimp... A Ghost Shrimp 9/12/07
Buenos Dias Paul, Mich here again.> I thought ghost shrimp
were freshwater. <Can be fresh... can also be salt... I have
collected myself from saltwater in the Belmar NJ inlet.> They
have been living in my saltwater tank for 7 months now. <Yes,
there are several species. Many can tolerate great ranges in
salinity. RMF is in agreement with this ID.> Paul
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Ghost shrimp, sel.
12/5/08 Hi, I was wondering if ghost shrimp would be a good
fit for my 2 year old aquarium. I have a 55 gallon freshwater tank that
has 1 red tailed shark (which is very passive ), <Lucky you! Lovely
fish, but often rather mean spirited!> 1 gold Gourami, 5 tiger
barbs, 3 cherry barbs, 2 catfish...I'm not sure of the type. They
are a grayish blue color with a darker shade of polk-a-dots.
<Pimelodus pictus by any chance? A nice, schooling catfish; gets to
15 cm, predatory towards small fish, but otherwise well behaved.>
See, my husband bought me 3 rubber lip Plecos the other day.....but
they are way to shy and are not cleaning the algae. <They won't.
These catfish are aufwuchs feeders, meaning they consume green algae
alongside small invertebrates such as crustaceans and insect larvae.
They're basically more like Corydoras in terms of care. The best
algae-eaters, without question, are Nerite snails. They won't breed
in fish tanks, and only live a couple of years, but they are hugely
effective. Do always remember algae is best combated by adding lots of
fast-growing plants, and this sometimes means increasing the amount of
light. That's counterintuitive I know, but more light = less algae,
if you have the right plants.> I'm thinking of returning them
and I'm considering ghost shrimp to help maintain the algae in my
tank. Any suggestions???? Can you recommend another algae eater that
will be more active, not so shy?...that is ...if shrimp are not good
for the bunch. I know as far as any fish medicated treatments....I
would need to remove the shrimp. <Cherry shrimps and Amano shrimps,
basically any Neocaridina or Caridina species, are the best algae
eaters. Being small, predators such as Pimelodus will eat them. But
otherwise hardy and easy to keep. You already understand copper kills
them, which is good.> Also, I use the black carbon in my filter
cartridges as well as ammonia reducer ( the white small bits ), but
there seems to be a lot of free flowing very small bubbles swimming
around in my tank, which makes it appear to be hazy, or not so clear.
<Wouldn't worry too much unless the bubbles are sticking to the
fish or their fins. If the air is getting into the outflowing water via
the filter, adjust the air intake or the position of the outflow
spout.> Thank you so much for your time and knowledge. I really
appreciate it. <You're welcome, Neale.>
Shrimp ID 11/27/08
Hiii!!!!!!! I caught 4 wild shrimp at the beach and threw them
without hesitation in my 17 gallon saltwater tank. it's been
2 month now they r all the same and tiny except one which is
bigger and more colorful, all the rest are transparent and look
healthy. i did everything i could to identify their name or have
information about them but NOTHING. 6 days ago i noticed the big
shrimp(1 inch) with his belly full of dark green eggs!!!!!!!!
everyday the eggs changed and one the sixth day i can notice 2
dots in each eggs, the shrimp look shy and is not eating like the
others, what can i do to identify the shrimps, when the eggs r
going to hatch????i really need answers plz!!!! <Heyyyyy! Are you
a child, a non native speaker, a person of diminished
capacity?..... Please fix your English and re-send. Can you send
a picture or two? The color of the eggs is about right. BobF.
> |
Shrimp ID 11/28/08 I'm sorry for my
English and for the spelling, it's not my official language
<Ah, no worries. I understand> i just wanted to identify
the shrimp i caught, which is pregnant know. <This appears to
be a Grass Shrimp, likely the species Palaemonetes paludosus. Bob
Fenner> |
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